Getting Started with Blended and Online Learning

Transcription

1 Getting Started with Blended and Online Learning

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3 TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME...3 WHAT IS BLENDED LEARNING?... 3 WHAT IS ILEARNNYC?... 3 I. PLANNING AN EFFECTIVE PROGRAM...4 HOW WILL MY SCHOOL BEGIN?... 4 A. Vision and Goals... 4 a. Leadership... 5 b. Process and Protocol... 5 c. ilearnnyc Committee... 6 d. Target Population... 7 e. Teacher Selection... 7 f. Instructional Models... 8 g. School Readiness/Infrastructure II. SCHEDULING AND PROGRAMMING HOW SHOULD I PLAN? A. SELECT CONTENT B. PURCHASE LICENSES C. ADMIN CONSOLE (PROGRAMMING) D. SCHEDULING III. SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS HOW CAN I ENSURE SUCCESS A. GETTING STARTED FOR TEACHERS B. GETTING STARTED FOR STUDENTS C. COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS IV. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ILEARNNYC COURSES BLENDED AND LEARNING POLICY V. APPENDICES A. CLASSIFYING K-12 BLENDED LEARNING B. SCHOOL READINESS CHECKLIST C. EXPLANATION OF NYC APPROVED VENDORS D. LIST OF NYC APPROVED VENDORS E. SCHEDULING CHECKLIST F. FAMIS PURCHASING GUIDE G. ILEARNNYC CASE STUDIES H. BLENDED LEARNING IN ACTION I. STUDENT AGREEMENT J. SAMPLE LETTER OF FOR PARENTS K. SAMPLE PARENT NOTICE OF INTERVENTION L. SAMPLE SCHOOL BROCHURE... 92

4 Introduction Welcome to ilearnnyc! Getting Started Guide with Blended and Online Learning ilearnnyc was first introduced in 2010 with 41 schools piloting blended learning models and has quickly grown to over 250 participating schools in Through lessons learned and support from Implementation Managers, ilearnnyc schools developed effective practices and strategies that worked in their buildings. This Getting Started Guide with Blended and Online Learning is a collection of promising practices, implementation strategies and resources to guide you in planning a blended learning culture in your school. This guide will provide you with procedures and protocols to ensure a successful implementation. Our work will continue to grow and evolve as schools begin to incorporate blended and online learning into their school day. This Getting Started Guide will be updated regularly as we scale. Our current work has also been documented in an inacol publication: A Roadmap for Implementation of Blended Learning: A Case Study of ilearnnyc Lab Schools which can be found here What is Blended/Online Learning? Blended learning, as defined by Horn and Staker, is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace, at least in part in a supervised brick and mortar location away from home, and the modalities along each student s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience (Horn and Staker, 2013). Online learning, also known as e learning uses the internet and computer technologies to connect teachers and students to deliver curriculum. What is ilearnnyc? ilearnnyc is a community of schools that are implementing blended and online learning to expand current school boundaries that limit how and when a student can learn. ilearnnyc empowers teachers, administrators, students and parents with digital resources, including online course content, real time data on student work, eportfolios, and a suite of robust educational tools. Schools participating in ilearnnyc classes can provide students with access to courses not currently offered in their school such as Advanced Placement, core content, world languages, and credit recovery provided there is a certified teacher in the content area. The boundary of the school day can be expanded so students can complete their coursework anytime, anywhere from any computer with internet access. This helps students learn all the time not just when they are at school. 3

5 A. Vision and Goals It is important to think about how ilearnnyc will impact your school and the purpose for the program. ilearnnyc s goal should fit into your school s broader goal but also should be clearly defined. Schools should work with their curriculum committee to align clear goals for each school year. Some sample ilearnnyc goals are listed below: To implement 100% percent of our courses with a blended learning component. To have 50% of teachers recording lessons that allows students to watch content online before coming to class. To offer online classess to studentss who are deficient in credits. To provide additional online opportunities for students too succeed. Through observations and interactions with ilearnnyc schools, the following items/elements must be carefully considered when planning to ensure thatt your vision and goals are being met. a. Leadership b. Process & Protocol c. ilearnnyc School Committee d. Target Population e. Teacher Selection f. Instructional Models g. School Readiness 4

6 a. Leadership To build an effective blended learning program, strong and consistent leadership must support implementation of vision and goals. A coordinated, intentional and systemic professional development plan based on stated goals needs to be adopted in order for blended learning to become part of the fabric of the school. School leaders should meet with teachers and be transparent about their expectations, both in the physical classroom and in the online environment. Leaders and teachers should have conversations about the blended model they will implement along with: Budget Schedule Training Curriculum Planning Compensation b. Process & Protocol Having a process as to selecting students and enrolling them in the correct course is imperative. Who will review the students record to determine courses needed? Who will enroll the students in the ilearnnyc system? Will there be an orientation process for the student and family? What is the passing score or mastery based level for online learning? How many times will you allow the student to retake the online assessment before providing intervention? Will the teachers of record be given time to grade and review student work? Will this be during the school day or per session? How will you identify online courses in STARS? School Leaders are responsible for knowing and enforcing academic policies. To reference see High School Academic Policy Reference Guide and Middle School Academic Policy Reference Guide. If you have any questions that have to do with grading and promotion, go to your network policy liaison. c. ilearnnyc School Committee An important factor in the success of any blended learning program is having a team of key players who immerse themselves in this work and are responsible for the successful implementation. This team should meet regularly to discuss successes and challenges and continually evaluate the program. 5

7 The ilearnnyc school committee should consist of a coordinator, programmer, curriculum specialist, an instructional coach, teacher of record, teachers, technician, and a guidance counselor. Creating a team to handle the workflow of ilearnnyc is not enough. This team should be meeting regularly, reflecting on the program, creating goals and making changes as necessary. Below are some key roles and responsibilities for a successful ilearnnyc program: Role ilearnnyc Coordinator Programmer Curriculum Specialist Instructional Coach Teacher of Record (TOR) Teacher Technician Guidance Counselor (Highly recommended for high school) Responsibilities Manages and monitors the program s success and has the power to make decisions for change when needed; turnkey Professional Development; liaison between ilearnnyc program and school Manages enrollments and creates ilearnnyc courses Reviews content and supports teachers in selecting the appropriate content for target population Provides guidance for teachers using blended learning (classroom management, monitoring progress, etc.) Content certified teacher that is responsible for monitoring student progress in a timely fashion and awards credit. May facilitate the course in a lab setting but a content certified teacher is still required for monitoring progress. Maintains equipment and submits helpdesk tickets when needed. Key person to identify and recommend students for online coursework; also can make recommendations as to student readiness for virtual environment 6

8 d. Target Population Identifying your target population is very important to the success of your program. Your vision and goals for this program should help you identify the population of students that this ilearnnyc will serve. Here are some ideas of what the program can assist with: Credit Accumulation/Acceleration Sharing Instruction across multiple schools Infusing technology into the traditional face to face (F2F) classroom for differentiated instruction and improved engagement Supporting Students with Interrupted Education Advanced Placement Courses Foreign Languages Electives e. Teacher Selection One of the most important things to consider when planning for blended learning is choosing the right teachers for this work. This is a crucial element of having success in this program. While each school may have their own idea of what qualities they are looking for in blended learning teachers, some of the most common are: Interested in blended and online learning Comfortable instructing with technology Strong time management skills Willing to communicate and facilitate beyond the face to face classroom Willing to use online data to inform instruction and assignments Flexible and open to new ideas Online learning experience preferred 7

9 f. Instructional Models Schools should define which instructional model they would like to follow. Most schools have multiple models implemented. There are four emerging models that are identified to be successful within blended learning as defined by Clayton Christensen Institute researchers. These four models are: Rotation, Flex, A La Carte, and Enriched Virtual which are described below. To see the full report, which discusses blended learning and these models further, see Appendix A. 8

10 Rotation Rotation model a program in which within a given course or subject (e.g., math), students rotate on a fixed schedule or at the teacher s discretion between learning modalities, at least one of which is online learning. Other modalities might include activities such as small group or full class instruction, group projects, individual tutoring, and pencil and paper assignments. Flex Model Flex model a program in which content and instruction are delivered primarily by the Internet, students move on an individually customized, fluid schedule among learning modalities, and the teacher of record or other adults provide face toface support on a flexible and adaptive as needed basis through activities such as small group instruction, group projects, and individual tutoring. Some of the implementations have substantial face to face support, and others have minimal ( e.g., some flex models may have face to face certified teachers who supplement the online learning on a daily basis, whereas others may provide face toface enrichment; others may have different staffing combinations; these are useful modifiers to describe a particular Flex Model.) 9

11 A La Carte Model A La Carte A program in which students take one or more courses entirely online with an online teacher of record and at the same time continue to have brick and mortar educational experiences. Students may take the online courses either on the brick andmortar campus or off site. This differs from full time online learning and the Enriched Virtual model because it is not a whole school experience. Enriched Virtual Enriched Virtual model a whole school experience in which within each course (e.g., math), students divide their time between attending a brick and mortar campus and learning remotely using online delivery of content and instruction. Many Enriched Virtual model differs from the Flipped Classroom because in Enriched Virtual programs, students seldom attend the brick and mortar campus every weekday. It differs from the A La Carte model because it is a full school experience, not a course by course model. learning model definitions 10

12 g. School Readiness Planning for infrastructure is an integral piece of the preparation process for your school s implementation. Once you have your front end team identified, the next step is to make sure you have the infrastructure and systems in place to ensure that the program runs smoothly from a technical perspective. This includes: strategies for computer allocation computer labs/ printers number of laptops carts headphones any other hardware you plan to utilize electrical and wireless capacity for your building o Co located schools need to consider total bandwidth usage as a building, not just a school. o A plan for daily heavy usage times amongst schools is key to uninterrupted student experiences in the online aspect. Other thing to consider in preparing your school for Blended and Online Learning: Bandwidth Bandwidth is the amount of data traveling from one point to another within a given time period. Many of our vendors are interactive and require higher bandwidth. To get a better idea of your school s usage as well as specifics as to the average daily highs and lows, check on the Bandwidth Utilization Tool: Tech Support While having a full time tech person on staff is highly recommended, you can also hire a CUNY Technician. They are an affordable means for schools on a tight budget. By hiring a part time CUNY Tech, schools can still have technical support for their blended learning program which is integral to the success of the program. See Appendix B School Readiness Checklist to view the checklist to help you prepare your school s infrastructure. 11

13 II. Scheduling and Programming New educational models such as blended learning and online learning options require the review of existing teaching and learning policies and potentially the revision of existing policies, or the creation of new ones to foster innovation. Examples of policies that may need to be addressed but are not limited to: length of time that a student has to complete the required courses, scheduling availability of courses, mastery based learning, procedures for enrolling and un enrolling students and support. Refer to the High School Academic Policy Reference Guide and Middle School Academic Policy Reference Guide. The following questions are items to consider before programming any ilearnnyc courses. They will assist you in identifying needs and support the blended learning and online learning in your school. 1. Who is your target student population? 2. What vendor content and licensing structure best meets the needs of this population? 3. What courses from the ilearnnyc catalogs are you considering? 4. Will these courses be a part of the daily schedule for teachers and students or will they offered during afterschool hours and require per session? 5. Who are the selected teachers who will: a. Serve as assigned licensed subject area teachers of record (TOR)? b. Manage the program? c. Grade student work d. Hold office hour for struggling students Tips from the Field Determine your school s grading policy Subject certified teacher is responsible for course syllabus, monitoring student progress, and awarding course grades If you have any questions that have to do with grading and promotion, go to your network policy liaison. 12

14 The ilearnnyc School Committee should plan in late spring and summer for fall implementation. The team will review and be responsible for the below: a. Selecting Content ilearnnyc has a catalog of vendors that offer online and blended learning content. Prior to purchasing, the ilearnnyc school committee should preview and demo vendor content to ensure that they are aligned with the school s vision and goals. See Appendices C and D for more information on NYC approved vendor content. b. Purchasing Licenses All ilearnnyc licenses must be purchased through FAMIS. If you need assistance with this process, please see Appendix F for the complete Famis Purchasing guide. c. Programming (Admin Console) Once you purchase your licenses through FAMIS, teachers and students must be programmed. Specifically, ilearnnyc has a web based program called the Admin Console, wherein programming of students for online content happens. To do this successfully, schools must send their programmers, administrators and an alternative administrative person to be trained on this program. (Programmers will need to attend Admin Console training) d. Scheduling Before students can be programmed for ilearnnyc, decisions have to be made regarding the scheduling of students. See Appendix E for a checklist of things to think about. Tips from the field Do not begin programming until your school rosters are set. In most cases, once you program students into a course through the Admin Console, licenses are consumed. If you encounter any issues with your FAMIS purchase, reach out to your network liaison. Our helpdesk operators are trained in using the Administrative Console. They should be your first point of contact when issues arise. Phone:

15 III. Setting up for Success ilearnnyc s online and blended learning model meets the needs of most of our students, but it requires a high level of independence and self awareness. ilearnnyc students who consistently work in their online courses and produce a steady flow of valid, completed assignments are almost guaranteed to pass their courses. Some students are still growing to become self reliant learners. For these students, online learning may not provide an effective path and students who are unable to meet the requirements of their online learning courses should consider an alternative that can be discussed with the guidance counselor. It is recommended that students participate in an orientation session before delving into the content. a. Getting Started for Teachers While there is not one formula for supporting a blended learning teacher, we have seen some best practices wherein teachers are set up for success. In order to begin this innovative practice, teachers need to have an understanding of common definitions of blended learning and be aware of a variety of blended learning models and resources. They also need to have a good understanding of how to use the vendor content the school has selected for the upcoming school year. School leaders are in the unique position to allow teachers opportunities to attend professional development workshops, both provided by ilearnnyc and through outside partners and companies. This is crucial, not only for teachers to be able to use online content and learning management systems, but also for them to identify colleagues outside your school with whom to collaborate. It is a best practice to set clear expectations for blended learning teachers and help them understand that lessons in a blended learning class may look differently than in a traditional brick and mortar classroom. It is important that school leaders sit down with their teachers and be transparent about their expectations, both in the physical classroom and in the online learning environment. 14

16 Below are some examples of guidelines to implement in your classroom: Provide clear expectations for students with specific assignments and due dates. Actively monitor student progress using data reports. Provide students who fall 15% behind any course a progress warning, as well as an opportunity to catch up with the support of teacher and/or guidance counselor. Provide students who fall 25% behind any course the opportunity to meet face to face with teacher or guidance counselor to evaluate options and provide interventions. Proctoring of Tests should occur in the classroom Ensure that students who fail a quiz or test more than twice provide evidence of their work. Provide timely feedback to students. It is best to have online office hours. (Example: You check your between 5 pm 8 pm and answer all s at that time.) Two resources that you may find helpful when thinking about the selection of teachers can be found in Appendices G and H. They are case studies from ilearnnyc schools and Blended Learning in Action. Tips from the field Send your teacher to ilearnnyc and specific vendor professional development. Seek out and provide opportunities for ongoing professional development around the topic of Blended Learning b. Getting Started for Students When planning for blended learning, it is important to consider how you set clear expectations in both the face to face and in the online portion of your class. We suggest spending the first few days to provide in depth orientation and provide continual reinforcement of expectations. See Appendix I for a complete student agreement. c. Communication with Parents Schools should communicate information about the ilearnnyc program to parents. There are differences between blended/online learning compared to traditional classroom learning. Blended and Online courses can be a method to expand the boundary of the school day and engage student to complete their coursework anytime, anywhere from any computer with internet access. Having a set of documents and/or other informational materials is essential to get parental buy in and have them become advocates for an innovative way that their children are learning. 15

17 While every school has their own way of making parents aware of what is happening in their schools, it is important to think about using various ways to let parents know about your blended learning program. Here are a few options: Individual School Crafted Letter Some schools like to send a more personalized letter to parents which explains a bit more about the program. This letter should be linked to important information on your website. See Appendix J for a sample parent letter. Parent Intervention Letter Sometimes it becomes necessary to send parents notifications when students are struggling to meet deadlines or standards of learning in your course. See Appendix K for a sample intervention letter. Sample School Brochure Some schools have created brochures for their ilearnnyc program, which are not only shared with parents, but are available to any visitors to the school, and come in handy at middle school and high school fairs. See Appendix L for a sample school brochure. Tips from the Field Be sure to communicate with Parents in a variety of ways; i.e. phone calls, , social media and letters sent directly to homes. Put an agenda item on your PTO meetings so that parents and the community at large are aware of what is happening in ilearnnyc. Determine your school s grading policy and communicate to all teachers, students and parents. Post your grading policy on your website. 16

18 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ILearnNYC Courses When and how do I purchase licenses for my school? You will be able to purchase licenses through FAMIS starting on August 29th. A communication will go out with the codes and the steps to do this once it is available Are licenses for students, teachers, or both? Licenses are for students and are what give them access to any one vendor s content (so for example if a student needs access to Compass they will need 1 Compass license, if they need access to the ilearnnyc platform they will need 1 ilearnnyc platform license.) Teachers do not require a license to access the system. You can add an unlimited number of teachers to each ilearnnyc course you create without burning a license. How can I give my teachers access to their course? Your school Programmer (i.e. whoever attended Admin Console Training) has access to the Admin Console, the system where courses are created. In order for you (the teacher) or your students to have access and be able to login to your programmer will first need to create the course in the Admin Console. How are ilearnnyc courses created? Courses are created in a system called the Admin Console. This system has a simple 4 step process in which you name a course, add teachers, enroll students, add vendor content (Aventa, Discovery etc.) and click finalize. This then sends the information to the ilearnnyc platform, and allows teachers and students to login at and access the course. 17

19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Blended and Online Courses Learning Policy The purpose of this FAQ document is to assist NYCDOE high schools in understanding and effectively implementing policies regarding blended and online courses. This FAQ document supplements existing resources on graduation requirements and policies for awarding high school course credit. Refer to the High School Academic Policy Reference Guide for additional information. Blended and online courses are among the many delivery mechanisms for high school courses. Other delivery mechanisms include internships and servicelearning. For support implementing alternative course delivery mechanisms, contact your network s academic policy point. Click the links below to find answers in the following areas: Definitions Policies Teachers of Blended and Online Courses Awarding Credit for Blended and Online Courses Implementation Considerations Resources 18

20 DEFINITIONS 1. What is the definition of a credit bearing course? According to New York State Commissioner s Regulations, all credit bearing courses must: address high school commencement level standards meet instructional time requirements (minimum of 180 minutes per week throughout the semester/school year, or the equivalent of 54 hours per credit), be taught by a teacher with a New York State secondary certification in the course s subject area. 2. What are commencement level learning standards? The New York State Education Department has commencement level learning standards in the following subject areas: English language arts Social studies Mathematics Science Technology The arts (including visual arts, music, dance and theatre) Languages other than English Physical education Health Family and consumer sciences Career development and occupational studies See the New York State Education Department's website for specific standards in each subject area. The following delivery mechanisms are permitted in addition to traditional classroom courses: Blended/online learning Internships Service learning Refer to the information throughout this document for specific requirements for blended and online courses. For additional information about credit bearing internships and service learning courses, see the Off Site Courses FAQ. 3. What course components can be included in the 180 minutes per week (54 hours per credit) of required instruction? Learning experiences that take place outside the traditional classroom and school day may be considered as inclusive of the 180 minutes of instruction per week throughout the school year, or the equivalent of 54 hours per credit, including: 19

21 online learning experiences; and/or learning experiences that take place inside and/or outside the classroom or school building in non virtual settings, such as structured work experiences designed to address New York State commencement level learning standards as a component of a course. For courses incorporating online and/or off site components, schools should maintain documentation that courses provide students with the opportunity for 180 minutes per week of instruction, or the equivalent of 54 hours per credit. Schools may use and adapt the Unit of Study Evaluation Form. Provided they meet the criteria for credit bearing courses outlined above, the following delivery mechanisms are permitted in addition to traditional classroom courses: Blended/online learning Internships Service learning Refer to the information throughout this document for specific requirements for blended and online courses. For additional information about credit bearing internships and service learning courses, see the Off Site Courses FAQ. 4. What is the definition of a blended or online course? The New York State Education Department defines blended and online courses as follows: Blended course: instruction in a specific subject consisting of teacher to student, student tostudent and/or student to content interactions that occur through a combination of classroombased and digital and/or internet connected media Online course: instruction in a specific subject consisting of teacher to student, student tostudent and/or student to content interactions that occur solely through digital and/or internet connected media. POLICIES 5. What are the New York State requirements for blended and online courses? Credit bearing blended and online courses must fulfill the following criteria: The course must align with the applicable New York State commencement level learning standards for the subject area and provide documentation of student mastery of the learning outcomes for the course. Instruction must be provided by or under the direction and/or supervision of a subject certified teacher (i.e., a teacher who holds a New York State teaching certificate in the subject area in which instruction is provided) from the NYCDOE. The course must include regular and substantive interaction between the student and the teacher providing direction and/or supervision, which may occur in person or virtually. The instruction must satisfy the unit of study and credit requirements for instructional time (i.e.,180 minutes per week throughout the school year or the equivalent of 54 hours per credit). The course must provide for documentation of student mastery of the learning outcomes for the subject, including passing the Regents exam and/or other assessment in the subject if required for earning a diploma. 20

22 Teachers of Blended and Online Courses 6. Who can teach blended and online courses? What are the responsibilities of the teacher overseeing a blended or online course? A subject certified NYCDOE teacher must provide or supervise the instruction of a blended or online course; see question 5. The subject certified teacher is responsible for overseeing the course syllabus, providing students with opportunities for regular and substantive interaction, monitoring student progress, and awarding course grades. 7. Many online courses provide their own instruction, tutoring, assessment, or other academic support. Do courses with these features require supervision by a subject certified NYCDOE teacher? Yes. All blended and online courses must be overseen by a subject certified NYCDOE teacher. While vendors may offer a variety of academic services for students in blended or online courses, vendor provided instruction and support do not replace the subject certified teacher. The subject certified NYCDOE teacher is ultimately responsible for overseeing the course syllabus, providing students with regular and substantive interaction, monitoring student progress, and awarding course grades. 8. What constitutes regular and substantive interaction between the subject certified teacher and the student? Certified teachers supervising online instruction should frequently interact with, observe, and measure their students progression through course content and provide meaningful feedback on student work. This interaction need not be face to face, but can occur in person and/or virtually through various re no specific requirements regarding the frequency with which regular and substantive interaction should occur. As in any course, interaction should be sufficiently frequent as to allow many opportunities for students to receive meaningful feedback on their progress. A teacher certified in the subject area should also be consistently available to provide instructional support. In designing mechanisms for teacher student interaction, schools should follow NYCDOE guidelines regarding the use of social media. 9. Can the regular and substantive interaction between the subject certified teacher and the student occur virtually? Yes. See question 8. 21

23 10. What options are available for schools to implement blended and online courses when they do not have a subject certified teacher in the course subject area? A subject certified NYCDOE teacher employed at another NYCDOE school can oversee the instruction of a blended or online course. Networks and ilearnnyc can support schools in facilitating these partnerships with other schools. Courses overseen by NYCDOE teachers at other school buildings must provide opportunities for regular and substantive teacher student interaction as described in question 8. For support in recording such teaching arrangements in STARS, schools may contact their network s Data/Applications Specialist. 11. Who should supervise students who are participating in blended or online course components in a computer lab when the subject certified teacher is not present? A teacher or administrator at the school may perform non teaching duties such as supervising students in a computer lab and managing equipment and access to technology. This teacher or administrator does not need to be the subject certified teacher overseeing the course as described in questions 6 through 8, but he or she cannot replace the subject certified teacher. Awarding Credit for Blended and Online Courses 12. Which components of blended and online courses may be included in the 180 minutes per week (54 hours per credit) of required instruction? How much time should be spent on each component? Course components completed virtually and/or off site may be included in the required 180 minutes per week (54 hours per credit) of required instruction. For example, in a 1 credit blended course, the required 54 hours of instructional time might be distributed among traditional classroom instruction, online course modules completed by students outside of school, in class assessments, and other course activities. There are no specific requirements regarding the proportion of instructional time devoted to various course components. Schools should ensure that students have access to the necessary tools, technology, and support during all components of the course. Additionally, schools should establish protocols for monitoring student attendance for all off site course activities; see question Can students participate in blended or online courses from home or other off site locations? Yes. Students can participate in blended and online courses remotely, provided that such courses fulfill the requirements outlined in question 5 and throughout this document. Course components completed remotely may be included in the 180 minutes per week (54 hours per credit) of required instruction. Schools should establish protocols for documenting the amount of time per week that students complete course components remotely; see question 23. Schools should ensure that students have access to the tools and technology required to participate in courses remotely. As in any course, schools should thoughtfully consider the extent to which various course components constitute instruction or homework. 22

24 14. Do students need to pass the Regents exam to earn credit for a blended or online course? If the blended or online course culminates in a Regents exam required for graduation, students must pass the exam at the end of the course in order to receive credit. For courses which are part of a sequence, this requirement applies for terminal courses corresponding to the last semester (18 weeks) of instruction in the sequence. The following are illustrative examples of the Regents exam requirement for online courses which are part of sequences: A four credit, four semester, online global history course sequence culminates in the Global History Regents exam, an exam required for graduation. Students must pass the Global History Regents exam in order to receive credit for the fourth semester of this online course sequence. The Regents exam does not affect students ability to earn credit for the first, second, or third semesters of the sequence. A two credit, online Algebra 2/Trigonometry course culminates in the Algebra 2/Trigonometry Regents exam. For students who have already passed a math Regents exam, the Algebra2/Trigonometry exam is not required for graduation. Therefore, students taking this course do not need to pass the Regents exam at the end of the blended/online course in order to receive credit. Nonetheless, the Regents exam may be factored into the final course grade as outlined in the course grading policy. A student who failed the second semester of a U.S. History course but passed the U.S. History Regents exam is repeating the failed course online. Since this student already passed the required Regents exam, he or she does not need to retake it in order to receive credit for the online course. In all scenarios, the extent to which the Regents exam factors in the final course grade should be clearly outlined in the grading policy. For additional information on incorporating Regents exam scores into course grades, see question 16. For additional information on Regents exams and credit recovery, see the Credit Recovery FAQ. 15. How should student learning be assessed in blended and online courses? The subject certified teacher overseeing the blended or online course should design or select assessments which align with the standards and learning outcomes outlined in the syllabus. As in other courses, assessments may include projects, exams, portfolios, and other measures of student mastery. 16. How should blended and online courses be graded? As in any course, schools may establish grading policies at the school, department, grade, or course level. Determinations of passing or failing should be based on student mastery of the learning standards and competencies addressed in the course. Grading policies should be documented prior to the commencement of a course and be clear to students, families, and staff. 23

25 In any course, the extent to which the Regents exam factors into final course grades should be specified in the grading policy. The Regents exam should be weighted no more than 33% of the terminal course leading to the exam. For additional information on grading policies, see this document. 17. How do laboratory requirements apply for blended and online science courses? For science courses designed to culminate in a Regents exam, students must also successfully complete an additional required hands on (not virtual) laboratory component of 1,200 minutes with satisfactory documented lab reports. The lab may not be credit bearing. This policy applies to all science courses designed to culminate in a Regents exam, including blended/online courses. All other high school science courses must incorporate laboratory activities. Schools offering blended or online science courses designed to culminate in a Regents exam should arrange for students to complete the 1,200 minute, hands on laboratory component in addition to the completing the blended or online course. In any science course, schools can arrange for students to complete the laboratory component at off site laboratory facilities if necessary. Contact your network s academic policy point for additional support. 18. Do online programs or vendors need to be approved for use in credit bearing courses? For credit recovery programs, school must use NYCDOE approved programs from this list. For additional information on credit recovery, see the Credit Recovery FAQ. For blended and online courses offered as a part of a school s academic program (i.e., not for credit recovery), program approval is not required. Schools should ensure that all online programs used in credit bearing courses align with commencement level standards and are implemented according to the policies outlined in question 5 and throughout this document. 19. How should a school determine whether an online course provided by a vendor aligns with high school commencement level standards? The subject certified teacher overseeing the course should examine the curriculum and assessments of the online course to ensure that the content aligns with commencement level standards. The alignment of the course components to commencement level standards should be clearly outlined in the syllabus, scope and sequence, curriculum map, or similar documentation. The teacher may adapt or supplement the course content as needed to ensure that the course adequately addresses the learning standards. Schools should maintain systems and structures, such as accreditation committees, for regularly evaluating all new and existing courses, including blended and online courses; see question Where can schools find examples of blended and online learning models? Schools may contact their networks or the ilearnnyc for more information about the implementation of blended and online learning models in NYCDOE schools. The International Association for K 12 Online Learning (inacol) provides additional information, including resources on Promising Practices in Online Learning. 24

26 21. What documentation should schools maintain while designing and evaluating blended and online courses? Schools should maintain systems and structures, such as accreditation committees, for regularly evaluating all new and existing courses, including blended and online courses. Schools may use and adapt the Accreditation Committee Course Proposal/Review Form and Unit of Study Evaluation Form provided here to document the alignment of blended and online courses to the policies described above, including the required 180 minutes per week (54 hours per credit) of instruction. 22. Can a student receive credit for independently participating in an online program initiated by the student s family? The principal may evaluate work completed through independent educational activities and award transfer credit if the work is consistent with New York State commencement level learning standards and is of comparable scope and quality to that which would have been done in the school awarding the credit. IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS 23. How should schools monitor attendance for blended and online courses? Beginning in the school year, schools adopting learning models that include off site and/or virtual components during the school day must: Establish protocols for teachers to document student attendance during off site and/or virtual coursework. Record student attendance in ATS. When a student is present at an off site location, schools enter reason code 72 in ATS in CIND for daily or AM or PM attendance or in PACH for period attendance, as appropriate. Document the school s protocols for tracking and documenting student attendance at off site and/or virtual locations in the school s Attendance Plan (as part of the Consolidated Plan). 24. How many students can a teacher oversee in a blended or online course? The contractual class size limits that apply to traditional courses also apply to blended and online courses. The subject certified teacher of a blended or online course should oversee the instruction of no more than 34 students per class, subject to the exceptions set forth in the collective bargaining agreement. This includes students overseen by the teacher who are participating in the course from other locations. For example, a certified NYCDOE teacher oversees a blended/online course where 20 students participate in the class in person and 10 students participate virtually. The total class size for the course is 30 students, which is within the 34 student limit. 25

27 25. What considerations apply regarding the cost of blended and online courses? Schools must pay for any costs associated with credit bearing instruction or programs, including blended and online courses. As in any other course, the school must provide students with the needed materials to complete the course, including computer hardware and student access to the internet. 26. How should schools determine student readiness to participate in blended and online courses? In determining whether to approve a student to participate in a course, the principal should consider whether that particular student would benefit from such a program and could successfully perform the required tasks of a particular online course. For example, schools may wish to consider the extent to which the students in the program have developed the necessary skills and knowledge regarding time management, the use of technology, and internet safety. 27. What considerations apply for the participation of students with disabilities in blended and online courses? Students with disabilities should have full access to blended and online learning experiences to the maximum extent appropriate. The school s IEP team should ensure that all relevant sections of the student s IEP (e.g., transition activities and goals, annual goals) reflect such participation and include the necessary goals and supports to be provided in order to maximize the student s success. Please note that the student s IEP recommendations, including related services and transportation, must continue to be implemented. 28. How should blended and online courses be coded in STARS? Blended and online courses should be coded in the same way as traditional classroom courses. Beginning with the school year, school should use new STARS standardized course codes for all courses. For support, schools may contact their network s Data/Applications Specialist. 26

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29 Appendix A : Classifying K-12 Blended Learning Classifying K 12 Blended Learning By Heather Staker and Michael B. Horn May 2012 V I S IT TO ADD YOUR PROFILE

30 Introduction The growth of online learning in the K 12 sector is occurring both remotely through virtual schools and on campuses through blended learning. In emerging fields, definitions are important because they create a shared language that enables people to talk about the new phenomena. The following blended-learning taxonomy and definitions expand upon and refine our previous work in helping to create a shared language for the K 12 blended-learning sector. In our report titled, The rise of K 12 blended learning, we observed that there were six main blended-learning models emerging in the sector from the perspective of the student. This paper introduces a number of changes to that taxonomy based on feedback from the field and the need to update the research to keep pace with new innovations that are occurring in blended learning. Most importantly, the paper eliminates two of the six blended-learning models Faceto-Face Driver and Online Lab because they appear to duplicate other models and make the categorization scheme too rigid to accommodate the diversity of blended-learning models in practice. By moving from six to four overarching models, we have created more breathing room in the definitions. We hope these new models will better describe the majority of programs so that nearly all blended-learning programs will fit comfortably within one of the four. Appendix A explains the differences between the new four-model taxonomy and the old six-model taxonomy in greater detail. Two design principles governed the process of updating and expanding upon the blendedlearning definitions: 1. Develop flexible definitions so that they can still be useful even as the field continues to innovate. The definitions are intentionally broad and open, rather than specific. They set forth basic patterns that are emerging, but avoid setting tight parameters about how a model has to be. 2. Exclude normative qualifiers. This principle is a holdover from the last report. Some blended programs are high in quality and some are not. Some use dynamic content, whereas others have more static content. Some are more expensive than the traditional schooling model; others are less costly. The definitions in this taxonomy leave out such appraisals. Just as a hybrid car can be either efficient or a clunker and still be a hybrid car, blended learning can be both good and bad. In defining blended learning and identifying its emerging models, we looked at examples of over 80 programs in the K 12 sector. 1 In addition, in November 2011 roughly 100 educators met during a pre-conference at the International Association for K 12 Online Learning s (inacol) Virtual School Symposium 2 and critiqued the taxonomy. 3 27

31 The taxonomy in Figure 1 depicts a preliminary categorization scheme for the blendedlearning landscape as it currently exists based upon an analysis of programs that either are preparing to launch or are already in existence. It is important to note that many school operators have implemented more than one blended-learning model for their students. Accordingly, the models represent particular programs within a school, not a typology for whole-school design. Figure 1. Blended-learning taxonomy Brick-and-mortar Online learning BLENDED LEARNING 1 Rotation model 2 Flex model 3 Self-Blend model 4 Enriched- Virtual model Station-Rotation model Lab-Rotation model Flipped-Classroom model Individual-Rotation model Later sections of this paper define each of the elements in Figure 1 and provide examples. As stated in the first report, we continue to believe that these categories will evolve and expand. We invite others to contribute to this research by offering improvements and additions. 28

32 Definition of blended learning In 2011 Innosight Institute suggested a preliminary definition of blended learning. This paper introduces a slightly refined definition to incorporate feedback from the field. Figure 2 depicts the revised definition. Blended learning is Figure 2. Definition of blended learning a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace and at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home. The first component of the definition online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace incorporates language from Evergreen Education Group s and inacol s definitions of online learning. They define online learning as education where content and instruction are delivered primarily over the Internet. 4 The term online learning is used interchangeably with virtual learning, cyberlearning, and e-learning. We included the phrase with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace to distinguish blended learning from technology-rich instruction (see the definition of technology-rich instruction and the text box on page 6). The second component of the definition specifies that the learning must be supervised and take place away from home. This is to distinguish it from students learning full-time online at a brick-and-mortar location such as a coffee shop, public library, or home. Someone associated with the brick-and-mortar setting provides the supervision, rather than a parent or other adult who is associated primarily with the student. 29

33 Figure 3 provides an annotated view of the definition to show the changes from the original definition we proposed in Blended learning is Figure 3. Annotated definition of blended learning a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace and at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home. formal education program added to distinguish blended learning from informal online learning, such as students playing educational video games on their own content and instruction added to distinguish online learning from using only Internet tools Switched the online delivery part before the brick-and-mortar part for emphasis One common feature of blended learning is that when a course takes place partly online and partly through other modalities, the various modalities are usually connected. In other words, what the students learn online informs what they learn face-to-face, and vice versa. Furthermore, if students have control over their pace, this control often extends to the entire subject that is blended, not only to the online-learning portion of the coursework. Some researchers believe this connection between modalities within a course or subject is fundamental to blended learning and should be included in the definition itself. We believe that there are strong reasons for its inclusion as well and note it here as an optional addendum. The definition is from a student s perspective. Even if the school itself is not offering online or blended courses, students may still experience blended learning if they are engaged in a formal online learning program on their own while also attending a brick-and-mortar school. They are participating in the combination of both experiences, regardless of whether they initiated the convergence or their school did. The language in the blended-learning definition is intended to distinguish the definition from other common forms of learning that many confuse with blended learning. The confusion arises 30

34 because certain education practices such as traditional instruction, technology-rich instruction, informal online learning, and full-time virtual learning share some features of blended learning but differ in key ways that exclude them from fitting precisely in the category. Figure 4 depicts where these practices fit in relation to online and blended learning. The text following this figure provides definitions of each of the highlighted education practices. Figure 4. Blended learning in relation to other education practices* Brick-and-mortar Online learning Traditional instruction Technology-rich instruction Informal online learning Full-time online learning BLENDED LEARNING 1 Rotation model 2 Flex model 3 Self-Blend model 4 Enriched- Virtual model Station-Rotation model Lab-Rotation model Flipped-Classroom model Individual-Rotation model The following are suggested definitions for traditional instruction and technology-rich instruction. These practices are not in and of themselves forms of blended learning, but they can * The education practices highlighted in Figure 4 are neither mutually exclusive nor collectively exhaustive. For example, students attending a brick-and-mortar school could be part of a program that has both traditional and technology-rich elements. Furthermore, their program could center on an entirely different education practice, such as project-based learning, which this figure does not include, as project-based learning could occur in all four of these categories. The intent of Figure 4 is to situate blended learning among a few other education practices for the purpose of differentiation. 31

35 One critical part of the definition of blended learning is that it involves some element of student control of time, place, path, and/or pace. Digital Learning Now! describes each dimension: Time: Learning is no longer restricted to the school day or the school year. Place: Learning is no longer restricted to the walls of the classroom. Path: Learning is no longer restricted to the pedagogy used by the teacher. Interactive and adaptive software allows students to learn [in a method that is customized to their needs]. Pace: Learning is no longer restricted to the pace of an entire classroom of students. Source: Roadmap for Reform, combine with online learning to create a blended-learning experience for students. For example, students could rotate between online learning and traditional instruction, or they could attend a technology-rich classroom for certain subjects and take online courses for others. Traditional instruction a structured education program that focuses on faceto-face teacher-centered instruction, including teacher-led discussion and teacher knowledge imparted to students. 5 Students are matched by age, and possibly also ability. Instructional materials are based on textbooks, lectures, and individual written assignments. All students in the classroom generally receive a single, unified curriculum. Subjects are often individual and independent instead of integrated and interdisciplinary, particularly in secondary school. 6 Technology-rich instruction a structured education program that shares the features of traditional instruction, but also has digital enhancements such as electronic whiteboards, broad access to Internet devices, document cameras, digital textbooks, Internet tools,* and online lesson plans. The Internet, however, does not deliver the content and instruction, or if it does, the student still lacks control of time, place, path, and/or pace. * Internet tools are software applications and programs available on the Internet that provide students with digital functionality but do not deliver online instruction and content. For example, a student may use an Internet tool like Google Docs for document creation or Edmodo for social networking. These tools help accomplish a task, but do not provide instruction and content as an online course does. 32

36 The following are suggested definitions for two types of online learning that are distinct from blended learning. Like blended learning, these practices use the Internet to deliver content and instruction and allow students some element of control of time, place, path, and/or pace. But they fall outside the scope of blended learning in significant ways. Informal online learning any time a student uses technology to learn outside of a structured education program. For example, students could play educational video games or watch online lectures on their own outside of any recognized school program. Full-time online learning a structured education program in which content and instruction are delivered over the Internet and the students do not attend a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home, except on a very limited basis in some cases, such as for proctored exams, wet labs, or social events. 7 33

37 Four models of blended learning The diagram in Figure 5 depicts four models of blended learning that categorize the majority of blended-learning programs emerging across the K 12 sector today. See Appendix A for the rationale behind eliminating two of the six models from our previous report, titled The rise of K 12 blended learning. Brick-and-mortar Online learning Figure 5. Blended-learning models BLENDED LEARNING 1 Rotation model 2 Flex model 3 Self-Blend model 4 Enriched- Virtual model Station-Rotation model Lab-Rotation model Flipped-Classroom model Individual-Rotation model The following are definitions of the models and sub-models from Figure 5, as well as an example of each model. 1. Rotation model a program in which within a given course or subject (e.g., math), students rotate on a fixed schedule or at the teacher s discretion between learning modalities, at least one of which is online learning. Other modalities might include activities such as small-group or full-class instruction, group projects, individual tutoring, and pencil-andpaper assignments. a. Station Rotation a Rotation-model implementation in which within a given course or subject (e.g., math), students rotate on a fixed schedule or at the teacher s discretion among classroom-based learning modalities. The rotation includes at least one station for online learning. Other stations might include activities such as small-group or full-class instruction, group projects, individual tutoring, and pencil-and-paper assignments. Some implementations involve the entire class 34

38 alternating among activities together, whereas others divide the class into smallgroup or one-by-one rotations. The Station-Rotation model differs from the Individual-Rotation model because students rotate through all of the stations, not only those on their custom schedules. Example: The KIPP LA Empower Academy equips each kindergarten classroom with 15 computers. Throughout the day the teacher rotates students among online learning, small-group instruction, and individual assignments. 8 Figure 6 depicts one of KIPP Empower Academy s station rotations (the rotations differ somewhat based on subject; this figure illustrates one example). Figure 6 Figure Station-Rotation 6. Station-Rotation model, KIPP model, LA Empower KIPP LA Empower Academy Academy Online instruction Teacher-led instruction Collaborative activities and stations Online learning Offline learning Teacher Paraprofessional b. Lab Rotation a Rotation-model implementation in which within a given course or subject (e.g., math), students rotate on a fixed schedule or at the teacher s discretion among locations on the brick-and-mortar campus. At least one of these spaces is a learning lab for predominantly online learning, while the additional classroom(s) house other learning modalities. The Lab-Rotation model differs from the Station-Rotation model because students rotate among locations on the campus instead of staying in one classroom for the blended course or subject. 35

39 Example: At Rocketship Education, students rotate out of their classrooms to a learning lab for two hours each day to further their instruction in math and reading through online learning. 9 Figure 7 illustrates this rotation. Figure 7 Lab-Rotation model, Rocketship Education Figure 7. Lab-Rotation model, Rocketship Education Direct instruction math/science Direct instruction literacy/social studies Direct instruction literacy/social studies Learning lab reading/math Online learning Offline learning Teacher Paraprofessional c. Flipped Classroom a Rotation-model implementation in which within a given course or subject (e.g., math), students rotate on a fixed schedule between face-to-face teacher-guided practice (or projects) on campus during the standard school day and online delivery of content and instruction of the same subject from a remote location (often home) after school. The primary delivery of content and instruction is online, which differentiates a Flipped Classroom from students who are merely doing homework practice online at night. The Flipped-Classroom model accords with the idea that blended learning includes some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace because the model allows students to choose the location where they receive content 36

40 and instruction online and to control the pace at which they move through the online elements. Example: At Stillwater Area Public Schools along the St. Croix River in Minnesota, students in grades 4 6 math classes use Internet-connected devices after school at the location of their choice to watch 10- to 15-minute asynchronous instruction videos and complete comprehension questions on Moodle. At school they practice and apply their learning with a face-to-face teacher. 10 Figure 8 illustrates a Flipped-Classroom rotation. Figure 8 Flipped-Classroom model, Stillwater Area Public Schools Figure 8. Flipped-Classroom model, Stillwater Area Public Schools School Home Practice and projects Online instruction and content Online learning Offline learning Teacher d. Individual Rotation a Rotation-model implementation in which within a given course or subject (e.g., math), students rotate on an individually customized, fixed schedule among learning modalities, at least one of which is online learning. An algorithm or teacher(s) sets individual student schedules. The Individual- Rotation model differs from the other Rotation models because students do not necessarily rotate to each available station or modality. Example: Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School assigns each student a specific schedule that rotates them between online learning in the learning center and offline learning. Each rotation lasts 35 minutes. 11 Figure 9 illustrates the Carpe Diem model. 37

41 Figure 9. Individual-Rotation model, Carpe Diem Collegiate Figure 9 Individual-Rotation model, Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School High School and Middle School Central learning lab Intervention 5:1 Direct instruction 15:1 Seminar 12:1 Group projects Personal trainer 273 students Online learning Offline learning Teacher Paraprofessional 2. Flex model a program in which content and instruction are delivered primarily by the Internet, students move on an individually customized, fluid schedule among learning modalities, and the teacher-of-record is on-site. The teacher-of-record or other adults provide face-to-face support on a flexible and adaptive as-needed basis through activities such as small-group instruction, group projects, and individual tutoring. Some implementations have substantial face-to-face support, while others have minimal support. For example, some flex models may have face-to-face certified teachers who supplement the online learning on a daily basis, whereas others may provide little face-to- 38

42 face enrichment. Still others may have different staffing combinations. These variations are useful modifiers to describe a particular Flex model. Example: At San Francisco Flex Academy, the online-learning provider K12, Inc. delivers the curriculum and instruction, while face-to-face teachers use a data dashboard to offer targeted interventions and supplementation throughout the day for core courses. The teachers-of-record for the core courses are the face-to-face teachers. (Many of the elective courses have online K12, Inc. teachers who serve as the teachers-of-record instead of the face-to-face teachers. These elective courses are part of the Self-Blend model, which the next section of this paper discusses.) 12 Figure 10 illustrates the San Francisco Flex Academy model. Figure 10 Flex model, San Francisco Flex Public School Figure 10. Flex model, San Francisco Flex Academy Study and collaborative space Breakout room 5:1 Breakout room 12:1 Breakout room 12:1 Collaboration rooms Science lab Social area 250 students Online learning Offline learning Teacher Paraprofessional 39

43 3. Self-Blend model describes a scenario in which students choose to take one or more courses entirely online to supplement their traditional courses and the teacher-of-record is the online teacher. Students may take the online courses either on the brick-and-mortar campus or off-site. This differs from full-time online learning and the Enriched-Virtual model (see the next definition) because it is not a whole-school experience. Students self-blend some individual online courses and take other courses at a brick-and-mortar campus with face-to-face teachers. Example: Quakertown Community School District (QCSD) in Pennsylvania offers students in grades 6 12 the option of taking one or more online courses. All students complete a cyber orientation course prior to enrollment. Courses are asynchronous and students can work on them any time during the day. QCSD has created cyber lounges where students can work on their online courses at school, but they are also free to complete the courses remotely if they prefer. The teachers-of-record for the courses are the online teachers, most of whom also teach face-to-face courses for QCSD. 13 Figure 11 illustrates the QCSD model. Figure 11. Self-Blend model, Quakertown Community School District Figure 11 Self-Blend model, Quakertown Community School District School Cyber lounge Home Online teacher Online learning Offline learning Teacher 40

44 4. Enriched-Virtual model a whole-school experience in which within each course (e.g., math), students divide their time between attending a brick-and-mortar campus and learning remotely using online delivery of content and instruction. Many Enriched- Virtual programs began as full-time online schools and then developed blended programs to provide students with brick-and-mortar school experiences. The Enriched-Virtual model differs from the Flipped Classroom because in Enriched-Virtual programs, students seldom attend the brick-and-mortar campus every weekday. It differs from the Self-Blend model because it is a whole-school experience, not a course-by-course model. Example: At the Albuquerque ecademy, students in grades 8 12 meet face-to-face with teachers for their first course meeting at a brick-and mortar location. They can complete the rest of their coursework remotely, if they prefer, as long as they maintain at least a C grade point average in the program. 14 Figure 12 illustrates ecademy s Enriched-Virtual model. Figure 12 Enriched-Virtual model, Albuquerque ecademy Figure 12. Enriched-Virtual model, Albuquerque ecademy Home School Online instruction and content Face-to-face supplementation Online learning Offline learning Teacher 41

45 Appendix A: Notes about how this taxonomy differs from the taxonomy in The rise of K 12 blended learning, January 2011 This paper revises the preliminary blended-learning taxonomy that we introduced in The rise of K 12 blended learning, published in January 2011, and its follow-on report, The rise of K 12 blended learning: Profiles of emerging models, published in May Its most notable change is the condensing of the six blended-learning models to four. Numerous education experts provided feedback to help us arrive at the four models. The following is a discussion of some of the rationale behind the changes. First, we eliminated the Face-to-Face Driver model because it was not substantively different from the Flex and Rotation models, except that the students in Face-to-Face-Driver programs often engaged with online content for shorter bursts of time. We also eliminated the Online- Lab model. It was the same as the Self-Blend model, except that it described students who took courses on campus, whereas the Self-Blend described students who took courses off campus. This distinction did not work because too often students did a little of both. We combined the two in Self-Blend to encompass any time students take an online course either on-site or off-site to supplement their face-to-face courses. Second, we changed the definition of the Flex model to allow it to encompass some elements of the excised Online-Lab model. The old definitions of Flex and Online Lab tried to distinguish the two by specifying that Online-Lab implementations involved less face-to-face support for students. That distinction was problematic because the dividing line between the two was hard to pinpoint. The new Flex definition is broader and allows for both types of staffing models. Some implementations have substantial face-to-face support, and others have significantly less. The broader Flex definition makes clear, however, that in all Flex programs the teacher-of-record is on-site, even if that teacher provides little face-to-face enrichment of the online coursework. Third, we subdivided the Rotation model into four common implementations. The other models will likely develop subcategories also as they mature and researchers deepen their understanding of the phenomena. Fourth, we changed the name of the Online-Driver model because it was easily confused with aspects of the other models or with full-time virtual learning. Instead, we suggested the newly named Enriched-Virtual model, which we think has a more precise and specific definition than did the Online-Driver model. 42

46 Notes 1 Many organizations have submitted profiles of their blended-learning program(s) to Innosight Institute s database at We invite school operators and others with an eye on blended-learning programs not profiled in our report to add their profiles to this set of case studies, which will in turn appear on our website. 2 inacol hosts the Virtual School Symposium each year. The 2011 pre-conference session that included a review of the blended-learning taxonomy was titled, Blended/Hybrid Learning 101: From Inception to Implementation. 3 Special thanks also to suggestions from numerous other experts, including leaders from the Alliance for Excellent Education, California Learning Resource Network, Charter School Growth Fund, Education Elements, Evergreen Education Group, Foundation for Excellence in Education, Getting Smart, inacol, Plato, and Public Impact. 4 See John Watson and Steven Kalmon, Keeping pace with K 12 online learning: A review of state-level policy and practice, 2005, Learning Point Associates, and inacol, The Online Learning Definitions Project, October 2011, inacol_definitionsproject.pdf. 5 Martha Elaine Needham, Comparison of standardized test scores from traditional classrooms and those using problembased learning, Dissertation presented to the University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2010, edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/9609/needhamcomstatessco.pdf?sequence=1, accessed April 9, Wikipedia, Traditional Education, accessed Apr 9, inacol does not provide a definition of full-time virtual learning. It does, however, reference Evergreen Education Group s useful definition of a full-time online program: Full-time online schools, also called cyberschools, work with students who are enrolled primarily (often only) in the online school. Cyberschools typically are responsible for their students scores on state assessments required by No Child Left Behind, which is the primary way in which student outcomes, and school performance, are measured. In some states most full-time online schools are charter schools. See John Watson, Amy Murin, Lauren Vashaw, Butch Gemin, and Chris Rapp, Keeping pace with K 12 online learning: A review of state-level policy and practice, Evergreen Education Group, 2010, com/cms/wp-content/uploads/keepingpacek12_2010.pdf. 8 A profile of KIPP Empower Academy is available at Kipp LA, Innosight Institute, org/blended-learning-2/blprofiles-innosight/kipp-la/. 9 A profile of Rocketship Education is available at Rocketship Education, Innosight Institute, innosightinstitute.org/blended-learning-2/blprofiles-innosight/rocketship-education/. 10 A profile of this district is available at Stillwater Area Public Schools, Innosight Institute, innosightinstitute.org/blended-learning-2/blprofiles-innosight/stillwater-area-public-schools/. 11 A profile of Carpe Diem is available at Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School (CDCHS), Innosight Institute, 12 A profile of the San Francisco Flex Academy is available at Flex Public Schools: San Francisco Flex Academy in partnership with K12, Inc., Innosight Institute, 13 A profile of QCSD is available at Quakertown Community School District: Infinity Cyber Academy, Innosight Institute, 14 A profile of the ecademy is available at ecademy, Innosight Institute, blended-learning-2/blprofiles-innosight/ecademy/. 43

47 About Innosight Institute Innosight Institute, founded in May 2007, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit think tank whose mission is to apply Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen s theories of disruptive innovation to develop and promote solutions to the most vexing problems in the social sector. 44

48 About the authors Heather CLAYTON STAKER is a Senior Research Fellow for the Education Practice at Innosight Institute. Staker graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and received an MBA, with distinction, from Harvard Business School. She has experience as a strategy consultant for McKinsey & Company and as a member of the California State Board of Education. MICHAEL B. HORN is co-founder and Executive Director of Education of Innosight Institute, a non-profit think tank devoted to applying the theories of disruptive innovation to problems in the social sector. Tech&Learning magazine named Horn to its list of the 100 most important people in the creation and advancement of the use of technology in education. 45

49 Appendix B: School Readiness Checklist Classroom(s)* dedicated to ilearn: How many dedicated laptops: Do you have a school technician? If Yes, is the tech full or part-time? If no, do you need information about CUNY techs? Equipment Maintenance Plan: Where are laptops stored and charged? Is there a plan for sharing and distributing laptops Does School Tech know system requirements for ilearn? How often will computers be updated? Who is responsible for updates? *meaning they are always available for ilearn classes 46

50 ilearnnyc Appendix C : Explanation of NYC Approved Vendor Items in FAMIS Vendor Per User/Course Catalog Per User/Course Per User/Semester x Learning Environment (D2L.5) x Aventa CR x Learning Environment (D2L) x Aventa Reg x FLVS Standard+ (Plus) Package x Discovery x Gale Cengage x NBC Learn x Learning Environment (D2L) x Aventa CR x Aventa Reg Combo Package (CR and Standard+) x FLVS x Discovery x Gale Cengage x NBC Learn x Achieve 3000 x Apex Learning x Aries x Carnegie x Compass (non AP) À la Carte Vendor Licenses x Compass (AP) (Pass Through) x Edgenuity x Conspiracy Code x Pearson Write to Learn x Pearson Math XL x K12 Middlebury Powerspeak *Transferrable licenses are not attached to a particular student. Once Student A is complete you can remove Student A and enroll Student B. Transferrable license* Credit Recovery Package x x x 47

51 Appendix D: List of NYC Approved Vendors Building schools around the needs, strengths and motivations of individual students Administrative Console The School Manager of the learning environment. School programmers use the Admin Console to manage course creation, class enrollments, license allocation and reports. ilearn Learning Environment A La Carte / Pass-Through Standard Package Online and blended learning platform that hosts vendor content; provides user progress & allows for authoring of online content. Students generate a username and password then with single sign-on, are able to access all their online courses. Aventa Pearson FLVS Catalog of select middle and high school core content courses, Advanced Placement and elective courses. Catalog of select Advanced Placement, foreign language, social studies Achieve3000 Apex Learning Aries Carnegie Compass (non AP catalog) + Discovery A collection of more than 150,000 learning lessons and resources Gale Online reference resources for students NBC Learn Features a collection of over 10,000 video resources, primary source documents, images and text resources for all curriculum areas Compass (AP catalog) Edgenuity NCS Pearson/Write to Learn Pearson Education/Math XL Powerspeak Wiki Link: ilearn Environment: 48

52 Appendix E: Scheduling Checklist Course title: Credit Bearing Course Retake/Recovery Blended Targeted Courses Regular School Day ilearn content to be used as core course content or supplemental resource Assigned accredited subject area Teacher of Record (TOR) to monitor and grade student work Assigned additional teacher(s) Non-Credit Bearing Credit Accumulation Full Online Targeted Students Regular School Day Extended Day (per session budgeted) Assigned accredited subject area Teacher of Record (TOR) to monitor and grade student work Assigned additional facilitator/teacher to monitor daily progress and attendance Scheduling Operational Checklist: Classroom Computer Lab Laptop Cart/Number of Devices: Weekly Usage & Rotational Availability: 1-2 Days 3-4 days Everyday 49

53 Appendix F: ilearnnyc FAMIS Purchasing Guide The ilearnnyc section is functionality in the FAMIS portal that allows users to order students licenses for online content offered by the ilearnnyc office from authorized locations. Below is a step-by-step guide to purchase student licenses. Creating an ilearnnyc Order to Purchase Licenses After the user has entered the FAMIS portal, the user is required to select: Purchasing/Payment Purchasing ilearnnyc The next step will be for the user to enter the district and location they are ordering for. For school users, this information should be populated based on their security (i.e. they will only be able to order for their school). For central users and CFNs, they will have the ability to order on behalf of a school. 50

54 Please note that only schools that have signed up for ilearnnyc will be able to make a purchase in this section. If an unauthorized location attempts to make a purchase, they will receive an error message. For example, see what happens when a user from 01M015 attempts to place an order. After the user from an authorized location enters their information, the user will be required to provide their accounting information. Please note that the district and location fields (similar to the previous screen) are based on a user s security. Object Code 0199 is the only object code allowed to be used for purchasing ilearnnyc student licenses. After the user has entered in their accounting information, they can click Add Accounting Line. At that point, they can either add more accounting lines (if they wish to use more than one funding source), or click close and proceed to the next screen. 51

55 Click next. On the next screen, the user should see the items available for purchase. Note that all of the package items (Credit Recovery, Standard, and Combination) are listed above the A la Carte items. 52

56 The user will then select the item and the quantity of each by clicking the Add to Cart button on the right hand column. At that point, the user has three options: 1. They can click the back button if they wish to add more items to their order. 2. They can change the quantity of each of the items they wish to order and click update cart. 3. If no further changes are needed to the order, they can click the next button to proceed. Upon completion, the users will be taken to the delivery information page. For school users, the address(es) for their school should automatically be populated. Please note that because no physical deliveries will be taking place, this is for informational purposes only. Once all of the address information has been provided, they can click the next button to proceed. 53

57 The final page on the application will be the confirmation page. The user just needs to confirm their order is correct. Once it is, they can click place order to submit. The document that users will receive for ilearnnyc will begin with the WS. The document will go through the validation process and if there aren t any unexpected errors (such as lack of access), the document should should be sent to the principal s approval box. 54

58 At this point, the principal will need to login to the Web Approval application to examine the document. If the document seems fine, they can choose the approve option on the action drop down menu. If it doesn t, they can choose reject. They ll need to put in their signature on either action. Usually documents $15,000 require only principal approval. Any document greater than $15,000 will also require the user s CFN to be given final approval. Once all approvals have been met (and assuming there aren t unexpected errors), the document will be posted in FAMIS. The ilearnnyc office will receive a notification of the order that night. 55

59 Appendix G- ilearnnyc Case Studies Case Studies Packet CaCase Studiesse StudCase Case Studies

60 ilearnnyc - Blended Learning Case Studies As part of ilearnnyc, teachers across all five boroughs are implementing blended learning to best meet the needs of their students. To capture and share different ways teachers are implementing these new classroom models, we trekked out to all corners of the city to watch ilearnnyc teachers in action. From these observations, we ve generated case studies that highlight different practices, classroom management solutions, and tips from teachers we visited. You will also find classroom schematics in the case studies to help you imagine what a blended classroom might look like. We hope these case studies provide teachers and school leaders with narrative examples of how NYC teachers are organically working through their implementation of blended learning with the support of ilearnnyc1. Blended learning case studies: Model 1..3 Model 2..6 Model Model Model Model Please note that the models highlighted have not been evaluated for their effectiveness and should be considered as narratives. The ilearnnyc program team does not endorse any single model of blended learning because the causal impacts of different models of blended learning on student achievement are not available. 57

61 Blended Learning Model 1 School type: High school 200 students Transfer school Daily class structure: Students rotate daily through groups Small group instruction Small group discussion Independent online work Class size 15 Online Group 1 Skills Group Online Group 2 Discussion Group SMART board Tips from teachers: Use time while students are working independently online to do small group instruction and discussions Project daily seat assignments on the board to speed up station work The classroom setting: Mr. R teaches US History, Government and Economics to an over-age/under-credit student population at a transfer school. Because attendance varies daily, challenges arise in his classroom, such as setting up group projects and whole-group instruction. Mr. R has found that some students are self-motivated and can rapidly accumulate credits, while others struggle to find the motivation to attend school regularly. Additionally, some students are many grade-levels below in literacy skills and struggle to understand the material. To manage these challenges, Mr. R uses blended learning technologies to allow for students to control the pace and pathways of their learning. A typical day in this model: Many students in the transfer environment routinely struggle with on-grade level content, but they must master certain concepts to pass Regents Exams and meet graduation requirements. To prepare students for Regents, Mr. R has set up a model of blended learning where students choose or are placed, based on pace and mastery, into four tables or groups. Two groups work on Regents-based content, while another works on skills, and a fourth engages in small group discussion around a topic Mr. R presents. Unless students are missing skills that were taught early in the school year, they can choose what days they will visit the skills group and the discussion group. If students are missing certain key skills, Mr. R will assign them the time at the skills group. If students are not missing skills and they have completed the required number of either the skills or content group, they can choose a group based on what they still need. This allows students to decide when during the week they want to focus 58

62 on what. If students are assigned to a group, their name is written on a schematic of the class and projected on the SMART board, showing them where to sit. Design Your Own (DYO) content: Mr. R has the two groups who focus on Regents -based content work which he has created and embedded in the ilearnnyc platform. Students sign in to the ilearnnyc platform and complete graphic organizers, quizzes, essays, etc. based on the content they view. Mr. R has added history-based graphic novel excerpts, videos, images, and articles to drive the lessons and to make the content more engaging. The course is designed thematically, organizing content based on reoccurring themes in US history. Students are required to complete two units of their choice out of a total of five for their first credit, and then two more for their second credit. Each unit is scaffolded backwards from most recent events to oldest, showing patterns. Mr. R has found that choice prompts engagement because students are not being forced to study a theme they have no interest in. Students work independently, but Mr. R is available in the room if they need additional assistance. Build in skills: Beyond teaching Regents-based content knowledge Mr. R needs to teach his students the skills they will need to succeed on Regents and more broadly in school. Mr. R has one group in his class who works on these skills. He typically begins the class with a mini-lesson with this group and then allows them to work alone or together on the concept he just taught. For example, a mini-lesson may teach students how to write topic sentences, and then students work on an assignment that uses the skills they learned on topic sentences. Adding in-class discussions: While Mr. R is teaching this mini-lesson, he has another table set up to work as a discussion group. He provides them with the article or information they need to read, and guided questions to think about. By the time Mr. R is done with his mini-lesson, the discussion group is done with their reading and they are ready for him to lead the discussion. Students can choose to participate in either the skill or discussion groups, or they are placed in the groups based on their overall progress in the course. And, if students are too far behind in content, then they are told that they won t do discussion that week. Group and independent projects: Mr. R also aligns skill-based mini-lessons with independent or group projects. Once a student or group of students completes a series of mini-lessons, they receive a project that uses and has them apply the skills they learned in these mini-lessons or workshops. While group projects work when students are clustered in their progress, it can become difficult to implement when students get far behind or ahead of their peers. Because of this, the projects are often completed independently. Students projects are based on the themes that they chose and tailored for their specific skill levels. 59

63 Challenges with DYO content: On Mondays and/or Fridays, Mr. R has all students focus on the online content and he is available to answer questions as they arise. If students are too far behind or ahead, they may not be able to ask their peers for help with their work because they re on a different topic. This can lead to more questions being fielded by Mr. R and longer wait times for students. Some online content provided by vendors provide hints to students who are stuck on a question or concept, but Mr. R, who has built his own content, doesn t have the technology or programming skills needed to add such a feature. But, he believes that the content he creates on his own is more closely aligned to his teaching goals, and he wants and enjoys this level of ownership over his work. Lessons learned: When Mr. R first attempted this rotation method of blended learning, students would often complete all of the online work and fall behind on the skills and discussions, or they would do all of the skills and discussions and not the online work. To mediate this issue, Mr. R is tweaking his system so students are sometimes placed in groups based on their pace and learning pathway to ensure they complete all of their work. Mr. R uses the ilearnnyc platform to track student progress. Unfortunately, due to access and motivation, few students access content or complete work at home at Mr. R s school. Those students who do access content outside of class time tend to be the highly skilled students. Mr. R also added the discussion rotation to his blended course this year because he felt like students were missing out on skills they can only gain through verbal interactions with peers and adults, such as higher-order thinking, forming opinions, and reasoning. Wrap-up: Mr. R feels his model is working well for his students struggling with chronic absenteeism. He also feels like he can better reach students at their highly varied skill levels. With this model of blended learning, students can work at their own pace and are not hampered by the pace or skill level of their peers. Mr. R is still working to improve his model and often collaborates with other teachers at his school. As he gains more experience and learns more about what works for his students, a highly effective model of blended learning will emerge. 60

64 Blended Learning Model 2 School type: High school 3,700 students Special Ed Daily class structure: Do now Whole-group introduction Independent online work Whole-group wrap-up Class size 15 Tips from teachers: Enact a "45 degree rule" during whole-group instruction Use the conditional release function in the ilearnnyc platform to provide differentiated assignments The classroom setting: Mr. D teaches Global History to a small group of students with a variety of learning challenges in a very large, diverse high school. His class is a mix of learning disabled, emotional disturbance, and ELL students, allowing for a low teacher to student ratio, 15:1, with an additional one or two paraprofessionals. Mr. D uses blended learning to better meet the needs of all of his students. A typical day in the model: A characteristic class for Mr. D begins when students pick up laptops from a cart set up outside the classroom. Students sign in to the ilearnnyc platform when they sit down at their desks, arranged in groups. There is a "do now" listed on the board, for example, List 3 causes of imperialism. Mr. D instructs students to complete the do now as they enter the room. After students spend 3-5 minutes working on the do now alone, Mr. D leads the students through a discussion of the do now and then segues into a preview of the online work to come. In the imperialism example, Mr. D had students share and critique each other s ideas about causes of imperialism, and then he projected an image on the board of a political map reflecting imperialism. He used the map to show students examples of what they would be working on, independently, for the day. 61

65 Classroom management: When Mr. D leads this introduction he asks students to close their laptops 45 degrees to ensure students are actively listening. Students are to close their laptops to only 45 degrees; closed just enough so students can t see their screens but not enough to put the laptops to sleep. He said he picked up this trick at a PD where the instructor was having a hard time getting teachers to pay attention (many were checking their or using social networking sites). What it looks like: Once students have completed the do now and Mr. D has finished his introduction, he instructs students to begin working independently online. Students clearly know the drill and are already signed in to the ilearnnyc platform (they did this as soon as they sat down), making the transition from wholegroup discussion to independent work smooth and quick. Students watch a 5-7 minute video embedded in the ilearnnyc platform which Mr. D has recorded himself. Students wear headphones and move at their own pace through the videos. As they watch and listen to the video, they are periodically instructed to pause and answer questions on a study sheet he has printed out for each student. If students get stuck or have a question, Mr. D is able to work with students one-on-one or a paraprofessional is available to help the student work through re-reading the question or re-listening to a section in the video. Improving differentiation: Once students are done with the study sheet, they take a formative, short, multiple-choice quiz in the ilearnnyc platform that checks students understanding of the day s lesson. Depending on how students do on these quizzes, they are conditionally released one of two homework assignments. Those students who score low on the quiz are assigned homework that reinforces the day s lesson. Those students who score high on the quiz are assigned homework that allows them to go deeper into the topic. This conditional release functionality is available in the ilearnnyc platform. In the future, Mr. D hopes to use the conditional release feature to further differentiate assignments for students. He plans on using the survey function in the ilearnnyc platform to gauge student interests and create something like a Sternberg Thinking/Learning Styles Inventory 2. Once he has a better understanding of student interests and learning styles, he can release assignments to them based on these profile characteristics. For example, students who are visual learners will be assigned homework or lessons that are personalized to support visual learning. Students in Mr. D s class also take summative unit tests online. Mr. D allows students two submissions. After the first attempt, students are given feedback on their mistakes and Mr. D personalizes notes and feedback to help students improve their understanding. Using this feedback, students can submit a second test that has similar questions to the first. 2 Sternberg, R. J. (1997). Thinking styles. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. 62

66 Dealing with self-pacing: During a typical class period, students may be behind the pace of the rest of the class as they are catching up on a different day s lesson. Mr. D checks in with these students at the beginning of the class and instructs them to begin their work while the rest of the class completes the do now and listens to the day s introduction. Even though students may be on different assignments, they are seamlessly able to complete their work because all of the instructions and content are online. Mr. D explained that this feature of blended learning (self-pacing and access) has benefited his students because if they are absent or truant, they can easily make up assignments, at home or on their own during class time, without holding up other students or being lost in the current content. Whatever work remains for students, Mr. D reminds them to complete it at home or to work on it the next day in class. Access at home: While many students can access assignments from home, Mr. D explained that approximately 30% of his students do not have access to a computer and/or Internet at home. While there are public libraries open, they often only allow students to access the Internet for 30 minute sessions. Since Flushing High School also runs a night school program, YABC (Young Adult Borough Center), there is no time or space in the daily schedule to open up a computer lab for blended learning students. Mr. D has applied for grants to help provide his students with home computers but he has not been able to secure one yet. He hopes to continue working with Computers 4 Kids 3 to help his students get access to computers at home. DYO Content: Mr. D uses Jing, a screen capture program, to record screencasts of PowerPoints he creates for each day s lesson, and he posts them using Vimeo. He tries to use Universal Design for Learning principles when creating his own video content because he teaches a unique student group. It usually takes Mr. D three hours to create a complete homegrown lesson (PowerPoint and video, worksheet, quiz, and two homework assignments) and upload it to the ilearnnyc platform. However, Mr. D expects he will be able to use this content year after year with minor tweaks, so he feels the initial investment of time it takes to create the content is worthwhile. He creates his own online content because he feels that the vendor content from Compass and Apex is too advanced for his special education student population. Even when video content is presented and diagrams are used to help explain topics, the vocabulary used is above the reading-level of his students. If vendors offer reading-level appropriate material, it is for content his students do not need to learn. So even if Mr. D finds reading-level appropriate materials, the content does not match the curriculum he has to teach to prepare his students for the Global History Regents

67 Wrap-up: Mr. D has generally enjoyed moving to a blended model, but is struggling to make better use of the inclass time he has with students. He has tried online class discussions, but feels that they do not require the same interactivity or build the same skills as in-class debates or collaborative group work. But since his students are often moving at different paces, he has to get creative when assigning paired or group work. Mr. D often employs the think, pair, share discussion strategy to encourage student-to-student in-class interactions. Students are paired together based on their pace and progress. At the end of a unit, Mr. D also takes the opportunity to build in additional projects and assignments. Since students are moving at different paces, those students who are ahead are given assignments that allow them to go deeper into a topic, while those students who are behind are given time to make up work and get reinforcement on concepts. As Mr. D continues to explore different ways to build in group discussions and collaborative assignments, he feels he will create an even more dynamic and personalized learning environment for his special education students. 64

68 Blended Learning Model 3 Room to walk behind desks School type: Middle school 250 students Self-directed students Room to walk behind desks Tips from teachers: Place the most self-directed students in seats where laptops are not immediately visible to the teacher Use online content every other day to keep students motivated and excited to learn online Set a complete-by-date to assist students with self-pacing Self-directed students Room to walk behind desks Daily class structure: Do now Every other day independent online work/ Every other day small group instruction Whole-group wrap-up Class size 24 SMART board The classroom setting: Ms. L teaches World Language courses at a diverse NYC middle school. She faces many of the challenges often seen in middle school environments: students acting out, students not completing work, and students struggling with on-grade level content. Ms. L uses blended learning in her course to enable differentiated and personalized instruction and to allow students to work at their own pace. Through blended learning she is better able to manage the challenges of her middle school students. A typical day in the model: Students spend 18 weeks in Ms. L s blended classroom, rotating every other day between online content provided by Middlebury Powerspeak, group or whole-class instruction, and group projects. Ms. L explained that she only uses the online content every other day because her students struggle to be selfmotivated and self-pace. During a typical online work day, students will work independently through Powerspeak while Ms. L answers individual student questions, or pulls small groups for personalized instruction. 65

69 Setting a complete-by-date: Ms. L originally allowed students to move through content, completely self-paced, but found that her middle school students struggled to self-regulate their learning. If a goal was not set for students, they would not feel an urgency to complete the work and they would routinely be off task. The complete-bydate allows students to self-pace within a framework and establishes norms or goals for how long it should take to complete an assignment. Students who complete their work above pace are rewarded and they can earn extra credit by completing assignments set up in the ilearnnyc platform. For example, Ms. L creates assignments around video clips of telenovelas that students are motivated to get to because they get pulled into the storylines and drama. The complete-by-date also allows Ms. L to do whole-group instruction because all students are starting a new topic or unit at the same time. While many blended teachers struggle to fit in group projects, Ms. L uses the end or beginning of units to build in these assignments. Since she sets complete-by-dates for each unit, she can be sure all students have mastered the skills they need to work together and complete group work. Wrap-up: Using blended learning, Ms. L has been able to personalize the learning experience and teach students how to self-regulate their learning. As she continues to build her extra credit assignments, tweak the whole-group instruction, and focus on small group instruction, she will continue to improve her model of blended learning. Variations on the model: Mr. S also uses Middlebury Powerspeak every other day with his high school students (class size 30) and Spanish. At his school, they tried teaching multiple languages in one class, but found it too difficult to manage. During a typical class, Mr. S uses data from the program to assign students to different tables. Like Ms. L, he has found that most students require external motivation to move at an appropriate pace. Students who are working at a similar pace are placed together at work stations. During whole-group instruction Mr. S tries to teach ahead and introduce students to new material. If students are too far ahead, he re-teaches them the lessons they have already completed to reinforce the concepts. He said it has been hard to teach ahead at times because he has to ensure he covers certain vocabulary words Powerspeak includes in their lessons. He said as he becomes more familiar with all of the content, he will be able to better align his lessons. Checking for understanding: Mr. S also does call-and-response with small groups, where he asks them questions in Spanish to ensure students are processing what they are learning online. Because students can move at their own pace, some students are skipping content that is not graded or moderated in the program. Mr. R is able to make sure students are getting all of the necessary content by checking for understanding in small group settings and he can reinforce concepts where needed. For exams, Mr. S insists his students use paper and pencil in the classroom because he does not want students using notes, other students, or online resources to answer questions. 66

70 Blended Learning Model 4 Task Groups School type: 6-10 school (adding 11th and 12th over two years) 480 students Daily class structure: Students rotate daily through small group discussion or independent work Class size 34 Tips from teachers: Be ok with changing your teacher role to become a guide on the side Trust your students to build self-directed learning skills Discussion Group SMART board The classroom setting: Ms. T teaches middle school science to a diverse student population in a growing 6-10 school that will add 11th and 12th grade over the next two years. Ms. T uses blended learning to improve engagement, to incorporate project-based learning, to enhance high-order thinking, and to move away from the traditional teacher paradigm of sage on the stage. A typical day in the model: Class begins as students line up outside the class and Ms. T calls the names of eight students who will be working in a small group with her for the class period. Those students, the Elite Eight, come in and sit at a table at the front of the class, next to a SMART board with a "do now" projected. Ms. T gets the student discussion flowing by asking additional guiding questions as students work through the do now. After five minutes are up, Ms. T leads a discussion around the do now. Students in the small group then participate in a Socratic discussion where Ms. T pushes students critical thinking skills and guides them to deeper understanding of science topics. The remaining students fill in to four tables and sign in to the ilearnnyc platform. The previous class had left the laptops out and on, so the students are able to quickly sign in. Once logged into the ilearnnyc platform students choose from a list of tasks they must complete during the week. Tasks include interactive lessons, modeling assignments, and web quests, where students search the internet for data to complete an assignment. Students are working independently or in pairs, depending on the assignment and their preferred learning style. 67

71 Students working on the tasks are able to ask Ms. T for assistance by raising their hands but, many students ask each other for help first. Students seem to know the routine and work collaboratively on their assignments. Students move at their own pace throughout the period, requiring only occasional reminders to stay on task. A few students find games to play online and are distracted by the vast access to content on the web. For one student, Ms. T has found that he struggles in class to complete work, but he often accesses content at night and he completes his work at home. When assigning online homework, Ms. T makes sure she gives students a few days to complete the assignment because some of her students must find computers and Internet access outside of their homes. Fortunately, Ms. T s school offers computer lab hours so those students with access issues are able to stay after school if necessary. By utilizing blended learning to give students access to anywhere learning opportunities, Ms. T has found that students who struggle to complete work in a brick and mortar school environment, may have more success outside of class time. Building in skills and project-based learning: Ms. T has structured her class into units which last 3-6 weeks. In a typical four-week unit, students will spend two weeks building skills and content knowledge and two weeks completing a project-based learning experience. The length of the projects and the length of the content and skill building range depending on the unit. Ms. T introduces the project and the rubric she will use to grade students at the beginning of each unit, so students have a clear understanding of how the content knowledge and skills they will learn relate to the project. During the two weeks students are learning skills and content knowledge, Ms. T has set up four-day cycles. Each day, a new group of students rotates into the discussion group table so that after four days, every student in the class has been to this table. Depending on the assignment, Ms. T will build heterogeneous or homogeneous groups based on past performance and behavior. As discussed above, students at the discussion table usually complete a do now and a group assignment while the rest of the class works on the assigned tasks at their own pace. In a typical two-week unit, students must complete tasks that bolster the skills and content understanding they will need to do the unit project. The tasks are created to intentionally improve differentiation or student choice. Once the skills and content are covered, using the online content and discussion rotation, students move on to the project-based learning assignment. Students use web-based tools to complete their projects, building a range of computer skills. Classroom management: Ms. T uses wall charts to track student progress on tasks. She thinks visually representing progress in a public space provides external motivation for students. Students also like getting stars to put next to their names, even in middle school. By trusting students to self-regulate their learning and providing scaffolded assignments students can complete on their own, Ms. T has seen a decrease in student behavior issues. While this may seem counterintuitive, giving students more responsibility for their learning has led to better overall behavior in Ms. T s classroom. 68

72 Wrap-up: Moving to this model of blended learning has not been a short or simple process for Ms. T. She gives credit to her mentor for supporting her work and helping her build a blended model where projectbased learning meets online learning. As Ms. T continues to learn and grow from the experiences she has in the classroom, her model of blended learning will only improve and stand out as a new way of increasing student engagement and personalizing learning to meet the needs of all students. 69

73 Blended Learning Model 5 School type: High school 5,000+ students Daily class structure: Students watch online videos at home and complete worksheets or labs in class Class size 34 In brick and mortar school Outside of school Tips from teachers: Use in-class time for students to work together through practice problems and labs Use out-of-class time to prepare students for in-class work Turn to the flipped model to decrease cheating on homework The classroom setting: Mr. F teaches 9th grade Regents Physics to an advanced group of students in a large high school. Mr. F uses blended learning to ease freshmen into rigorous coursework, to cut down on cheating on homework assignments, and to use in-class time more effectively. A typical day in the model: For the flipped classroom, class begins the night before as students watch online video lectures that present material they need to know for the next day s lesson. Mr. F uses a variety of online resources to build a catalogue of videos that align with his lessons. Students can access the videos from their Smartphones or computers. Students suggested that viewing content in this manner was natural and familiar for them, even though it did take some time to get used to the different online teachers presenting the videos. Mr. F can view student logs through the learning platform to ensure students viewed the content. When students arrive in class the next day, an online do now is projected on a screen that tests their understanding of the previous day s lesson. After ten minutes, Mr. F moves the class to begin either a physics lab or an online worksheet, which students complete in pairs or in groups. Students are given until midnight the day the work is assigned to complete their assignments. If they do not finish their work in class, they can complete it from home. Access to high speed internet is not an issue for Mr. F s students and most of them regularly complete assignments at home. 70

74 For most assignments in Mr. F s class, the problems are the same but the numerical values are different. This forces students to discuss how they do problems, not just the answers they come up with. If students get stuck, Mr. F is there to help guide them. In the past, Mr. F felt that students would often cheat on practice or homework problems. By having students complete this work in class, he can directly observe their learning. He also finds that he can better help struggling students and ensure students are not cheating. Building in labs: In the past, Mr. F also found that completing physics labs during one class block was difficult because of time constraints. Reviewing content, setting up the lab, and completing the lab was too much to fit into one block. Using the flipped model, students view videos and prepare for the lab outside of class, allowing for more time in class to complete the labs. Changing the teacher role: Initially, it was hard for Mr. F to change his role from being the deliverer of content, to the expert assistant. However, Mr. F has found that he is better able to assist struggling students in the flipped model because he can see them practicing in the classroom, observing any missteps as they happen. In a traditional classroom, there are often fewer opportunities to correct student work in real-time. So, instead of a student completing an entire set of practice problems incorrectly, or worse, cheating on assignments, Mr. F can see their mistakes and correct them as they practice. Wrap-up: Although Mr. F has been teaching physics for many years, when his school decided to move physics ahead in the science sequence to be offered for freshmen, he knew he had to find a better way to instruct students. He admits that his model is a work-in-progress but as he continues to tweak his flipped model of blended learning, his course and instructional practices will only improve. 71

75 Blended Learning Model 6 School type: High school 5,000+ students Daily class structure: Students complete almost all of their work online Students take a quiz in school once a week Class size 35 Tips from teachers: Use discussion boards to present student work, raising the level of peer pressure to present high quality work Use a points-based system to encourage groups to post work in discussion forums Start with soft discussions around topics students are passionate and interested in so students get acquainted with the forums The classroom setting: Ms. S teaches AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics to an advanced group of students in a large high school. Ms. S uses blended learning to offer AP Macroeconomics to a volunteer group of students who are also taking AP Microeconomics. At the beginning of the class, Ms. S had students volunteer to participate in this extra AP course. Those students who volunteered for the course were at both ends of the achievement spectrum; some were top achievers and others were bottom achievers. As most of these students are graduating seniors, Ms. S explained that bottom achievers likely opted for the extra AP class because they had been shut out of other APs and they wanted more college credit. At the same time, the top achievers likely joined because they are always eager to take on additional challenges and they also wanted to add another AP course. Regardless of student prior performance level, Ms. S has found this model offers new opportunities for student discussion and engagement outside of the brick and mortar classroom. A typical day in model: For Ms. S s model, class takes place almost entirely online. Students watch video lectures, complete reading assignments, discussions, and quizzes all in the ilearnnyc platform. Ms. S uses the platform to post all of the necessary course content, which she mostly creates herself, though some content is pulled from online resources. Ms. S finds that students prefer online video content to other less engaging media. There is also a question library that Ms. S finds useful. 72

76 Ms. S monitors student progress remotely and engages with students online through discussion forums, s, and direct feedback on assignments in the ilearnnyc platform. While the direct feedback on assignments has allowed Ms. S the chance to give detailed feedback to each student, it has also increased the amount of time she spends grading work, compared to her other courses. On the other hand, Ms. S finds the prep work to be less time-consuming for this type of course. On Fridays, Ms. S has students come to her classroom to take a short quiz on the week s assignments. If students are in her AP Microeconomics course, she allows them to take the quiz during that block. Other students must find time to take the quiz during the day. Ms. S finds this weekly in-person quiz makes the course feel more real and provides motivation for students to stay on-pace with the work. Building in discussions: Ms. S finds the discussions to be the most useful aspect of her course and she runs one discussion each week. Students are asked a series of questions which they answer in groups. Each group has their own forum where they post their work for each other to review. The leader of the group for that week is tasked with consolidating the best answers from their group and posting those answers to the broader whole-class discussion. The group leader gets an additional ten points if they post their group s answers on time. If they are late, the next person in line in the group can steal their points by posting their version of the group s answers. The points can be stolen by the remaining group according to their line order and how many days have elapsed. This point stealing system encourages students to make timely contributions to the discussion forums and adds a gaming element to discussions. Ms. S finds that the quality of student work is higher when students know their peers are looking at their work. Since all of the students are seniors in the course, Ms. S thinks this element of peer review encourages higher quality work, compared to a course where students can become lazy as the end of their senior year approaches and many are already accepted to college. Ms. S also used the strategy of acclimating students to online forums by starting with soft discussions. By first presenting topics that students were passionate about, Ms. S has found students are more apt to participate in future discussions. Wrap-up: The types of discussions and student interactions enabled by this model have been different for the two AP Economics courses Ms. S teaches. For example, students in the blended course have to compose their arguments in writing and students who are shy, introverted, or not likely to raise their hand in class, can feel more confident voicing their opinions and commenting. She finds that her students in the blended model are learning important time management skills and they are improving their communication skills through online discussions, more so than students in her other courses. As more college students take online courses, Ms. S thinks introducing students to this type of learning will become even more important for college success. Ms. S plans to continue to improve her course, offering a new way for her students to gain online learning and college readiness skills. 73

77 Appendix H: Blended Learning in Action What Does it Look Like Online? First Week of School F2F Teacher Teachers usually spend some time setting up and decorating their classrooms by hanging up posters, arranging furniture putting pictures on their desks, etc. Teachers usually cover the class rules and expectations some time in the first week, whether these are determined by the teacher, the students, or some combination of both. First Week of School Online Teacher An online teacher should also spend some time setting up his or her classroom. This just might look a little bit different. Online teachers can set up an announcement page or a series of announcement pages introducing themselves and their content to their students. This might include pictures of themselves and/or their families and some marketing of the course. What should students expect to learn? Why will this be important to them? Online teachers should also cover rules and expectations. These should address grading and late policies, academic integrity, and behavior specific to the online environment. Students should know proper Internet etiquette, known as Netiquette. Here is some helpful information/resources on Netiquette: Edutopia: Study Guides and Strategies: Yale University: e/. University of Kansas: Common Sense Media: Teachers may have the students engage in ice-breaker activities to get to know one another to establish a positive classroom climate and prepare students for collaborative work assignments. This should also be done in the online classroom. Online teachers can do live or synchronous ice-breakers virtually with students using collaboration tools or can use the discussion area to have students get to know one another in an asynchronous environment. Examples of Online Ice-breakers: Two Lies and A Truth. Ask participants to list three interesting things about themselves. (I own two iguanas; I once shook hands with Tom Cruise; and I love to waterski.) Two must be lies and one must be true. Other participants must vote to determine which interesting thing is the truth. The participant with the most incorrect votes wins. Alternatively participants could be 74

78 Some times a teacher will implement some type of diagnostic assessment to help them determine what knowledge and skills the students have coming in to their class. The first week of school a teacher often distributes textbooks and other materials to students. Teachers might provide students an overview of their textbook or create a textbook scavenger hunt. put into small groups and find out through teamwork what the truths and lies are. Another alternative game is three truths and a lie. Miscomm-puter-unication. Ask the participants to share their most embarrassing mishap using a computer. Share your own experience, for example, replying to the wrong person in an . This will loosen them up and cause a few to chuckle before embarking on a whole new way of thinking using technology instead of paper and pen. Six degrees of separation. Ask each participant to find out how he/she is linked to another participant through 5 others because they have some kind of connection. The solutions needs to be posted and should look like this: me > Jeffrey > Donna > Patricia > Hans > Sherry with an explanation of the connections. In finding the answers, participants have to interact and ask a lot of questions to each other. It may easily take a week. A shorter variation of this exercise may be to ask participants to find one other person they have some kind of connection with. (a participant they did not know before). What s on your reading list? Ask participants to make a picture o f some of the books they have recently read or are currently reading. By sharing the books you are reading you tell something about yourself. The teacher can also ask students a few questions about themselves and ask them to post the answers. It is important to ask students to respond to the posts of at least 2-3 other students to promote interactivity. Several of the online content vendors provide diagnostic assessments. In addition, teachers can create their own assessments in the ilearnnyc platform. Teachers should think about how they will use this data. Will they use it to assign content? Group students? How will this data assist in personalizing the education of this student? Some of the online content providers do have supplemental materials. Will these be used in class or assigned to students to take home? The teachers should make sure that students have the required materials and explain the procedures for using them. It is important to orient your students to the online course as well. Where will they find content? How do 75

79 they submit assignments? Where will they go to find discussions? What is the best way to navigate through the course? It is important that the teacher becomes familiar with the content by reviewing the course. Some teachers send home an introductory letter to parents the first week of school and may gather contact information or other relevant student data. Teachers might post important notes, points, rules, due dates etc. in their rooms for quick student reference. It is important for online teachers to also think about parent engagement. Teachers should think about how they will introduce themselves to students, how to provide an explanation of the online course, and how they will communicate with parents throughout the student s course experience. It may also be helpful to provide parents with tips and strategies for supporting their children if they are working on their online course from home. Parents should be aware of the number of the Help Desk in case students have difficulty working from home. This can be done in the online classroom as well. You can use the announcement page and calendar in the learning platform. It is also helpful to create a Frequently Asked Questions document and post it in the discussion area. Daily/Weekly Activities F2F Teacher Teachers typically take attendance daily in their classes. Teachers often have to work hard to try to motivate their students to be successful in a class. Daily/Weekly Activities Online Teacher An online teacher needs to take attendance too. Even if they do not see their students on a daily basis or they do not all access the course at the same time or from the same place, the teacher needs to monitor whether they are showing up. When was the last time they logged in? When was the last time they submitted an assignment? How much time are they spending in the course doing their work? If students are not coming to class or seem to be arriving late, the online teacher will need to take action which might include conferencing with the student, parent, guidance counselor, and/or a school administrator. It may also involve working with the student to develop a learning plan with specific, achievable goals. Online teachers will have to work to motivate their students too. Some students may find the subject matter engaging or find the self-paced environment and/or the technology engaging, but many students will need support and motivation just like they do in the face to face classroom. Online teachers can use course 76

80 to connect and communicate with students. They can use the announcement pages and content development tools to engage students with current events or design contests for student participation. Teachers can help students set and monitor goals using the calendar and grade-book tools. They can provide feedback and answer questions promptly. They can create digital Walls of Fame highlighting quality work examples and recognizing students for their hard work. Teachers may utilize cooperative learning in their classrooms. Teachers often use discussion to engage students and content on a deeper level in their classrooms. A teacher might want to deliver a lecture or invite in a guest speaker. Class debates are often used to engage students in developing and supporting arguments. Teachers may want to create different centers for students to rotate through different activities. Teachers may use a variety of strategies to differentiate instruction in the face to face classroom. Online teachers can utilize cooperative learning in their classrooms as well. Lessons can be designed to require interdependence and individual accountability. Students can be asked to work together synchronously or asynchronously using a variety of technical tools including discussion areas, online collaborative workspaces, and synchronous web and video conferencing software. Online teachers can use discussion in their classrooms as well. The ilearnnyc platform provides a discussion area. Teachers can start and facilitate discussions with their classes. They can also have students create and facilitate discussions. Discussions can also take place synchronously using the ilearnnyc platform s collaboration software. In an online course, this can be delivered synchronously utilizing collaboration software. It can also be recorded (audio or video) and posted in the course. Debates can be run asynchronously in the online discussion area. Synchronous debates can also be held using the collaboration tool in the ilearnnyc platform. This can be done synchronously in the ilearnnyc platform collaboration software which allows an instructor to set up online breakout rooms. It can also be done asynchronously in the ilearnnyc platform by creating student groups and establishing different learning paths. The online classroom allows for differentiation in a number of ways. Students can be assigned specific 77

81 learning paths utilizing grouping and conditional release tools. The teacher can program the ilearnnyc platform to redirect students to content within the course if they do not achieve a certain score. Teachers might use different types of pre-reading strategies prior to having students start a new unit or chapter in their textbook. Teachers will answer student questions, usually when they raise their hands or come up to the teacher before or after class. Teachers typically spend time outside of class assessing student work. These types of activities are also helpful in an online class. Online teachers can conduct unit or module kick off sessions, asking questions to stimulate prior knowledge, make connections, and establish a purpose for reading. Images can be used to have students make predictions about what they will read or learn. The teacher can pull our key words and create a virtual Word Wall. Pre-reading or survey activities can be designed for online units. Online instructors will answer student questions in a variety of ways. Students may send questions in s or chats or post questions in the discussion area the online instructor will answer in writing. If the online class is using the ilearnnyc platform tool, the software allows students to virtually raise their hands and teachers can call on the students to hear and respond to their questions. Online teachers will also asses student work. Work submitted in the Dropbox or online assessment area can be returned with specific feedback and assignments can be set to allow for multiple submissions so that students can learn from their instructor s specific feedback and revise and resubmit their assignment, thereby achieving the required level of mastery. Student work and the corresponding feedback are retained in the system so there are no lost papers. 78

82 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BLENDED LEARNING TEACHER SAMPLE SCHEDULE 1 Context: This is a subject area certified teacher who meets face to face with students on a daily basis and has daily computer access. Monday In Class Outside of Class Teacher conducts 3-5 minute goal setting sessions with students in which he/she discusses student progress including strengths and challenges. The conference should address the goals from the previous week. Were these goals met? If not, what might the student do differently? What supports might the teacher put in place? Goals should be set for the current week. Students are working at their own pace independently in their respective courses before and/or after their conference. Teacher answers questions on an as-needed basis. Tuesday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Teacher plans for mini-lessons. Students work online remotely as needed. In Class Outside of Class Teacher reviews student work and progress. Teacher pulls students individually and/or in small groups for personalized mini lessons which might include re-teaching concepts some students are struggling to master, reinforcing content, or enriching content for accelerating students. Teacher may use or define other resources as needed. Students are working at their own pace independently in their respective courses before and/or after their mini-lesson. Teacher answers questions on an as-needed basis. Wednesday In Class Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Teacher plans for whole class activity. Students work online remotely as needed. Outside of Class Teacher facilitates a whole class activity such as a science lab, simulation, or cooperative activity which will support student mastery of standards and/or competencies. Since students are working at their own pace, Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher posts a follow-up to the class activity in the discussion area and monitors and/or facilitates this discussion. 79

83 the activity may be one that does not require pre-requisite knowledge, the teacher may select an activity based upon content everyone has completed, or the teacher may ask students to read something or to complete a particular lesson the day before in preparation for the activity.] Thursday Teacher plans for mini-lessons. Students work online remotely as needed. In Class Outside of Class Teacher reviews student work and progress. Teacher pulls students individually and/or in small groups for personalized mini lessons which might include re-teaching concepts some students are struggling to master, reinforcing content, or enriching content for accelerating students. Teacher may use or define other resources as needed. Students are working at their own pace independently in their respective courses before and/or after their mini-lesson. Teacher answers questions on an as-needed basis. Friday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions and identifies exemplars. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Students work online remotely as needed. In Class Outside of Class For the first 15 minutes of class, the teacher has students share quality exemplars of their work using a Smartboard, projector, or paper copies. [It is helpful to select assignments that allow for choice and multiple, higher-level responses. This is a great way to recognize students for their hard work and to help all students understand the level of rigor and quality expected.] For the remainder of the class period, the teacher monitors students as they work, answers questions, and conferences with students regarding the quality of their work. Students engage in peer review of their work utilizing rubrics. Students continue to work in their courses at their own pace independently. Teacher crafts announcement page and adds calendar items for the upcoming week. Teacher responds to students s and monitors the discussion area. Teacher assesses student work submissions. 80

84 A Day in the Life of a Blended Learning TeacherSample Schedule 2 Context: This is a subject area certified teacher who meets face to face with students on a daily basis and has consistent computer access. Monday In Class Outside of Class Teacher conducts a whole group module kickoff lesson by pulling images from the module and asking students questions about them trying to stimulate curiosity and activate prior knowledge. The teacher then identifies key words and has students define/pronounce them in preparation for reading the module. The teacher connects the content to the lives of the students in some way, i.e. discussion, posing a scenario, developing analogies, etc. The teacher introduces an online note-taking strategy. The teacher then asks specific questions to establish a purpose for reading and lets students begin working in the module practicing the note-taking strategy independently with remaining time. The teacher moves around the room, supervising students and answering questions. Tuesday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Teacher plans for mini-lessons. Students work online remotely as needed. In Class Outside of Class Teacher reviews student work and progress. Teacher pulls students individually and/or in small groups for personalized mini lessons which might include re-teaching concepts some students are struggling to master, reinforcing content, or enriching content for accelerating students. Teacher may use or define other resources as needed. Students are working at their own pace independently in their respective courses before and/or after their mini-lesson. Teacher answers questions on an as-needed basis. Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Teacher plans for whole class activity. Students work online remotely as needed. 81

85 Wednesday In Class Outside of Class Teacher meets individually with collaborative work teams and facilitates their analysis of their progress and collaboration skills. The teacher provides additional support and resources as necessary. Thursday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher posts general notes on the collaborative work project based upon team meetings. Teacher plans for mini-lessons. Students work online remotely as needed. In Class Outside of Class Teacher reviews student work and progress. Teacher pulls students individually and/or in small groups for personalized mini lessons which might include re-teaching concepts some students are struggling to master, reinforcing content, or enriching content for accelerating students. Teacher may use or define other resources as needed. Students are working at their own pace independently in their respective courses before and/or after their mini-lesson. Teacher answers questions on an as-needed basis. Friday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions and identifies exemplars. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Students work online remotely as needed. In Class Outside of Class The students participate in a live webinar using the platform collaboration tool with experts in the field of study. There is a presentation followed by the opportunity for questions and answers with the experts and a follow up discussion with students from a different school participating in the webinar. Teacher crafts announcement page and adds calendar items for the upcoming week. Teacher responds to students s and monitors the discussion area. The teacher posts a follow up discussion question in the discussion area based on the day s webinar. The teacher uses student progress and assessment data to group students for customized learning paths the following week. 82

86 A Day in the Life of a Blended Learning Teacher Sample Schedule 3 Context: This is a situation in which there are several students taking a variety of different courses in one learning lab with a course facilitator who supervises the learning lab and an in-field subject area certified teacher facilitating the course (either from a different location or at a different time as a part of their teaching load). There will be multiple certified in-field subject area teachers, however, the work of one is represented in the sample schedule Monday Learning Lab Facilitator Certified In-Field Subject Area Teacher Facilitator takes attendance and assists students in logging in to their courses and setting up any required equipment or technology. The facilitator meets with students to review goals from the previous week and establish goals for the current week. The facilitator provides supports and resources as necessary to support students in meeting their goals. The facilitator reaches out to the subject area teacher via regarding any student issues/questions. Teacher monitors student progress: who has logged in? How long did they spend working on assignments? Did they submit an assignment, post in the discussion area? Ask questions? Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher moderates class discussion area. The teacher s the facilitator critical student information for face-to-face follow up. Tuesday Learning Lab Facilitator Certified In-Field Subject Area Teacher Facilitator takes attendance and assists students in logging in to their courses and setting up any required equipment or technology. The facilitator checks from the subject area teachers and follows up with students as needed. The facilitator roams, monitoring students work, redirecting students, and answering non subject area specific questions. The facilitator reaches out to the subject area teacher via regarding any student issues/questions. Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Teacher reaches out to specific students via and/or phone to prompt them to complete assignments and revise work. Teacher plans for mini-lessons. The teacher s the facilitator critical student information for face-to-face follow up. Wednesday 83

87 Learning Lab Facilitator Certified In-Field Subject Area Teacher Facilitator takes attendance and assists students in logging in to their courses and setting up any required equipment or technology. The facilitator holds a brief whole-class session on a specific technique used to take notes from an online course and then monitors students as they apply the new skill in their respective courses. The facilitator reaches out to the subject area teacher via regarding any student issues/questions. Thursday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Teacher reaches out to specific students via and/or phone to prompt them to complete assignments and revise work. Teacher plans for mini-lessons. Learning Lab Facilitator Certified In-Field Subject Area Teacher Facilitator takes attendance and assists students in logging in to their courses and setting up any required equipment or technology. The facilitator checks from the subject area teachers and follows up with students as needed. The facilitator roams, monitoring students work, redirecting students, and answering non subject area specific questions. The facilitator reaches out to the subject area teacher via regarding any student issues/questions. Friday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions and identifies exemplars. Teacher posts exemplars on digital wall of fame. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Teacher holds synchronous tutoring sessions with students utilizing the collaboration tool. Learning Lab Facilitator Certified In-Field Subject Area Teacher Facilitator takes attendance and assists students in logging in to their courses and setting up any required equipment or technology. The facilitator holds a brief whole-class session on a file management. The facilitator roams, monitoring students work, redirecting students, and answering non subject area specific questions. The facilitator reaches out to the subject area teacher via regarding any student issues/questions. Teacher crafts announcement page and adds calendar items for the upcoming week. Teacher responds to students s and monitors the discussion area. The teacher s the facilitator critical student information for face-to-face follow up. The teacher uses student progress and assessment data to group students for customized learning paths the following week. 84

88 A Day in the Life of a Blended Learning Teacher Sample Schedule 4 Context: This is a subject area certified teacher who meets face to face with students on a daily basis and has computer access 2-3 days a week. Monday In Class Outside of Class Teacher begins with a question or problem. Students create a list of what they currently know about the question or problem, and what they need to know about the current issue or problem. (This can be done independently, in small groups, or as a whole class) Debrief. Tuesday Arrange for student access to the lab. Review the initial know and need to know logs and begin to identify appropriate supports/assignments for students. In Class (Computer Lab) Outside of Class Teacher redistributes the know/need to know logs. Students log on to use digital resources to address their need to know lists. Teacher assigns work and provides support as necessary. Wednesday In Class Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher posts homework assignment related to the question or problem. Students work online remotely as needed. Outside of Class Teacher facilitates the debriefing of the homework activity related to the question or problem. The teacher introduces an addition to the problem which the class then discusses. Students revise and submit their know/need to know logs. Thursday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Review the revised know and need to know logs and begin to identify appropriate supports/assignments for students. Post a discussion question related to the revised problem. Students work online remotely as needed. In Class Outside of Class Teacher redistributes the know/need to know logs. Students log on to use digital resources to address their need to know lists. Teacher assigns work and provides support as necessary. Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions and identifies exemplars. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Students work online remotely as needed. 85

89 Friday In Class Outside of Class The students participate in a live webinar using the platform collaboration tool with experts in the field of study. There is a presentation followed by the opportunity for questions and answers with the experts and a follow up discussion with students from a different school participating in the webinar. Teacher crafts announcement page and adds calendar items for the upcoming week. Teacher responds to students s and monitors the discussion area. The teacher posts a follow up discussion question in the discussion area based on the day s webinar. The teacher uses student progress and assessment data to group students for customized learning paths the following week. 86

90 A Day in the Life of a Blended Learning Teacher Sample Schedule 5 Context: This is a subject area certified teacher who facilitates an online course and does not meet regularly (or at all) in the same physical location as the students. Monday Set up the course announcement page for the week with a current event challenge and any new course announcements. Publish the names of students who excelled in their work in some way on the student wall of Fame. Check attendance and submissions from the previous week and target specific students for follow up. Send out the weekly update to students. Respond to student s. Assess student work submissions. Begin sending individual s to students to recognize their accomplishments or remind them of work that is due. Students work online remotely. Tuesday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Post an online discussion. Hold virtual office hours via Collaborate. Students work online remotely. Wednesday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Review discussion area and post appropriate comments and questions to encourage students and deepen thinking. Teacher schedules individual and small group tutoring sessions with students. Students work online remotely. Thursday Teacher responds to student s. Teacher assesses student work submissions and identifies exemplars. Teacher moderates class discussion area. Teacher holds individual and group tutoring sessions using Collaborate. Teacher send parent s and makes parent phone calls as needed. Students work online remotely. 87

91 Friday Teacher crafts announcement page and adds calendar items for the upcoming week. Teacher responds to students s and monitors the discussion area. Teacher assesses student work submissions. Teacher holds a parent info session via Collaborate. The teacher uses student progress and assessment data to group students for customized learning paths the following week. Teacher posts student exemplars on Wall of Fame Students work online remotely. 88

92 Date Appendix I -Student Agreement Student Name Student Agreement My Course Goals I will complete my online course by (name of course) the indicated end date of (Date when you need to complete all course assignments) with a passing grade of or higher. (Your target grade for the course) I will view the student orientation videos on academic integrity, how to navigate the online learning program, uploading coursework and attachments. I will participate in discussion based assessments as part of each course. I will be responsible for asking any questions regarding plagiarism or cheating if I am unsure of the policy. I will take notes, complete and submit all necessary written work. I will participate in regular Collaborate sessions. Collaborate sessions require me to meet with my teacher and other classmates synchronously (at the same time) online. I understand that I will take proctored exams when asked to do so. I understand that for each online course there are a minimum number of assignments that must be completed each week. Failure to submit the minimum number of assignments on a weekly basis will result in my removal from the course and may result in a failing grade being assigned to my academic transcript Student signature 89