Supporting Critically At-Risk
Students Through Blended &
Online Learning
November 13, 2014 – San Diego, CA
SIATech Alternative Accountability Forum
Maria Worthen
Vice President, Federal & State Policy
www.inacol.org
iNACOL’s Mission
To ensure all students have access to a
world-class education and quality blended
and online learning opportunities that
prepare them for a lifetime of success.
Galaxy of Members
Blended
Schools
Parents
3,361
Teachers &
Educators
State
Virtual
Schools
Full-time
Online
Schools
Colleges &
Universities
Think
Tanks
Public
School
Districts
Regional
Education
Agencies
Policy
Makers
International
Programs
Non-profit/
Associate
OER
Next
Generation
Learning
Partners
Online Content
Providers
Tech Tools
Providers
EMOs
Part-time
Online
Programs
Researchers
& Evaluators
www.inacol.org
Philanthropy/
Foundations
State
Departments
of Education
Tutoring/S
ervices
Private &
Independent
Schools
iNACOL State Policy Frameworks
• Create competency-based education
systems
• Improve student access and equity –
access to blended & online learning
• Measure and assure quality from inputs to
outcomes
• Support innovative educators & schools
• Support new learning models through
connectivity, data systems, and security
It’s About Equity: High-Quality Opportunities for All Students
Traditional
Public/Private
Accelerated
Students
Credit Recovery
Medically Fragile
Need to work and/or
support family
Rural Students
ELL
Special Education
Aspiring athletes and
performers
The Opportunity Gap
• US high schools offering
– Calculus: 50%
– Physics: 63%
• US high schools that don’t offer full sequence
of Algebra I and II, Geometry, Biology,
Chemistry: 10-25%
• High schools with the highest percentage of
black and Latino students
– 1/4 do not offer Algebra II
– 1/3 do not offer Chemistry.
Source: US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. (March 2014)
New Solutions through Online Learning
• 40% of US high schools do not offer AP courses
– 75% of districts use online learning to offer Advanced
Placement or college-level courses.
• Teacher Shortages
– 40% of public school districts in America today say they
need online learning resources because certified teachers
are not available for traditional face-to-face instruction.
• 60% of schools and districts say they need online
learning for credit recovery.
• More than 50% need online learning to reduce
student scheduling conflicts to graduate on time.
Competenc
y
End of grading period
Time
Credit: Steve Kossakoski, New Hampshire Virtual
Learning Academy
Competenc
y
Time
Credit: Steve Kossakoski, New Hampshire Virtual
Learning Academy
5-Part Working Definition:
Competency-based Learning
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Students advance upon mastery.
Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable
learning objectives that empower students.
Assessment is meaningful and a positive learning
experience for students.
Students receive timely, differentiated support based on their
individual learning needs.
Learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include
application and creation of knowledge, along with the
development of important skills and dispositions.
- from S. Patrick, C. Sturgis. Cracking the Code; www.CompetencyWorks.org
In a proficiency system, failure or poor
performance may be part of student’s
learning curve, but it is not an outcome.
-Proficiency Based Instruction and Assessment,
Oregon Education Roundtable
State Virtual Schools (2014)
Fully Online Schools (2014)
Research Highlights
• U.S. Department of Education study of Online Learning,
“Evaluation of Evidence-based Practice in Online Learning: A
Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies” (2009)
• “Overall, the meta-analysis found that students who
took all or part of their class online performed better, on
average, than those taking the same course through
traditional face-to-face instruction.”
• “instruction combining online learning with face-to-face
elements had a larger advantage . . .students the
participated in online learning and who spent more time
on task benefited the most.”
Harvard Study:
Florida Virtual School
• “We do not find any evidence of negative
effects of virtual education on student
learning, and a finding of equivalent
quality, on average, between FLVS and
non-FLVS courses may suggest a higher
level of productivity in the FLVS courses”
Quality Assurance &
Accountability
for Online Learning
www.inacol.org
Making Data Work for Students
Inputs
National Standards of
Quality
Teaching &
Learning
• Assess upon entry
• Learning GPS
• Continuous improvement
• Formative, progress
monitoring & summative
assessment
Outcomes
Performance Metrics
tied to:
• Accountability
• Funding
• Continuation
Inputs:
iNACOL National Quality Standards
Online Courses
Online Teaching
www.inacol.org
Online Programs
Teaching & Learning
•
•
•
•
Assess upon entry
Learning GPS
Continuous improvement
Formative, progress monitoring &
summative assessment
• Multiple pathways of learning to meet
individual learning goals
Outcomes:
Quality assurance for
online schools
www.inacol.org
Outcome Measures for
Full Time Online Schools
• Proficiency
• Individual student growth along a
trajectory
• Graduation rates
• College and career readiness
• Closing the achievement gap
• Fidelity to a student’s academic goals
Outcome Measures for
Supplemental Online Courses
• Proficiency
• Individual student growth along a
trajectory
Using Outcome Data
• Program improvement
• Accountability
Next Generation Accountability
• All accountability metrics tied to teaching and
learning
– Competencies aligned to academic standards
– Assessment is a positive learning experience
• Individual growth along a trajectory
• Summative data rolled up from multiple points in
time
• Incentivize continuous improvement of student
learning, rather than “autopsy”
Q&A
Contact:
Maria Worthen
mworthen@inacol.org
http://www.inacol.org
http://www.competencyworks.org
www.inacol.org