21st Century Leaders and Learners:Is North Carolina Virtual Public School a threat and/or opportunity?
As many of you know, we provided the State Board of Education with three funding options for "discussion" at the November board meeting. In addition, we are asking for feedback and further suggestions as we near our legislative mandate in December of 2009 for a funding formula. As school districts grapple with the "value of a virtual school", I felt it important to weigh in this week with a video cast from Dr. Tracy Weeks, our Chief Academic Officer, at www.ncvps.org regarding "virtual value" and to begin making the case that www.ncvps.org is indeed an opportunity not a threat to districts, schools, and educators. Your students and parents already know these value points.
Moreover, you should follow lead of innovative board members, superintendents, principals, and teachers who will utilize the "value of virtual" regardless of funding outcomes. These types of decisions have already been made in other states and districts and these states have partnered in ways to really add opportunities to students’ lives.
Do we really want to be behind these others states, the nation, and the world and deny our kids opportunities in a blended environment (face to face and online)? Do we need to weigh in on the formula and work together for solutions? These are the types of questions we are working on in our GO LIVE (Getting Organized to Lead Virtual Education) planning this Fall. I encourage you to use our web link this week which will "GO LIVE" on Friday, November 13, 2009 to share in the knowledge capture from Alexander County and to forge ahead with us towards solutions for blended learning. Is NCVPS a threat and/or opportunity? You decide based on the work below:
The Value of the North Carolina Virtual Public School
Providing access, equity, and quality based innovation and experience in virtual and blended education.
In North Carolina, NCVPS increases student opportunities and outcomes by:
• Developing specialized curriculum to address changes in state graduation requirements (e.g., increased math requirements, occupational study, teachers of record, etc. ) and meet state-specific educational goals
• Providing access to Advanced Placement, summer school and other “hard to find” courses that local school districts are not always able to offer
• Providing at-risk students and dropouts access to credit-recovery courses to improve high school graduation rates
• Providing state-certified, highly qualified teachers for districts that do not have them in specific subjects
NCVPS supports teachers, schools, and other stakeholders by:
• Providing educational curriculum to students and educators statewide, including tutorials for state test preparation, self-paced courses, and professional development for teachers
• Building a growing level of expertise in online learning and blended instruction within a state that becomes a continuous asset to districts, state agencies, and legislatures
• Working with districts to provide access to blended learning curriculum, technology infrastructure (e.g., learning management systems), and teacher training to expand learning opportunities in the classroom and promote 21st century skills
• Reducing costs by providing online services, such as web conferencing, to replace face-to-face meetings, reducing travel expenses and increasing productivity for districts and state agencies
Ensuring quality control through evaluation and standards development
NCVPS not only provide value to students and educational stakeholders, but also ensures an increasing level of quality by:
• Providing professional development to ensure teachers have the pedagogical and technology expertise to teach online
• Implementing continuous improvement and regular program evaluations to ensure quality student support, teacher training, and course development
• Creating highly interactive, media-rich curriculum specifically designed to facilitate quality online learning and engage students
• Working with local schools to provide on-site coordinators who support students and establish a direct relationship between the virtual school and local school district
NCVPS will provide innovative and leadership for the next generation of digital learners by:
• Providing blended learning modules for occupational course of study students
• Implementing an on demand blended learning repository for anytime, anywhere instruction for multiple course offerings in the face to face classroom
• Creating highly interactive and immersive simulations and games for learning
• Working with legislators to follow the lead of other states in developing a K-8 curriculum that is both virtual and face to face enhanced through blended design and development
So are we a threat and/or opportunity? We encourage you to research our program, participate in GO LIVE, and to provide support as we move through the funding season to leverage our resources. CFO's of many school districts, not only in North Carolina but around the country, are finding innovative ways to leverage resources via scheduling, co-teaching models, and blended restarts to name a few. Our staff has the expertise to prepare your district and school for the services of virtual and blended learning regardless of the funding model outcomes. Please contact us today to prepare and as always we encourage your feedback on not just the funding discussion that is going on now, but your feedback as to whether we are a threat and/or opportunity to your students?
Have a great week using the virtual advantage of www.ncvps.org and www.nclearnandearn.gov !
Bryan
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