John Watson of Evergreen Education Group shares his findings from the 2014 edition of Keeping Pace with K-12 Digital Learning: An Annual Review of Policy and Practice.

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4. John Watson
kpk12.com
@KeepingPaceK12

6. Session agenda
1.National digital learning landscape
2.Key policy issues
3.Trends and looking to 2015
4.Q&A and discussion throughout with a focus on data collection/analysis issues

7. Digital learning adoption rates
(not absolute size, and many exceptions)
Most/earliest activity
Least/recent activity
Corporate training/military
Post secondary
Charter schools
Traditional public schools
Private schools

8. K-12 digital learning evolution towards greater district activity
2004
State level, fully online
2014
District level, blended

9. Reasons for going digital
1.Student achievement
2.Access
3.Technology skills
4.Cost

10. K-12 digital learning evolution towards greater district activity
2004
Online
2014
Digital
2009
Blended

11. TEACHING
DIGITAL
CONTENT
DIGITAL
PLATFORM
DEVICES

12. High school
DIGITAL CONTENT
Elementary
•Often used in a wide range of fully online courses.
•In physical classrooms, widely used to augment face-to-face instruction.
•May be done at the course, department, school, or district level.
•Often skill-based, adaptive math and ELA.
•Adoptions are usually at the school or district level.
•Accessed during regular class time, under supervision of the classroom teacher.

13. High school
DIGITAL PLATFORM
Elementary
•Often a school-wide or district- wide LMS and SIS are used as base platforms.
•Some additional content may be accessed within its own technology platform.
•Usually a course-specific technology platform is used for each subject area.

14. High school
DEVICES
Elementary
•Vary based on the digital options.
•Across all grade levels content is increasingly being built for mobile devices.
•Fully online courses usually still require a laptop or desktop computer.
•Classroom-based digital content is often accessed on a tablet.
•Laptop or desktop computers are used less often than tablets.
•Tablets are often pre-loaded with content that is tablet- specific.

15. High school
TEACHING
Elementary
•Online courses are taught by teachers from a distance, with little or no face-to-faceinteraction with students.
•Classroom-basedteachers may use digital content.
•Alt edand indstudy programs use a combination of online teachers and onsite mentors.
•Teachers are almost always classroom-basedand use digital content in their existing class.

16. Improving student achievement via digital learning
Source: Andy Calkins, Next Generation Learning Challenges

17. Digital Content
•20,000 students using math content
•13,400 students using literacy content
Blended Schools
•Whole-school blended learning redesigns
4 elementary blended 61%
3 middle schools blended 25%–100%
1 high school blended 50%
Credit Recovery
•Online content and f2f instruction
•Students meet with teachers 2–3/week

19. Source: US DOE Office for Civil Rights
Data Snapshot: College and Career Readiness
50% high schools don’t offer calculus
37% don’t offer physics
Lack of equal access is an ongoing issue

20. Nevada Learning Academy (NLA)
•Launched in fall 2004 as CCSD VHS
•Serves students statewide
•700 FT students in SY 2013-14
•12,796 PT students/29,829 enrollmentse3 –Engage, Empower, Explore Project
•Title I One-to-One Mobile Learning Project
•9 middle schools have 1:1 programs using tablets
•All core instruction uses digital content and tools

21. Horry County Virtual School
•Supplemental courses, full load to a few students
•Own courses plus state virtual school courses
•3,500course enrollments initial credit and credit recovery
Personalized Digital Learning Rollout
•All MS students (10,000) received tablets for core subjects
•WhittemorePark MS blended learning turnaround

23. Growing state virtual schools

24. Shrinking/flat state
virtual schools

25. Most students are in charter schools
•Some using digital learning to personalize instruction
•Other schools and organizations are moving towards digital learning
•Foundations and advocacy organizations are supporting digital learning across the city
ReNEWSchools (2010)
•5 schools
•3,400 students PK–12
FirstLineSchools (1998)
•5 schools
•2,400 students PK–12

26. Digital learning in charter schools

27. Online charter schools

29. Charter schools with significant digital elements

32. Began as private physical schools
Began as
private/online
Began as
public/online

33. Course choice
Definition:
1.One or more providers.
2.A district cannot deny a request to enroll.
3.Funding follows the student.

34. Course choice
Definition:
1.One or more providers.
2.A district cannot deny a request to enroll.
3.Funding follows the student.

35. Course choice
District/student control
District allowed to deny access easily
Students allowed to choose online courses easily

37. Online learning requirements/
effective graduation year
Alabama2013
Arkansas2018
Florida2015
Michigan2011
Virginia2017

38. Source: New York Times
MOOCs

39. Summary: student access and outcomes

40. John Watson
kpk12.com
@KeepingPaceK12

41. Upcoming Webinar:
Date & Time:
Thursday, 12/11, 1pm Eastern Time
Topic:
K-12 Virtual Schools and Their Research Needs
(Part 1 of 4)
Presenters:
Ryan Gravette and Jeff Simmons, Idaho Digital Learning Academy
Cindy Hamblin, Illinois Virtual School
Joe Cozart, Georgia Virtual School

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