The document summarizes a proposed strategic planning process to develop a virtual school strategy for New York City. It discusses piloting various online learning models in NYC schools. It also outlines a 90-day strategic planning project to address key issues in creating a NYC Virtual School, including goals, regulations, funding, staffing, technology, and accountability. The presentation identifies the growing national landscape of online learning and discusses important considerations when starting a virtual school program.

2. Update on NYC Virtual School Pilots

3. Description of proposed strategic planning process

4. National context and key questions for starting a virtual school

5. Q&A1

7. 10 high schools will pilot use of online Credit Recovery courses.

8. 12 high schools will pilot a new blended school model that incorporates substantial use of online instruction, out-of-school resources and experiences, differentiated teaching roles and staffing models, and mastery-based instruction. Pilots will be evaluated formatively to inform future plans for large-scale virtual schooling, and for impacts on student achievement and growth. 2

10. Teachers from different schools team-teach selected online courses using video conferencing technologies.

11. Students work collaboratively on shared documents, wikis, videos, and other files.

12. Master teachers provide online coaching and mentoring to newer subject area colleagues across the collaborative.

13. External experts join classes via video conferencing technologies.

14. Teachers manage course and homework assignments, grades, calendar, and alerts.3

15. New York Virtual School Strategy Development Strategic planning project We are proposing to organize a 90-day strategic planning project to better understand key issues and questions related to developing a virtual school strategy for New York City and, potentially, with NYSED and otherdistricts. 4

16. K-12 Online Learning: Key issues when starting a virtual school John Watson Evergreen Education Group www.evergreenedgroup.com

17. We work with: State education agencies: Texas, Wyoming, Maryland State virtual schools FL, MI, NM, CT, AL, NC, WI Non-profit organizations Monterey Institute for Technology and Education Online content and technology companies Connections Academy, K-12 Inc, Angel Learning, Apex Learning, Pearson Education

18. Our projects

20. Goals and objectives of virtual school(s)

21. Organizational models

22. Target student populations

24. Funding

25. Regulations and policy

27. Staffing

28. Content development

29. Technology strategy

31. Findings and decision points at end of each phase presented to steering group

33. States with statewide online learning opportunities This map will be replaced

34. Main categories of online programs

35. How many students are online? Sloan Consortium: 1.03 million K-12 online students in district online programs State virtual schools: 320,000 course enrollments Full-time online schools: 175,000 students

36. Online learning is growing rapidly

37. State Virtual Schools: Size and Growth 08-09

38. Trends: 2010 And Beyond Continued growth Shift to districts Increase in blended learning Competition

39. Continued Growth Online charter schools: Moving into new states; increasing in numbers in existing states State virtual schools: New states adding, but existing state schools threatened by budgets Districts: Focal point of most growth

40. Shift To Districts Varied program types: Both full-time and supplemental Blended: Focal point of most growth

41. Blended learning continuum

44. Types of students

45. Regulations/policy

46. Funding

47. Staffing

48. Technology systems

49. Content

50. Accountability

52. Expand access to quality teachers and courses?

53. Expand credit recovery?

54. Use asynchronous instruction to personalize instruction?

55. Realize new human capital efficiencies?

56. Provide a new school or school transformation model?

57. Recapture students for whom traditional schools are not effective?

58. How large an enrollment do you envision?

60. What grade levels?

62. Seat time or “seat time equivalent”?

63. Who grants grade/credit?

64. Class size and total student load limits?

65. Who supervises the online instructor?

68. How many online instructors required?

69. How will online instructors be trained, hired, supervised?

70. What metrics will be used to manage performance?

73. If buy, license or own?

74. Who evaluates quality?