State and District Virtual Schools: A good idea or not?

Instead of funding state virtual schools, states are finding that students can use the variety of non-State and non-district options that are available online. The Florida Virtual School, for example, has cut one-third of its staff because its budget was cut by twenty percent. With the availability of MOOCs and other online opportunities for students, states, like Florida and Louisiana, are beginning to question the need for state virtual schools.

It sounds like a sensible idea at first glance, but who will determine the quality of courses? School officials worry about accountability when students can select courses not offered by the State or a district.  In addition, there’s the problem of per-pupil allotment, for when students take courses from a source other than the State or district in Florida, for instance, the district and the provider split the allotment. If the course is taken from the State or district virtual school, both the district and the virtual school were given the allotment.

Ravitch’s Dubious Uses of Tech

Diane Ravitch, a member of the research faculty at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, warns us that although use of technologies and the Internet in our schools offer ways to enhance and inspire student learning, the news about how technology is being used in schools is not all positive. In an article in Scientific American, Ravitch points to problems involving standardization, confidentiality, machine assessment of student work, and online for-profit schools.  In an effort to make money, will entrepreneurs overlook the many advantages that technology offers our students?

Are Online Courses Are Effective?

Who’s to determine if online schooling is working? Or perhaps the question should be rephrased: Are all students involved in online learning keeping up with what they are supposed to be learning? The problem is accountability. Because of recent criticism of student progress in online courses, some virtual schools are bringing students into schools for testing; providing assessments and intervention throughout courses; determining if online students make adequate yearly progress compared to students in traditional courses; and keeping track of the length of time it takes students to complete assignments, how many times students and teachers interact, and how often students participate in courses. Because online courses are populated mostly by bright students who want to move ahead in learning and at-risk students who need additional help with learning, it is difficult to compare student achievement in E-courses to student achievement in traditional settings.  According to Michelle R. Davis’ Education Week piece, E-Schools Put Specific Measures for Success in Place,  much of the criticism was focused upon private, for-profit online courses, but public schools have taken these criticisms to heart to make sure their online learning opportunities for students are successful and accountable.