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Colorado Virtual Academy Teacher Named Online Teacher of the Year

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) recognized outstanding teachers this week, including Deborah Sudbeck, a Longmont resident and elementary teacher at Colorado Virtual Academy (COVA), a statewide online public school serving students in grades K through 12.

Each year, the CDE recognizes teachers and counselors who demonstrate excellence in teaching and commitment to 21st century learning. This year, Sudbeck is one of the four teachers to receive the 2012 Online Teacher of the Year in the elementary school category.

“It’s an honor to be chosen out of the many wonderful teachers at COVA and the larger online school community in Colorado. I’m grateful for the personal recognition and pleased for the awareness this brings to COVA and online education,” said Sudbeck. “Education is not one-size-fits all, and I’ve seen how a more custom approach delivered through COVA’s online model and curriculum guided by highly qualified, licensed teachers can help students achieve success.”

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Colorado online school oversight needed

March 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The state Legislature appears to be moving forward on bills and proposals to address issues with online schooling outlined in a 2010 state Department of Education report.

Among other things, the report noted that online students had below-average test scores and high dropout rates, and that too often online schools were getting state funding for pupils who returned to their district’s brick-and-mortar schools, which then had to absorb the cost.

A proposal from Republican Sen. Keith King would address the issue of paying online schools for pupils who leave those schools after the Oct. 1 “count” day used to determine state funding for schools. Another proposal would pay online schools for completed courses rather than for courses in which students are enrolled.

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Colo. lawmakers want more oversight for online schools

March 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Online school is helping Michelle Nuss catch up. The 17-year-old is only a freshman in high school, falling behind a few years ago when she and her mother were homeless and living in a hotel.

These days, Nuss studies online up to six days a week and hopes she’ll be a junior by the end of the year.

“I love it,” she said of Connections Academy, her publicly funded online-only school. “They should keep it around and make it accessible for everybody.”

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Online students brace for changes coming from Colorado lawmakers

March 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

DENVER — Online school is helping Michelle Nuss catch up. The 17-year-old is only a freshman in high school, falling behind a few years ago when she and her mother were homeless and living in a hotel.

These days, Nuss studies online up to six days a week and hopes she’ll be a junior by the end of the year.

“I love it,” she said of Connections Academy, her publicly funded online-only school. “They should keep it around and make it accessible for everybody.”

But some Colorado lawmakers want to know if Nuss and other online students are really getting the best education. So far,Colorado’s online schools have shown disappointing results.

A 2010 report by the state Department of Education showed below-average test scores, dropout rates near 50 percent in some cases and, at one school, a student-to-teacher ratio of 317-1.

Still, the state’s online school industry is growing by double digits a year. Enrollment grew by more than 12 percent between 2008 and 2009.

Last year Colorado spent some $85 million teaching about 14,200 students online. Like brick-and-mortar schools, online schools are funded based on the number of students enrolled on a single “count day,” Oct.1. Some fear the enrollment procedure gives online schools little incentive to keep pupils enrolled.

Lawmakers are talking about several measures to increase oversight for the booming online school industry.

“We’re looking at some increased accountability,” said Democratic Sen. Pat Steadman, who plans to sponsor a bill that would change the role of an office within the Education Department called the “Unit of Online Learning.” Steadman says the office needs “more teeth.”

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Test Scores Raise Questions About Colo. Virtual Schools

October 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Students attending Colorado’s full-time online education programs have typically lagged their peers on virtually every academic indicator, from state test scores to student growth measures to high school graduation rates.

But an independent analysis of previously unreleased online school data by the I-News Network and Education News Colorado reveals key new findings and an achievement gap that alarmed education officials:

• Online students are losing ground. Students who transfer to online programs from brick-and-mortar schools posted lower scores on annual state reading exams after entering their virtual classrooms.

• Academic performance declined after students enrolled in online programs. Students who stayed in online programs long enough to take two years’ worth of state reading exams actually saw their test results decline over time.

• Wide gaps persist. Double-digit gaps in achievement on state exams between online students and their peers in traditional schools persist in nearly every grade and subject—and they’re widest among more affluent students.

A top state education official called the findings “very concerning.”

“We’ve got to ask some questions here and we’ve got to see what’s going on,” said Diana Sirko, deputy commissioner of learning and results for the Colorado Department of Education.

Sirko said the CDE will launch a “comprehensive review” of online standards and accountability under the guidance of a newly hired choice and innovation chief, Amy Anderson, who began work Aug. 29.

Poor achievement has done little to stem the popularity of virtual programs, with online enrollment growing last year at a pace seven times faster than that of traditional schools. Online schools in Colorado are now a $100 million a year industry.

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Online school offers flexibility

September 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Delta County Joint School District has prided itself on the diversity of educational programs offered to students of all ages. Just one example is the Vision Home and Community Program, which tailors learning to each student’s interests and needs.

Now the school district has joined a growing trend and is offering an online school through the Delta County Virtual Academy.

The program debuted this summer as a credit recovery program for traditional students. This fall, the online option was offered to a broader range of students, including homeschoolers.

Through her affiliation with the Delta Opportunity School, program administrator Delaine Hudson recognized that not all students excel in the traditional brick-and-mortar school. Some students simply need a different approach. Others are doing so well in the traditional school setting that they need the challenge of specialized or advanced placement courses that aren’t offered at local high schools.

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District debuts online school

August 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

About 120 students attended the first day of school Wednesday at School District 51 without leaving home.

Students of Grande River Virtual Academy, District 51’s first online school for kindergarten through 12th-grade students, use their home computers to access classes, assignments and exams. The online curriculum for elementary and middle school students comes from K12, an online education program, while Aventa, a related program, provides the high school curriculum, all of which meet state standards.

Like most online schools, Grande River kids are guided through the curriculum by their parents and can call or video chat with a teacher when they get stuck on a lesson or need help navigating through the online school’s system.

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Plans for online school move forward

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Staying in step with modern trends has been a big point of emphasis this year for Trinidad’s schools. A new online school is a key part of keeping pace with those trends, and the project took another step toward being accomplished Tuesday.

 

The Board of Education of Trinidad School District #1 approved the second reading of a proposed resolution establishing an online school within the district next year. The measure will come to a decisive vote at a May meeting of the board.

High school math teacher Charlie Lochard gave a Power Point presentation outlining the plans for the proposed online school, and explaining the reasons why TSD is moving in that direction. The school’s current option for online courses, Novel Star, is not recognized by the Colorado Department of Education as one of the online programs for which schools can be reimbursed. According to figures presented at the meeting, since the 2006-2007 school year, TSD has lost a total of 36 students to online programs at other schools. That represents a loss in state reimbursement of $224,820. Lochard said that getting that funding back into the district’s coffers is a key reason for developing an online school program. Credit redemption through online classes has been a feature of the educational opportunities at TSD for several years. Kids who drop out of school, or are expelled can resume their academic careers with credit redemption through online classes.

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Online school pilot program planned

April 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A new online school pilot program is set to begin next school year in Trinidad. The online school is designed to help students make progress with their learning, while working by means of their computer at home.

Students will still have to come to school for testing, and their academic activities will be closely monitored by teachers. During its first year, the online school will focus on students in grades 9-12, but Julie Sumpter said she hopes to get students from lower grades involved in the online school in the near future. Sumpter is director of learning services for Trinidad School District No. 1, and is one of the leaders in getting the pilot project underway.

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Provost Academy Colorado Receives Positive Reviews from Students and Parents During First Year

March 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Recent results from a survey of current Provost Academy Colorado students and parents report that 97 percent are satisfied with the overall quality of the education they are receiving, during the school’s first year of operation. Also, 98 percent of those surveyed highly recommend the online school to those families seeking the more engaging and personalized online learning experience offered by Provost Academy.

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