Education In the United States and Innovative Solutions
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Montana Digital Academy Innovative Education Solutions Dean Roberta “Bobbie” Evans, Phyllis J. Washington College of Ed Ryan Schrenk, EdReady Montana Manager June 3, 2014 – Missoula, MT
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This was a presentation delivered by Dean Roberta D. "Bobbie" Evans and I to a traveling group of international scholars from around the world who visited the University of Montana during the month of June, 2014. We presented our information and discussed topics ranging from the education system in the US relating to their countries to the makeup of virtual schools, online teaching and learning and differentiated/blended learning.
Transcript of Education In the United States and Innovative Solutions
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Innovative Education SolutionsDean Roberta “Bobbie” Evans, Phyllis J.
Washington College of EdRyan Schrenk, EdReady Montana Manager
June 3, 2014 – Missoula, MT
• United States Constitution’s 10th Amendment• General Configuration:
– Elementary (K-5 or K-6),– Middle School (6-8 or 7-8), – High School (9-12)
• Post-secondary Options: – trade schools, – community colleges (2 years), – colleges/universities
Structure of Education in the United States
• 50 states differ in organization• Each district has a board of lay people
overseeing it (elected/appointed)• State standards influenced by national
associations (not governing)
Local Control
• Standardized curriculum: Common Core (adopted state-by-state)
• Two national testing consortia: – (SBAC) Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium– PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers)
• Early Childhood education
New Federal Oversight
• Concern about high school drop-out rates – MCPS has highest success rate in Montana, among
top in the nation
• Testing protocols – resources like computers, – validity, testing results (how they will be used relative to
evaluating teachers)– What is the federal agenda?
• Common Core curriculum implementation – Who is leading this in schools, knowing principals have
been left out of the development of the curriculum? – Who is monitoring quality of materials?
Current Controversies in American Education
• International testing results – math comparators– led to STEM emphases
• What explains the difference between K-12 educational rankings internationally versus higher education rankings internationally for the United States?
Current Controversies in American Education
• About centralized systems and how to strengthen them
• How to keep curriculum focused on national and local areas concurrently
• Management practices that foster clear communication and avoid barriers
We Need to Learn from YOU!
MTDA, virtual schools and innovative solutions
Ryan Schrenk, EdReady Montana Program Manager
&Dad to
Justin and Ian&
Employee #3 at MTDA
About me…
Created by the Montana Legislature in 2009
• Serve K12 Students in Montana through Public Schools
• Governing board• Director (CEO) Curriculum Director
(Vice CEO)• Montana licensed teachers• Core subjects, dual credit enrichment• Supplement not supplant
Montana’s Statewide Virtual School
Unique Educational Partnership
MEA-MFT
Office of Public Instruction
Montana School Boards
Association
School Administrators
of Montana
Montana Rural Education
Association
Montana University System
• July 2009 –$2M funding to start Montana Digital Academy
• September 2010 – MTDA opened for student enrollment with 45 courses
• April 2011 – 12/13 funding of $2.3 M • April 2013 – Total enrollment topped
18,000 enrollments taught by over 100 Montana teachers, & Legislature approved 14/15 funding of $3.8M
Brief Timeline
Red = Teachers Purple = Students
MTDA Teachers and Students
MTDA Briefing
Montana
Digital Acade
my
Statewide Virtual School
Supplements & Serves Through
Local Schools
“Original Credit” and
“Credit Recovery”Certified
Teachers with
Association with
Montana Public School District
State Standards
Based
Moodle and Other
Learning Environmen
ts
Early Demand & Early Success- 2012
Source: Keeping Pace 2012, Evergreen Education Group
Online Course
s
Available 24/7
Teachers from Across Montan
a
Three differen
t progra
ms
MTDA Basics
Original Credit
Connect Credit Recovery
Middle School MLS
Three programs
MTDA Original Credit MTDA Connect Credit Recovery
Cohort Model Self-Paced, Mastery Learning
Traditional academic calendar
Open entry/open exit
Available 24/7 Available 24/7
Montana teacher serves in traditional instructor role
Montana teachers serve as academic-area coach
Local monitoring strongly recommended
Local intervention required
Appropriate for students attempting classes for the first time
Appropriate for students that have previously been unsuccessful
Comparing Programs
OC AP CR MLS Total%
Usage
AA 892 26 1425 0 2343 34%
A 367 32 865 0 1264 19%B 668 23 398 0 1089 16%
C 865 41 149 7 1062 16%
Alt Ed 11 0 565 0 576 8%
JDC 0 0 4 0 4 0%
MS/JH 76 0 3 379 458 7%
2011-2012 Usage
97% of Montana High Schools used MTDA for 1+ courses
2012-2013MTDA Courses
Unique Courses
MTDA Connect Credit Recovery
Courses
Responsive
Teacher
Varied Activitie
s
Multimedia
Interaction with Other
Students
Challenging, but
Manageable
What is a greatonline course?
Independent
Flexible
Self-Starting
Self-Advocat
ing
Curious
Tech-Savvy
What makes a greatonline student?
Ne
w I
de
as
!
Innovation @ MTDA
Professional Development
Support forBlended Learning
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dccentralkitchen/5238518044
Open-Entry, Open-Exit
Pre-Test Module Exempti
ons
Self-Paced
Available 24/7
Expanded Credit Recovery
Open Educational Resources
The only state-wide virtual school on a
campus
EdReady Montana• Funded by Dennis and Phyllis Washington
Foundation
• 1st State in Nation to use EdReady
• Public release on April 1, 2014
• Serve all 7th graders to College Students in Montana
• Charges paid for access for 3 years
• First Higher Ed Programs Ready in Summer 2014
• K12 Field Testing Spring 2014, Full Access Fall 2014
• Dev English Pilots in Spring 2015/Roll out and expansion after that
• Managed By MTDA
EdReady - College Readiness Beta Test
State
NROC Math Curriculum Assets
NROC Math Curriculum Assets
NROC Math Curriculum Assets
Personalized Learning Path
NROC Math Curriculum Assets
Data and Reporting
What our customized version gives us…
UM Pilot Results
Zero Points
Better, 6
1 Point Better, 26
2 Points Better, 10
3 Points Better, 1
43 Participated
Zero Points Better 1 Point Better 2 Points Better 3 Points Better
Saving Time and Money
• 43 students skipped 49 courses
• Total of 151 credits were “skipped”
• …adding up to estimated $31,000 tuition/fees!
Success in Math Classes
• 37 of the pilot participants enrolled in a mathematics course in the Fall 2014 term
• 91% successfully completed their course
• Average mathematics grade for these students: B-
• UM Freshman overall average mathematics grade: C+
Questions and Comments
Contact Info
• Ryan Schrenk
• EdReady Montana Project Manager
• 406-203-1812 x201
• Website at http://edreadymontana.org
