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GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS/GSCS
Joint Committee on the Public Schools Hearing: Blended/On-Line Learning
December 5, 2012 Statehouse Annex, Committee Room 16, 11 a.m.
The GSCS thanks the Joint Committee on Public Schools for the opportunity to present its thoughts on blended/on-line learning today. In terms of the growth of learning approaches and styles regarding online education, implementation of these methods are well beyond ‘being on the cusp’ of just beginning in most schools.
Today schools are into the actuality of online instruction and the how-to’s and what’s of best practices in this regard are under full discussion and analyses, as they need to be.
Virtual on-line charter schools remain an issue for GSCS members and require in depth, focused discussion. Issues loom large such as funding and the quality of education for students who connect via the internet yet are for the most part disconnected tangibly from their instructors and from one another. How to deal, or not, with home school students is controversial as well, especially since no home school students, by choice, attend public schools and thus are presently not funded via any state or local revenue.
The GSCS Board of Trustees believes that:
- It is important to recognize that there are clear differences between programs that are delivered in a blended learning environment, where the student is mainly housed in the school building for instruction, compared to virtual schools where the student does not have to attend school in a certain location with other students at all.
- We need to ensure that the public understands that blended learning is, and has been for quite some time, available in the overwhelming majority of New Jersey school districts already.
- When policy decisions are made for the overall good of the public interest, albeit at the local level or that state level, then student learning will be well served.
However, GSCS recognizes and supports the fact that blended learning is here to stay and to grow. Sharing information about our blended learning experiences with one another is important and will clearly help and improve the quality of student learning. Below are some specifics to consider.
As always, we thank you for your time and thoughtfulness.
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A good example of how one district has been handling blended learning to enhance student instruction is taking place in Glen Ridge, as follows:
Excerpt: Glen Ridge Board of Education take on blended learning in its schools
(Courtesy of Elisabeth Ginsburg, President Glen Ridge Board of Education)
We interpret "blended learning" to mean incorporating online content/experiences into the mainstream educational process. At the elementary level blended learning offers new instructional dimensions; allows for differentiated instruction, especially in the form of more reinforcement for students who need it and gives the teacher greater opportunities for creativity. We feel that blended learning, especially at the elementary level, should be guided by well-trained teachers, who make the "blend" work.
Here are some examples:
Elementary (K-6):
- This year we purchased the latest iteration of "Chicago Math" ("Everyday Math"). An integral component in this iteration is online skills drills for students that can be done in-class or at home. We also use a program called "Rocket Math" which has more exercises and drills that adjust to the students' individual levels. We got in a consultant to do teacher training so that the teachers could optimize the Everyday Math (and understand all the components) and had a parents' night so that parents could understand both the in-class and online components.
- Assisted by the Home & School Associations, we purchased SmartBoards (interactive white boards) for every classroom at the elementary (K-6) level. Teachers use them to incorporate things like Google Earth into geography/social studies lessons, do video chats with classes in other countries, etc. Every teacher has had SmartBoard training.
- We use a grammar program called "Comma Chameleon" on the SmartBoards. Kids participate in interactive grammar exercises.
Middle and High School (7-12)
- Many classrooms have SmartBoards so that teachers can incorporate online tools in classroom lessons. The High School building also has wi-fi so students can use their own devices.
- Virtual High School: This accredited program allows students to take course offerings that aren't offered by our school. They can also take classes offered by us but unavailable to them because of scheduling conflicts. (This enables a smaller school to behave like a bigger school). Our own teachers can also teacher Virtual High School classes. (One has done this so far). VHS is accredited and students are assigned to classes that top out at a specified number of students. The classes are not taken in real time, but there are assignments that must be handed in and opportunities for conferencing with the teacher. In the second year of the program, VHS is
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oversubscribed. We have found that our students taking AP tests at the conclusion of VHS courses have scores comparable to those who have received standard classroom instruction. I believe that VHS costs about $300 per seat. So far our VHS program is funded by our educational foundation, but eventually we will find a place for it in the budget.
Blended learning is also a topic of discussion and debate in Newark’s Race to the Top Application to the federal government, as noted by NJ Spotlight in its December 3, 2012 article on the subject:
Excerpts from NJ Spotlight article 12-3-12 re: Newark Race to the Top application proposal
Strand 3 -- Blended learning pilot: Among the more tangible -- and most expensive -- results if the district wins the grant will be the launch of a pilot in nearly a dozen elementary schools and high schools using “blended learning” models that mix face-to-face instruction with online tools. For the elementary schools, it will start in grades three to five and move up a grade a year. The high school program will focus on at-risk ninth graders who are reading below proficiency levels.
Not small stuff: If successful, the blended learning could grow to include as much as a third of the district’s schools. “We believe that the target we have set for 20-25 schools to adopt one of the blended learning models by the end of the grant is ambitious yet achievable,” the application reads.
Not cheap, either: Overall, the cost of this third strand -- including hardware, software, and other technology infrastructure -- as well as extensive staffing -- is nearly $14 million, or close to half of the overall proposal over four years.
GSCS educator member – blended learning program under current review:
The keys to successful blended-learning programs…Experts advise school districts that there are a few keys to successful implementation of blended-learning programs. To begin, teachers should fully understand what blended learning is and what its goals are. Successful programs also have included a focus on professional development and training for teachers, integrating high-quality resources and ensuring school networks can properly handle the traffic, they suggest…
