www.inacol.org

Case Study USA:Illinois Virtual School (state) and Clovis Online School (local district)

Matthew WicksDr. Rob Darrow

VISCED. May 2012

How to Start an Online Learning Program

• www.onlinehowto.org

Illinois Virtual School• Founded as Illinois Virtual High School in 2000,

changed to Illinois Virtual School in 2009. First offered courses in January, 2001.

• Online schools were not very common in US at the time – a handful of other states had similar programs.

• Created primarily to provide equity of access to curricular offerings. Like most programs at the time, IVHS was created to supplement opportunities available to students at their local school.

Keys to Initial Success• Partnership between multiple governmental

organizations• Inclusiveness in initial planning – Illinois is a very

diverse state.• Rapid evolution of offerings, responding to needs of

the schools.• Focus on the importance of the online teacher and

support of the local school staff.• Initial licensing of course content, followed by

development of own content in some, but not all areas

Policy Challenges• Local schools have ultimate control on participation

• Funding – fixed appropriation, especially in challenging fiscal times, limits the ultimate reach

• No clear standards for teacher quality, had to create our own teacher professional development plan

Keys to Initial Success• Partnership between multiple governmental

organizations• Inclusiveness in initial planning – Illinois is a very

diverse state.• Rapid evolution of offerings, responding to needs of

the schools.• Focus on the importance of the online teacher and

support of the local school staff.

Clovis Online School

• School district online school

Clovis Unified

San Francisco

Los Angeles

California, USA

Clovis Unifiedwww.cusd.com

• 35,000 students– 14,000 in high school. – 34 elementary schools (K-6 grades)

5 intermediate schools (7-8)6 high schools (9-12) Alternative Education

– Online Charter School, Clovis Online School(www.clovisonlineschool.com)

Clovis Unified

Clovis Online School

• Opened Aug. 2009 for 9th and 10th Grade students – full time online (50 students)

• Aug 2010 expanded to all high school, grades 9-12. (75 students)

• Aug 2011 (approx. 200 students)

Handout: Online Program Planning Chart

Course Management System

• Moodle (kind of free)• Use of school district server• Full time online tech specialist who

monitored and organized courses into Moodle

Course Content

• Created by district teachers based on state standards

• On a Wiki, mostly text based– http://clovisonlineschool.pbworks.com

Other Online Tools

• District Student Information System• Blackboard Collaborate Online

Conferencing System

Materials/Equipment

• Textbooks, • Science Lab Kits• Loaner netbook computers

Administration

• Full time – Principal– Office Manager– Tech Specialist.

Teachers• Part time• Taught one section of one course• Paid on sliding scale

(20 students or more = $5000)• Ongoing training (learn as you go)

Students

• Full time• Only way to get funding

Other Needs/Costs

• Provided by Principal:– Student Training and Support– Counseling Services

• Provided by Tech Specialist• Tech Support (Especially at beginning)

• Special Education (provided by district)

Costs

Ongoing• Administration• Teachers• Training

One Time• Set Up• Course Management

System• Equipment/

Computers (4 years)• Course Content

(Teacher Developed)

Lessons Learned:Via research and experience

• Economy of scale for sustainability: Need money or students

• Get all district admin on board• Include all “stakeholder”groups in the

conversation (counselors, special education, etc.)

• Identify budget income for 3 years• Lack of money = no program

Resources

• iNacol, International Association for K-12 Online Learning – www.inacol.org

• Keeping Pace Reports - http://kpk12.com/ • Online Learning Research Reports (in addition

to iNacol) - http://www.onlinelearningvisions.com/research