Works to Expand
Access to Education through Technology Initiatives
Jefferson City – Representative Brian Baker (R-Belton) was joined by legislative colleagues and representatives of Missouri educational institutions supporting his proposal to form the Missouri Virtual Public (MVP) School. House Bill 1275 (HB 1275) would require the State Board of Education to establish the MVP School, the state’s first public online school, by July 1, 2007.
“The MVP School is all about access and opportunity,” said Representative Baker. “Students anywhere in the state will have access to online courses. To me, that seems like real progress in advancing student achievement.”
Representative Baker, chair of the Special Committee on Student Achievement and Finance, believes the MVP School would benefit both the special needs student and the general student who wants to study from home. Students with a disability or a serious medical condition might not be able to participate in a “brick-and-mortar” school. The MVP School would give them access to public school benefits without an undue burden on their parents or guardians.
Some school districts do not have either qualified teachers or enough interested students to offer Advanced Placement courses. In fact, overall Missouri has a number of teacher shortages in areas as basic as math and science and as varied as marketing and vocal music. That can leave students without the opportunities students in larger school districts may have. Several organizations have given their support to Baker’s measure acknowledging the needs of Missouri students and expressing hope that the MVP School will be able to meet those needs responsibly.
“This bill expands educational opportunities for students who might not otherwise have access to particular classes,” said Dr. Carter Ward, Executive Director of the MSBA, “while at the same time maintaining student accountability through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.”
Jim Tice of Missouri Rural Development Partners likewise believes that the MVP School will combat the educational “inequities” that exist in many rural districts, providing “equal access to quality education.”
Commissioner of Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Kent King, advocates the MVP School on the basis that it “reduces barriers” for “those who need expanded learning opportunities and those who may need extra time to master course competencies.”
The MVP School will be required to adhere to the state accreditation program and it will be held accountable to performance measures, such as adequate yearly progress and annual performance report. Teachers at the MVP School will have to be certified and will be required to use an approved curriculum.
The MVP School also empowers parents with more choices. Some parents fear for their children’s safety when they go to school where the student body is behaviorally-challenged. With the MVP School, parents won’t have to foot the cost of private education and can assure that their children have a safe environment to study in.
Parents who already choose to home-school their children could benefit from using MVP School curriculum. They are welcome to enroll their children full-time in the MVP School or they can pick and choose the courses that meet the needs of their children and family. Importantly, enrollment in the MVP School will not prevent parents who couple home-school education with religious values from continuing to teach those values to their children.
MVP School participants may take all of their courses off campus, but they will still be able to participate in the extra-curricular activities and sports programs of their school district. Parents may choose to have their child provisionally enrolled in the district, allowing them to participate in these activities. Then, to support the student, the school district will be allocated 15% of the state aid it would normally receive for the student.
The other 85% of state aid, whether or not the child is provisionally enrolled, would go toward the MVP School. Overall, the MVP School should offer a cost-savings to the state. Currently, the state spends an average of $7,000 per student. Appropriations for the MVP School would total $5,200 per student.
HB 1275 was most recently reported “do pass” by Representative Baker’s committee. He anticipates his bill will enjoy broad support in the legislature.
While the prospect of an online public school seems likely in Missouri, another legislator, Representative Neal St. Onge (R-Ellisville), has already been working to increase the use of technology in the classroom. He has been involved in the implementation of a program that uses video-teleconference technology to bring students and teachers simultaneously from different parts of the state into one “classroom.” Currently, “Checks and Balances: Missouri’s System of Separation of Powers” reaches school sites in Cape Girardeau, Festus, Marshall, Morgan Co. R-II (Versailles) and St. Louis Community College. Students from Jefferson City participate in the broadcast on location.
“The technology we have at our fingertips makes so many things possible,” said Representative St. Onge. “This project can reach parts of the state that are far removed, physically, from the Missouri state government. I look forward to seeing how this program, or something like it, can be used to reach students throughout the state.”
The first broadcast of “Checks and Balances,” conducted February 23rd, included a question and answer session between students and Missouri’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael A. Wolff. This Thursday, Representative Neal St. Onge will join others in the first of four broadcasts focusing on the legislative process. Broadcasts covering both the judicial and legislative processes in Missouri will occur over the next few months. In between broadcasts, students and teachers will be engaged in a series of projects related to the broadcasts.
House leadership recognizes the efforts of Representatives Baker and St. Onge and believes new opportunities are opening up for Missouri students.
“Brian and Neal have shown real leadership,” said Speaker of the Missouri House, Rod Jetton (R-Marble Hill). “They’ve taken the technology and resources available to them and are now making Missouri a better place to live and learn. It’s doing things like this that make a real difference in the lives of Missourians.”
“Checks and Balances” is being sponsored by the Missouri School Boards’ Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Supreme Court of Missouri, MSBA, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education - Service Learning and bi-State K-16 Engagement Alliance.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
Will virtual school encroach upon homeschool?
Joplin Independent Friday, February 24, 2006
http://www.joplinindependent.com/display_article.php/e-emery1140759252
Home-->Education-->Will virtual school encroach upon homeschool?
Will virtual school encroach upon homeschool?
by: e-emery
Updated: 2006-02-23 23:34:12-06
Virtual learningWhat spectacle can be more edifying or more seasonable, than that of Liberty and Learning, each leaning on the other for their mutual and surest support?--James Madison by Missouri Rep. Ed Emery(R-126 including the counties of Barton, Dade, Jasper and Polk)
If you are a proponent of education and you follow legislative activity about education, you already may be aware of House Bill 1275 introduced by Representative Brian Baker. HB 1275 requires the State Board of Education to establish a virtual school by July 1, 2007. Any student in kindergarten through grade 12 could enroll in this virtual classroom, regardless of where the student lives in Missouri. The participating student would be officially enrolled in the district of their residency. No opposition to HB 1275 was voiced in either the House or Senate committee hearings.
“Virtual school” is a method of teaching that depends on digital technology rather than a physical classroom. It is becoming more common every year and is now part of the education program in 12 other states. A number of companies provide virtual education services which include computers, internet service, textbooks, recorded curriculum instruction, testing services, and personal consultation. There is adequate competition to assure availability of quality service at reasonable cost.
Virtual school can provide opportunities for students who don’t fit the traditional classroom, whether the need is a specialized teacher in a small district, a homebound student in any district, a personal lifestyle issue, and so on. The function of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in virtual schooling is to serve as an access point for multiple providers and to ensure quality control. DESE would also fund the program.
Although there was no opposition in Committee, concerns have been expressed by the Home School Legal Defense Foundation (HSLDF). Their cautions are over funding and the potential for encroachment upon home schoolers. I spent nearly an hour this week meeting with representatives of a company who offers a virtual school curriculum and is operating in Colorado and Arkansas. They answered all my questions, and I found myself growing more and more enthusiastic over the potential of virtual school.
The program is chosen by parents and can be abandoned if it doesn’t work out. Experience has shown that between one half and one percent of students will try virtual school. Some will return to their former style of education within a few months. I am continuing to study HB 1275 and ways to make it better, but for now, it looks like something I can support. We will be contacting HSLDF to examine their concerns and to make any changes that are needed to the legislation.
http://www.joplinindependent.com/display_article.php/e-emery1140759252
Home-->Education-->Will virtual school encroach upon homeschool?
Will virtual school encroach upon homeschool?
by: e-emery
Updated: 2006-02-23 23:34:12-06
Virtual learningWhat spectacle can be more edifying or more seasonable, than that of Liberty and Learning, each leaning on the other for their mutual and surest support?--James Madison by Missouri Rep. Ed Emery(R-126 including the counties of Barton, Dade, Jasper and Polk)
If you are a proponent of education and you follow legislative activity about education, you already may be aware of House Bill 1275 introduced by Representative Brian Baker. HB 1275 requires the State Board of Education to establish a virtual school by July 1, 2007. Any student in kindergarten through grade 12 could enroll in this virtual classroom, regardless of where the student lives in Missouri. The participating student would be officially enrolled in the district of their residency. No opposition to HB 1275 was voiced in either the House or Senate committee hearings.
“Virtual school” is a method of teaching that depends on digital technology rather than a physical classroom. It is becoming more common every year and is now part of the education program in 12 other states. A number of companies provide virtual education services which include computers, internet service, textbooks, recorded curriculum instruction, testing services, and personal consultation. There is adequate competition to assure availability of quality service at reasonable cost.
Virtual school can provide opportunities for students who don’t fit the traditional classroom, whether the need is a specialized teacher in a small district, a homebound student in any district, a personal lifestyle issue, and so on. The function of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in virtual schooling is to serve as an access point for multiple providers and to ensure quality control. DESE would also fund the program.
Although there was no opposition in Committee, concerns have been expressed by the Home School Legal Defense Foundation (HSLDF). Their cautions are over funding and the potential for encroachment upon home schoolers. I spent nearly an hour this week meeting with representatives of a company who offers a virtual school curriculum and is operating in Colorado and Arkansas. They answered all my questions, and I found myself growing more and more enthusiastic over the potential of virtual school.
The program is chosen by parents and can be abandoned if it doesn’t work out. Experience has shown that between one half and one percent of students will try virtual school. Some will return to their former style of education within a few months. I am continuing to study HB 1275 and ways to make it better, but for now, it looks like something I can support. We will be contacting HSLDF to examine their concerns and to make any changes that are needed to the legislation.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Virtual School Bill Voted Out of House Committee
House Bill 1275:
http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/bills/hb1275.htm
Senate Bill 912:
http://www.senate.mo.gov/06info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=39062
House Bill 1275 sponsored by Rep. Brian Baker was heard by the Special Committee On Student Achievement and Finance on Tuesday Feb. 14th. HCS HB 1275 was voted "do pass" by a vote of 8 to 0.
This bill would require the State Board of Education to establish a virtual school by July 1, 2007. The school would be open to any student in kindergarten through grade 12 who lives within the state. Students could enroll in some classes in a virtual school while still attending the public school where they reside. They would be limited to earning a total of six credits per regular term for the purposes of state aid, but they could enroll in additional courses on a tuition or fee basis. The committee changed the requirement that a pupil enrolled in a virtual school must also be enrolled in the public school district in which they reside. The committee changes make it the choice of the pupil's parent or guardian. If the student is not included in the resident districts enrollment then the resident district will not receive any state aid for that student. When the student is enrolled in the resident district that district will receive 15% of the state aid it would normally receive for that student through the funding formula and the Classroom Trust Fund. Subject to appropriations each year the virtual school will receive 85% of the state adequacy target attributable to the student.
The virtual school would have to report to the district of residence the name, address, eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch, limited English proficiency status, special education needs, and the number of courses in which the pupil is enrolled. The virtual school would have to comply with all state laws and regulations applicable to school districts, including but not limited to the Missouri School Improvement Program, adequate yearly progress, annual performance report, teacher certification and curriculum standards.
MSBA testified in support of HB 1275 because it would create additional opportunities for students who may be homebound or have dropped out or are desiring classes not available in their local schools, while holding virtual schools to the same accountability standards as regular public schools. MSBA expressed opposition to the provision of the substitute that could take away the 15% of state funding that the resident district would receive for virtual school students.
Also testifying for the bill were DESE, MNEA. MSTA, MFT. MCSA testified for information only. There was no opposition.
The senate version of this legislation, Senate Bill 912 sponsored by Senator Jack Goodman, will be heard by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. in Senate Committee Room 1.
http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/bills/hb1275.htm
Senate Bill 912:
http://www.senate.mo.gov/06info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=39062
House Bill 1275 sponsored by Rep. Brian Baker was heard by the Special Committee On Student Achievement and Finance on Tuesday Feb. 14th. HCS HB 1275 was voted "do pass" by a vote of 8 to 0.
This bill would require the State Board of Education to establish a virtual school by July 1, 2007. The school would be open to any student in kindergarten through grade 12 who lives within the state. Students could enroll in some classes in a virtual school while still attending the public school where they reside. They would be limited to earning a total of six credits per regular term for the purposes of state aid, but they could enroll in additional courses on a tuition or fee basis. The committee changed the requirement that a pupil enrolled in a virtual school must also be enrolled in the public school district in which they reside. The committee changes make it the choice of the pupil's parent or guardian. If the student is not included in the resident districts enrollment then the resident district will not receive any state aid for that student. When the student is enrolled in the resident district that district will receive 15% of the state aid it would normally receive for that student through the funding formula and the Classroom Trust Fund. Subject to appropriations each year the virtual school will receive 85% of the state adequacy target attributable to the student.
The virtual school would have to report to the district of residence the name, address, eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch, limited English proficiency status, special education needs, and the number of courses in which the pupil is enrolled. The virtual school would have to comply with all state laws and regulations applicable to school districts, including but not limited to the Missouri School Improvement Program, adequate yearly progress, annual performance report, teacher certification and curriculum standards.
MSBA testified in support of HB 1275 because it would create additional opportunities for students who may be homebound or have dropped out or are desiring classes not available in their local schools, while holding virtual schools to the same accountability standards as regular public schools. MSBA expressed opposition to the provision of the substitute that could take away the 15% of state funding that the resident district would receive for virtual school students.
Also testifying for the bill were DESE, MNEA. MSTA, MFT. MCSA testified for information only. There was no opposition.
The senate version of this legislation, Senate Bill 912 sponsored by Senator Jack Goodman, will be heard by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. in Senate Committee Room 1.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Finding the Interim Report
To locate the Interim Report created by the MRDP/MoDLA Distance Learning Policy Initiative Committee, first go to http://mrdp.net/. In the bottom right hand corner you'll see a link called Missouri Distance Learning Initiative Interim Report Nov. 2005. Click there. This takes you to the MRDP Telecommunications and Education Committee page. Scrolling down will lead you to a section about the Missouri Distance Learning Initiative. In the second paragraph is a link to you'll find a link to the Interim Report. Also located on this page is a bulletin board where you can leave comments for the task force.
Additional Missouri Resources
Satlink:
http://satlink.msbanet.org/
New Links to New Learning:
http://csd.org/csdrpdc/virtuallearningcenter/nlnlhomepage.html
http://satlink.msbanet.org/
New Links to New Learning:
http://csd.org/csdrpdc/virtuallearningcenter/nlnlhomepage.html
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