Utilizing Virtual Learning in St
Tammany Parish
Providing Opportunities to All StudentsCredit Recovery
Aspiring athletes and performers
Medically Fragile
Home Schoolers
Accelerated Students
Need to work and/or support family
Traditional Public/Private
Special Education and ELL
Rural Students
Why do we need it?• In St. Tammany Parish (STP) we have approximately 18% of
students that need to retake a core course.• There is a shortage of teachers and available seats for certain
classes (AP courses, technical courses, advanced foreign language).
• In the 2011-12 school year, STP shut down it’s Hospital/Homebound program which offered services to students that can not participate in traditional schools.
Who is eligible?• Any student that is eligible to be a student in STP grades K-12
are eligible to participate in virtual learning
• There are currently two public virtual schools in Louisiana:1. Louisiana Virtual School2. Louisiana Connections Academy
Both of these offer K-12 instruction at no cost to the family .
Instructional Models
We can use virtual schools in a variety of ways:
1. Stand alone course – students take the virtual classes on site during a certain time period of the day
2. Mixed methods – regular classrooms using virtual classrooms for various reasons (larger projects or even if school must be cancelled for emergencies)
3. Full time virtual school – a student may enroll to take all courses needed for graduation
Student Assessments• Each course has a variety of different assessments
(assignments, homework, quizzes, gizmos, web quests, tests, etc.).
• Most of our unit exams and quizzes are password protected. • Any assignment or exam that is password protected has to be
proctored at school.
Ease of Setup• We are currently using some virtual classes at the high school
level, but not at the elementary or middle school.• Every school has a computer technician who can assist in
setting up the technology and providing technical support.• Most of the school are currently equipped with several
computer labs, their own servers, and wireless services covering most of the campus.
The Advantages for Us• More students can have greater access to a tailored
curriculum• Students that need to repeat a course will not have to retake it
in the same method and perhaps the same teacher• Reduce the burden of finding qualified teachers for small need
classes at each school building • We have an alternate to homebound services and pathways• It could be perfect for At-Risks students
Online Learning Research• #1 Online Learning Expands Options
• “The first impetus to the growth of K-12 distance education was an interest in expanding educational options and providing equal opportunities for all learners.” (NCREL 2005)
• #2 Online Learning Is Rapidly Growing• “Recent Surveys show that K-12 online learning is a rapidly growing
phenomenon.”
– Growing 30% annually
– 50,000 enrollments in 2000
– Over 2,000,000 enrollments in 2010
Online Learning Research• #3 Is Effective: “Better”
• U.S. Department of Education Report of Online Learning Better than Face-to-Face (USED 2009)
• #4 Improves Teaching
• Teachers who teach online reported positive improvements in face-to-face, too.
• “Of those who reported teaching face-to-face while teaching online or subsequently, three in four reported a positive impact on their face-to-face teaching.”
Project Tomorrow Survey (2009)
• Benefits of taking a class online?– According to students:
• 51% said it allows them to work at their own pace• 49% to earn college credit• 44% said it allows them to take a class not offered on campus • 35% said it was to get extra help• 19% said they took online courses to get more attention from teachers
Christensen suggests that by 2019 about half of all high school courses will be online.
Disrupting Class
