Minnesota was the site of the first such policy in 2006, and Course Access has slowly spread to 10 other states, with proposals now pending in several others. The key components are that students can stay enrolled in their own schools while accessing courses from a wide range of high-quality providers that have been vetted by the state. It also ensures that a portion of funding follows the student to the provider. Course access offers a host of providers of both career-oriented and college preparatory coursework. Course Access was born.Ĭourse Access takes the state virtual school further to include courses taken face-to-face at a local college, for example, as well as via blended learning. States naturally sought to ensure increased access and better quality. As the needs of students in the 21 st century grew, schools had to look further afield to meet those needs, and working with other providers became more common. Previously, students in Florida for example, could choose from a limited selection of state-created, usually academic and online, courses to supplement offerings at a school. State virtual schools and district-developed blended models, which combine online and classroom instruction, are among the most common developments. For the last few decades, states and districts have been experimenting with ways to incorporate innovative learning models, including online learning, into K‒12 education. Moving away from a “set menu” model of instruction, schools and districts will be pressed to offer a wider variety of courses, in different modalities and at different times, to better serve mastery-focused learners.Ĭourse Access may be a new policy development, but it continues the evolving tradition of educational innovation around the country. As part of these states’ realignment of systems and measurements, flexible and expanded course offerings will become increasingly valuable components-both for students and districts. According to Competency Works, such initiatives are underway in 10 states. A new system has to be built in its place. Merely eliminating seat-time requirements isn’t enough, however. Many states are working to restructure the school day as competency-based promotion policies are unshackling students from the restrictions of seat time and allowing them to advance when they master the content. In Louisiana, you can take a welding course from a local professional certification and training center so that you can graduate with a high school diploma and a professional certificate. Or a student might be able to take Mandarin from a brilliant online teacher across the country or at a university across town. For example, if AP physics isn’t offered at your school, you can take it from another district or through a provider anywhere in the country. The concept behind Course Access is simple: expand course offerings while allowing students to stay enrolled in their home schools. This is a policy in evolution, and while some states refer to it under a different moniker, or, like Florida, lack a specific term, for the sake of simplicity, I’ll refer to all these policies as “Course Access.” Other names include Course Choice, Course Options (WI), and the Supplemental Course Academy (LA). Such programs make available to students course offerings across learning environments from diverse, accountable providers, and with state funding following the student. And, finally, that question should drive the future of digital learning and the “course access” programs that are sprouting up across the United States. That question inspired the visioning that opened the path for Florida to give students access not only to online courses from FLVS, but eventually offerings from a multitude of providers to meet the diverse needs of today’s students. What if we always keep the student at the center of our thinking, planning, design, and delivery? That question sparked the creation of Florida Virtual School (FLVS). “What if we could redesign this place called school so that time and place no longer limited student learning? What if we could design a school where the student was at the center of every decision we made, rather than the adults’ schedule being the focal point…what would that look like?” Next, picture a child who you care about a great deal firmly in your mind.” The second rule is instead of thinking like a teacher, think like a parent, a big brother or sister, aunt, uncle, godmother or caring neighbor. The first rule is you have to dream big and think big. Julie Young with Florida Virtual School students I wrote the word “student” on a piece of paper and placed it in the center of the table. We were a small group sitting at a round table in a borrowed office. It was my first day leading the Florida Virtual School team.
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