Bridging the Gap Through Online Learning VOISE Academy High School

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Bridging the Gap Through Online Learning VOISE
Academy High School
Dr. Sandi Atols Manager of Distance Learning and
VOISE Designer Chicago Public Schools
Todd Yarch, Principal VOISE Academy Chicago
Public Schools
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Like many other major, urban districts, Chicago,
we have a problem!
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What Is The Problem?
CPS Student Progression Through High School
Progression of 2001-02 First-Time Freshman Cohort
Research conducted by the Parthenon Group and
with support from the Consortium on Chicago
School Research, for the Department of Graduation
Pathways, 2008.
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What Should We Do About It? Building Alternate
Pathways to Graduation
Traditional Graduation Path
Elementary
Upper Classes
Freshman
Off-Pace To Graduate

• Credits
• Age

9th Grade At-Risk
Graduation
Elementary Risk Factors

• High absences
• Early failures
• Off-track

• Age
• Attendance
• Test Scores
• Grades

11K
8K
27K
Alternate Graduation Pathways
The traditional path to graduation is not working
for half our studentsWe need a portfolio of
options to ensure that resources are available to
meet the differentiated needs of individual
students
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The Department of Graduation Pathways
Black Not a department program Red Existing
department program Green New Initiative
Prevention
Early Intervention
Re-Enrollment
Credit Recovery

• Freshman Connection
• Step Up to High School
• Jump Start
• Summer Bridge
• Gear Up
• Small Autonomous Schools

• Summer School
• CPS-VHS (online courses)
• Evening School

• SES Tutoring
• AVID
• Achievement Academies
• Small Learning Communities

• Alternative Education
• SAFE schools
• Youth Connection Charter Schools (YCCS)
• ALOP
• SMART

On-Track Labs
YES Initiative
Data-driven Analysis
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CPS-VHS Online

• Facts
• Online class offerings are growing
  internationally
• CPS online students did not do as well at first
• Our city-wide online students successful
• completion rates were only 55-60 4 years ago
• Our population spans those using online for
  credit recovery to Advance Placement
• Our population are not necessarily independent,
  motivated learners
• Our population includes those with special needs
  and low achievers
• Many do not have computers with internet access
  at home
• They need support

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CPS-VHS Online

• Facts
• CPS online students success rates rose to
  between 75 to 82 when we encouraged schools to
• Offer online courses during the instructional day
• Require students attendance/put courses on
  schedules
• Provide regular technology access
• Provide mentors to supervise online classes
  (CPS-VHS training required)
• Count online course grades put on transcript and
  count toward GPA
• Schools do not always implement the program to
  ensure students success
• How could I be sure the program was implemented
• following best practices? --
• Maybe CPS would open a new virtual school

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A New School Concept

• At first virtual sounded like a great
  idea---but Illinois requires 300 minutes daily
  seat time and 60 hours for half a Carnegie unit.
  The best of both worlds vision was conceived!
• The idea of a hybrid school where
  students not only had the benefit of the
  structure of a school day, great teachers, but
  also online curriculum grew. VOISE Virtual
  Opportunities Inside a School Environment was
  born and named.

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The Road to VOISE

• The Design Framework
• Following the RFP format 50 pages to explain
• Executive Summary
• Curriculum
• Community
• Leadership
• Teaching staff and Recruitment
• Remediation/Differentiated Instruction
• Policies
• Facilities
• Community Interviews and Forums
• Meetings/interviews with Office of New Schools
  (ONS)
• Weekly PD Sessions with all other proposal teams
• Interviews with community liaisons
• Framework Approval

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The Road to VOISE

• The RFP Process Trying to cover all bases
• RFP Written (100 pages plus Appendices) going
  more into depth and making changes indicated by
  Community and Office of New Schools (ONS).
• More Community forums and meetings and interviews
• Proposed Principal interviews and approval
• RFP approval by ONS for the Austin Campus
• Approval sent to be approved by Arne Duncan
• Formal Public Hearings
• Approval sent to Board of Education to approve
• Hire the principal
• Hire the staff

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The Road to VOISE

• Plan/Steps to Open the New School
• Promote school COMMUNICATE (this never ends)
• Visit feeder schools and present to 8th graders
• Work with counselors during enrollment process
• Hire staff
• Plan curriculum
• Write Board Report for funding/budget
• Plan Budget
• Write SIPAA and all other policies
• Order equipment, furniture, supplies, materials
• Conduct teacher PD ( 3 weeks)
• Conduct Student Orientation (2 weeks)
• Conduct Opening Celebration

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Statewide 21st Century Learning System

• What is needed
• Curricula that emphasize 21st century skills.
• Preservice and inservice training for teachers
  and administrators.
• Robust statewide online learning infrastructure
  for students and teachers.
• A vibrant system of online courses.
• Computing device in every students hands.
• Statewide no-cost or low-cost broadband wireless
  access.
• High-speed wireless in every corner of the state.
  
• P-20 coordination, cooperation, and vertical
  articulation.
• Curricular, programmatic, workforce development,
  and other alignment across the P-20 spectrum.

McCleod, Scott, http//www.techlearning.com/blog/
2008/10/draft_statewide_21st_century_l.php
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Statewide 21st Century Learning System

• Environmental supports
• Some supports need to be in place to facilitate
  effective implementation
• Federal, state, and local laws, policies, and
  funding support. A thoughtful, helpful array of
  legal, policy, and funding supports for what
  needs to be done.
• Monitoring, assessment, and evaluation. Regular,
  frequent, ongoing. To inform practice, not just
  for accountability.
• Mindset shift. The digital, global age is here.
  Its time to learn how to survive and thrive in
  it rather than being afraid of it or ignoring it.
• Marketing
• Theres also a marketing piece to this. Who needs
  to be informed about what needs to be done in
  order to facilitate a broad base of support and
  buy-in?

McCleod, Scott, http//www.techlearning.com/blog/2
008/10/draft_statewide_21st_century_l.php
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A VOISE Academy

• On September 2nd, VOISE Academy High School
  opened its doors to its first class of 163
  freshmen.
• VOISE is a regular CPS performance school created
  through an RFP to the Office of New Schools
  Renaissance 2010 Program opening small schools
  with excellent educational opportunities in
  underserved communities.
• VOISE will add a grade each year serving 600
  students by year 4 in grades 9-12.
• VOISE shares a large historic building with 2
  other small schools offering after school
  activities and sports as a campus unit
• VOISE is serving the Austin neighborhooda
  population of
• high poverty
• 99 African American
• low-test scores
• 30 special needs
• high drop-outs
• low graduation rates
• few college entrants

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VOISE Academy The Best of Both Worlds
Where Tradition Meets Technology
Tradition
Technology
Teacher Instructional Guide Professional
Development

• Summer - 3 weeks (NACOL assisted)
• Daily subject area and team plan periods
• Weekly school-wide Professional Development
• Staff Dev. days
• Internal External experts

• Structured CPS school calendar and day
• Great teachers
• Caring, positive environment
• 3 Rs Philosophy
• Hands-on Projects
• Orientation
• (2 weeks in Summer)

• 11 laptops
• Online Curriculum
• Online Resources
• 24/7 access
• 21st Century skills
• Global Community
• NU Collaboratory Project

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VOISE Academy will make a difference!
Students have a choice with VOISE

• A quality school in the Austin Community
• Small classes, small school
• Freshman Transition Course
• 3 Rs Philosophy Rigor, Relevance,
  Relationships
• Personal education plan for each student
• Students work online at own level and pace
• OHSP course requirements and additional online
  opportunities
• Online learning management system
• daily progress reports
• time freed up for teaching
• early intervention

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VOISE Academy High School

• 3 Rs Philosophy Rigor, Relevance, and
  Relationships
• Steps to modeling this
• Potential students came for a High School
  Investigation Day in June (150 students attended)
• Teachers came for 3 weeks of Professional
  Development in the summer NACOL assisted!
• Students attended a 2- week Freshman Orientation
  to begin building relationships with peers and
  teachers and learn about expectations.
• Students feel special were involved in selecting
  the school colors, the uniform colors, and
  writing school policies.
• Expectations are being set high. They are
  the founding students with much responsibility!
  VOISE is becoming a model, has been in several
  publications, and is being visited and contacted
  for information about this innovative school.

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Data-Driven Decisions

• Students were given the Work Keys math and
  reading assessments during Orientation
• Reading Diagnostics were administered the first
  two weeks of school
• Reading and Math classes are block scheduled to
  give more time
• Wednesdays is a time for projects, resources, and
  special help (1/2 day for students, full day for
  teachers).
• The student management system gives immediate
  feedback.
• All CPS assessments as well as teacher and Apex
  assessments will be administered to drive needed
  interventions.
• Failure is not an optionVOISE will meet students
  where they are and allow them to gain skills and
  then move on after mastery.

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Data-Driven Decisions

• Final enrollment? 149 students just right!
• Are they attending? 94
• At what level did they begin?
• 5th grade reading (yet two are at college level)
• 28 of the students have special needs
• Watch List of incoming freshmen
• 17 students were tagged for being at risk due to
  poor attendance in 8th grade
• 25 were tagged for being 2 or more years below
  grade level in math or reading
• 5 for attendance and low level skills
• What progress has been made?
• Most began in fundamentals classes
• Some have been moved into introductory classes
  already.
• Reading is much more structured and traditional
  right now to build skills.

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Some of Our Students
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Challenges and Successes

• The technology for broadband was upgraded the 3rd
  week of school so students finally had internet
  access.
• Old building so wireless essential not many
  outlets, either.
• Smart boards are deliverednot all installed (no
  wall space)
• Despite being in a tough area, misconduct numbers
  have been dwindling.
• More time needs to be spent on teaching social
  skills (really immature --no older students to
  emulate).
• Need to learn that the computers are not just
  free time and to stay on course appropriate
  sites.
• Students are being teased by students from other
  2 schools that they are spoiled nerdsbeginning
• to work as a positive, however.

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Challenges and Successes

• VOISE can provide desktops for home use building
  a learning community.
• Parents will come to school for PC training and
  Internet safety before picking up their
  computers.
• Some parents cannot afford the connectivity.
• Students have no problem navigating the online
  classes.
• They enjoy the fact that they can work at their
  own level not based upon what others know or are
  doing.
• Many students are surprised they are so low and
  that we are actually trying to teach themnot
  just pass them for doing assignments!
• Teachers new to block scheduling needed to gain
  timing experience new teachers to distance
  learning needed to learn classroom management
  strategies
• FUNDING!

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Mission and Goals

• The mission of VOISE high school will be to
  combine the use of technology, best distance
  learning practices, and quality online curriculum
  with exemplary secondary classroom teachers and
  student-centered pedagogy in order to provide all
  its students with choice, flexibility,
  scholarship, and individual attention
  culminating in students high achievement.
• Our vision is to create a safe, academically
  successful school with a positive, interactive,
  technologically advanced environment rooted in
  building strong relationships and respect.
• Our goals are to raise attendance and graduation
  rates and lower drop-out rates. Another goal is
  for all VOISE graduates to enroll in college.
• VOISE recognizes the importance of preparing its
  learners for living and working in todays
  society and honing skills through online learning
  as a catalyst to future success and a lifelong
  love of learning.

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The Department of Graduation Pathways
Black Not a department program Red Existing
department program Green New Initiative
Prevention
Early Intervention
Re-Enrollment
Credit Recovery

• Freshman Connection
• Step Up to High School
• Jump Start
• Summer Bridge
• Gear Up
• Small Autonomous Schools

• Summer School
• CPS-VHS (online courses)
• Evening School

• SES Tutoring
• AVID
• Achievement Academies
• Small Learning Communities
• VOISE Academy

• Alternative Education
• SAFE schools
• Youth Connection Charter Schools (YCCS)
• ALOP
• SMART

On-Track Labs
YES Initiative
Data-driven Analysis
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VOISE is in the News

• Edutopia http//www.edutopia.org/ikid-voise-acade
  my-online-education
• Converge Magazine The Best of Both Worlds
• NACOL http//www.nacol.org/promisingpractices/NAC
  OL_PP-BlendedLearning-lr.pdf
• Chicago Sun Times http//www.suntimes.com/news/ed
  ucation/1139481,CST-NWS-skul02.article
• CPS At Night www.cps.answerstv.com "Cutting
  Edge High School." 

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Thank you!

• Questions?
• Contacts
• Dr. Sandi Atols
  Mr. Todd Yarch, Principal
• slatols_at_cps.k12.il.us
  tyarch_at_cps.k12.il.us
• 
  www.VOISE.cps.k12.il.us