Texas Virtual School Network TxVSN

1
Texas Virtual School NetworkTxVSN
2
TxVSN

• Created by SB 1788
• Being Implemented by TEA
• Central Operations
• Professional Development
• Course Approval
• TxVSN is Not a Credit Granting Entity
• Recipient Districts Grant Credit
• Districts Can Choose To Participate
• Does Not Change Other Existing Options

3
TxVSN Central Operations

• TEA is the Administrative Authority
• An ESC will be Central Operations
• Clearinghouse for Providers and Recipients
• Establish a fee Structure
• Establish Contracts and Agreements
• Schedule Approved Courses
• Register Participants
• Handle Collection and Payment of Fees

4
TxVSN Central Operations

• Central Operations (continued)
• Recruit Providers (Districts, Charter Schools,
  College and Universities, and ESCs)
• Identify and Encourage Recipients
• Coordinate Professional Development and Course
  Evaluation Components to certify and validate
  courses and instructors
• Market Statewide and Provide Communications
• Produce State and Local Reports
• Establish Added Value Services for Providers and
  Recipients

5
TxVSN Professional Development

• TEA Approved Professional Development Providers
  will
• Offer Approved Course(s) aligned to National and
  State Standards (NACOL)
• Provide a List of Trained and Approved Teachers
  to Central Operations
• Teachers must be Texas certified in the courses
  that they will be approved to teach

6
TxVSN Course Approval

• TEA Course Approval Providers will
• Validate the Courses Submitted by Prospective
  Providers
• Meet 100 of the TEKS
• Meet NACOL Standards
• Provide a List of Approved Courses and Providers
  to Central Operations

7
TxVSN Time Has Come

• Over 38 States Have Some Form of State Virtual
  School
• The National Technology Plan 1 of 7 Goals is to
  Support E-Learning and Virtual Schools
• Texas Long Range Plan for Technology
• STaR Charts

8
TxVSN Points to Consider

• On-line Learning is Growing Nationally and
  Internationally at a Rapid Pace (approximately
  30 per year)
• Increasingly Considered Integral to State
  Strategies and Student Success
• Has Moved from New, Unproven, Sideline Activity
  to Widely Accepted, Credible, Educational Practice

9
TxVSN Recent Research

• Provides Students with Expanded Options
• Effective in Meeting Student Needs
• Professional Development for Online Teaching
  Improves Teaching Methods in Traditional
  Classrooms

10
TxVSN Lessons Learned

• Not for All Students
• Not for All Teachers
• Professional Development is Essential
• Students/Parents Underestimate the Amount of Time
  and Effort
• Schools Underestimate the Amount of Time Required
  of Teachers
• Quality of Courses and Instruction is Essential
• Accountability, Oversight, and Support are
  Essential

11
TxVSN

• Grades 9-12 for 2008-2009
• Grades 6-12 for 2009-2010
• All Grades for 2010-2011

12
TxVSN Additional Benefits

• Expands Access to Highly Qualified Teachers
• Expanded Opportunities to Meet the Needs of
  Diverse Student Populations
• Creates More Equity Across the State
• Ensures Rigorous Online Courses that Meet the
  TEKS and Quality Standards
• Provides Efficiencies and Economy of Scale and
  Reduces Duplication of Costs and Effort

13
TxVSN District ParticipationInitial Steps

• Providers
• Identify Teachers and Register Them for Training
• Identify/Create Courses that meet the Standards
  and Submit for Approval
• Communicate Desire to Be a Provider to Central
  Operations
• Determine if Vision 2020 Grant Can Help
• Stay Informed at www.esc11.net/edtech Until
  Official Website is Created

14
TxVSN District ParticipationInitial Steps

• Recipients
• Determine Needs and Communicate Those Needs and
  Desire to Participate to Central Operations
• Designate Counselors/Registrars and Plan for
  Their Training
• Plan for Support of Students
• Determine if Vision 2020 Grant or R-Tech Grant
  Can Help
• Stay Informed at www.esc11.net/edtech Until
  Official Website is Created

15
Regional Library System

• Cherry Fuller
• Coordinator Library and Instructional Media
  Services
• ESC Region XI
• March 2008

16
Benefits

• Shared cost of system, equipment, equipment
  replacement, licensing, personnel, support
• Higher quality library system
• Shared resources through ILL
• Less district resources needed
• Higher quality records
• Better curriculum connections and collaboration
  opportunities
• Better security
• More efficient with centralized management
• More support

17
Results of the Districts Evaluations and
Prioritizing of Vendors

• 30 Districts, Representing 173 Campuses, Returned
  Letters of Intent to Participate (Other Letters
  of Intent have been received since the RFP was
  Issued)
• 22 Districts, Representing 156 Campuses,
  Thoroughly Evaluated 5 Vendors
• Districts That Evaluated the Vendors Indicated
  First, Second, and Third Choices

18
Vendors Selected as First or Second Choice
Weighted by Number of Districts and
Campuses SirsiDynix
19
Basic System and Services

• SirsiDynixs New Symphony library system
• Textbook Management
• Acquisitions module
• Serials module
• Asset Management
• Materials booking module
• Servers, maintenance, licensing maintained by
  Region XI
• Data conversion and upload
• Data management, new-record cataloging
• Reference librarian (provides pre-defined
  searches for younger students)
• Union Catalog, maintenance, Interlibrary Loan
• iBistro and Kids Library age-appropriate
  interfaces
• Report generation
• Back ups, both on site and off site
• Technical support
• Training Face-to-face, online, webinars
• User groups, listservs, group networking
• Other features and services as determined when
  available

20
Optional Features

• SchoolRooms a new concept in K-12 educational
  support over 70 curriculum topics,
  educator-approved websites, and multimedia that
  support state and national curriculum standards
• Enriched Content - enhancements added to catalog
  records to enrich library online catalogs with
  book jacket images, summaries, first chapters,
  table of contents, author notes, and more
  relating to all types of books, from juvenile
  chapter books to conference proceedings.

21
Regional Library System

• Basic Membership Charter Year
• Enrollment gt 300 1,700
• Enrollment lt 300 1,300
• Enrollment lt 200 900
• Enriched Content
• Enrollment gt 300 240
• Enrollment lt 300 150
• Enrollment lt 200 75
• School Rooms
• Enrollment gt 300 650
• Enrollment lt 300 300
• Enrollment lt 200 200

22
Next Steps

• Purchase equipment
• Purchase system
• Hire system specialist
• Meet with implementation team
• Determine data conversion steps
• Receive school POs by April 1
• Install and test system

23
For More Information

• Dr. Randal Douglas
• rdouglas_at_esc11.net
• 817-740-3611
• Cherry Fuller
• cfuller_at_esc11.net
• 817-740-3617