CAPSS PRESENTATION AT STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

DECLARATORY RULING REGARDING ONLINE LEARNING

FEBRUARY 19, 2003

The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) is pleased to have this opportunity present its views to you today regarding online learning.  In December 2001 CAPSS addressed the importance of the use of technology in the schools by developing a Technology Position Statement (Attachment A).  Online learning was considered to be an essential component for a variety of reasons.

First, society has undergone a fundamental shift from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy.  Schools based on the industrial model expect students to be compliant and dependent learners.  In today's knowledge economy students must be empowered to become self-directed, interdependent and self-assessing learners.  This shift requires a significant change in teaching and learning and technology is a vital tool for accomplishing this shift in teaching and learning.

Second, educational leaders must establish a vision for this transformed view of teaching and learning, and they must model this transformation in their own learning and work experiences.  Strong statewide leadership is critical to transforming teaching and learning.  Leaders must articulate and co-ordinate a statewide vision for technology that is supported by sufficient resources.  Multiple state organizations and agencies must speak with a common voice and move with coordinated action.  The State Department of Education must provide leadership in the transformation of teaching and learning that will remove boundaries in law, regulation, and practice for online learning.

Third, the locus of control for learning must shift from teacher directed to student directed learning.  Teachers must acquire and apply instructional competencies that utilize current and emerging technologies to enhance student-directed learning through the use of both current and emerging technologies.  Educators must apply these skills to their own learning and that of their students.

Fourth, learners must master the information literacy skills to access, investigate, and apply information.  Information literacy is a basic skill.  Information is the new currency of our society.  Everyone engaged in the education process must be able to find, filter, evaluate, retrieve, and utilize information as needed.  As technology evolves, content standards for teaching and learning must be continuously monitored, adjusted, and enhanced.  All other aspects of the system (e.g., teacher certification, infrastructure) must be aligned.

Fifth, every classroom in Connecticut must be connected to the statewide network with access to a digital resources and curriculum.  This statewide infrastructure must provide every school, district, and student with efficient and effective access to curriculum and methods of sharing information, data, and opportunities.  Learners must demonstrate their understandings and skills relative to measurable performance standards.  Technology resources expand the opportunities for learning that transcend the need for boundaries such as course, grade, and school levels.  All students must have the opportunity to enroll in on-line activities that match their learning needs and to participate in on-line assessment of their learning.  In order to accomplish these objectives the following must occur:

• The State and local districts should create policy for granting credit for on-line learning.
• Adequate infrastructure capacity should be created in every school.
• Common standards and frameworks for assessing on-line learning should be developed.
• Content specific course equivalents for on-line learning should be linked to Connecticut standards and local exit criteria.
• Professional development should be made available for teachers to coach students participating in on-line learning.
• A statewide consortium should be organized to develop Connecticut based on-line courses for all learners.

Technology must be a vital link among the staff, students, parents, and expanded community.  Technology enables the sharing of information for the purposes of communication, understanding, accountability, and it reduces the boundaries that inhibit achievement.  The broader community must have access to an interactive communication system with the schools.  Technology must be available to provide authentic learning opportunities by linking to other workforce professionals.  The professional teaching community will benefit from the ability to share and develop together best practices, unit and lesson plans, and student work.

Furthermore, CAPSS endorses the recent recommendations of the Center for Education Policy (CEP) found in Preserving the Principles of Public Education in an Online World (Attachments B and C).  They provide clear direction for online learning and are summarized as follows.

In April 2002, the Center on Education Policy held a conference on virtual schools. 

Three main findings emerged from that meeting and from the Center's analysis of

other research on virtual schools:

1. Virtual schools are an important tool for expanding opportunities in public education if states implement them carefully, effectively, and equitably.
2. Virtual schools should serve as a supplement to and not a replacement for a comprehensive public school education.  In the future, as needs change, technologies offer more flexibility, and educators gain more experience and evaluation data from virtual schooling, policymakers could reconsider whether virtual schools could provide a comprehensive education in some situations.
3. Virtual schools funded with public money should be held accountable to the same broad principles and policies as other forms of public education in such areas as academic outcomes, equity, and religious neutrality.  But in such areas as attendance, scheduling, and funding formulas, states will probably need to revise existing policies to make them workable for virtual schools.

The following questions were developed to guide the thinking of leaders relative to online learning.

Effective preparation for life, work, and citizenship.

Will the proposed reform produce an education of the quality needed to effectively prepare young people: (a) to lead fulfilling and contributing lives, (b) to be productively employed, and (c) to be responsible citizens in a democratic society?

Social cohesion and shared culture.

Will the proposed reform promote a cohesive American society by bringing together children from diverse backgrounds and encouraging them to get along?  Will it help to form a shared American culture and to transmit democratic values?

Universal access and free cost.

Will the proposed reform guarantee a public education that is universally accessible to all children within the governing jurisdiction and is free of charge to parents and students?

Equity and non-discrimination.

Will the proposed reform provide the same quality of education for poor children as for non-poor children?  Will it treat all children justly and without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religious affiliation, or economic status?

Public accountability and responsiveness.

Will the proposed reform ensure that education supported with public dollars remains accountable to taxpayers and the public authorities that represent them?  Will the reform be responsive to the needs of local communities and afford citizens a voice in the governance of their schools?

Religious neutrality.

Will the proposed reform provide a public education that is religiously neutral and respectful of religious freedom?

In summary, CAPSS strongly supports the concept of online learning.  It has the potential to transform the manner in which students learn.  With thoughtful implementation this pioneering step will further the goals of public education, both in Connecticut and throughout the nation.

February 14, 2003