Submitted by Carmen Coleman, Superintendent, and Brian Gover, Director of Technology
Note: The information in this profile represents 2013-14 unless otherwise indicated.
School Overview
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School Description
Danville Independent Schools is a small district south of Lexington, Kentucky with one middle school and one high school. The district first became interested in blended learning in 2009 while it was exploring new ways for teachers to shed some administrative responsibilities and focus on teaching the curriculum. Administrators visited High Tech High School and three blended-learning schools in New York, including School of One and School of the Future. From those visits, administrators knew they wanted to combine project-based learning and blended learning, so they started experimenting with ALEKS and other online programs. An NGLC Wave IV Launch winner, the district used the funding to implement a whole-school blended-learning model at both the middle school and high school during the 2013-14 school year.
Blended Learning Program
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Program Model
Program model: Lab Rotation, A La Carte
Model description
Math and science courses use a Lab Rotation model in which students rotate roughly twice a week and at the teacher’s discretion between a computer lab used primarily for online learning and classrooms used primarily for other learning modalities.
Foreign language courses use an A La Carte model in which students learn entirely online with an online teacher-of-record. Students have the option of taking the online course either at the brick-and-mortar campus or off site depending on their schedule and preference.
Program Description
How much time do students spend on campus in this blended-learning program? How much of this time do students spend learning online or with educational software?
The amount of time students spend learning online or using educational software varies by individual student, but on average students spend 25 percent of their school day engaged in some form of online learning or educational software.
Briefly describe the offline components of this blended-learning program.
In math and science courses, students have some form of project-based learning, teacher-led face-to-face instruction, small group work, and small breakout groups for teachers to offer more personalized instruction. Although students complete most of their science labs online, some are hands-on and completed offline.
How are the online and offline components of the program connected to provide an integrated learning experience for students? How do data from different learning modalities inform each other?
Teachers use online and offline data to determine which students are in need of on-the-spot intervention and remediation and also to ensure that students are progressing through the coursework.
How does this blended-learning program fit into the rest of the students’ school day?
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, students attend four 80-minute classes plus a seminar period where teachers offer students extra assistance with their coursework and/or time in the online learning lab.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students attend three 75- or 90-minute classes plus an advisory period where teachers help students work on everything from college and scholarship applications to digital portfolios that are required for graduation. All classes meet three times each week.
After school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the school offers what it calls “The Edge,” which some students use to progress through their online coursework in the lab, and other students use to work on an internship. In addition, several students use this time to work on self-designed learning projects.
What are the teachers’ roles and responsibilities in both the online and offline components of this blended-learning program?
Teachers are responsible for creating the class schedule, determining how students will split their time between the classroom and the online learning lab, ensuring student progress, and using online data to determine which students need extra assistance. They also run individual or small breakout groups where students receive additional face-to-face instruction.
What other adults are involved in this blended-learning program (e.g., paraprofessionals, learning coaches, counselors) and what are their roles and responsibilities?
In addition to classroom-based teachers, the school employs teaching assistants who are primarily responsible for monitoring student progress and assisting with simple problems that students might have; success coaches who serve as postsecondary liaisons, college counselors, and personal learning pathway advisers; an interdisciplinary learning designer who is a certified teacher in charge of designing project-based and real-world learning opportunities; and a technology integration specialist who helps teachers implement the blended-learning models in their classrooms effectively.
Briefly describe the set-up of physical space for this blended-learning program.
The high school features traditional classrooms with students sitting at desks and tables that can be grouped and rearranged at the teacher’s discretion. The online learning labs contain 28-30 computers (except for the math lab, which has 40 computers) arranged around the perimeter of the lab so that teachers and teaching assistants can position themselves in the middle of the room to conference with students as needed. The library also has 20 desktop computers that can be used by students for their foreign language courses.
How are students grouped within this blended-learning program?
The school groups students for math based on MAP scores and EXPLORE/PLAN/ACT scores. This is needs-based grouping, and students progress to different groups as they demonstrate mastery. This is different from traditional ability-grouping, where students generally stay where they were placed.
Do students have some element of control over the pacing of their learning? Are students tied to a semester-based course schedule or can they complete courses at any time? Briefly describe any requirements or benchmarks in place to ensure student progress.
The school is moving toward a competency-based learning model in which students will be free to work at their own pace and complete courses at any time during the school year. Before the school implemented that model, some classes were tied to a time-based schedule, whereas other classes allowed for students to progress through the online coursework as quickly or slowly as needed.
Describe the academic results of the program, using quantitative data where possible.
Students have responded very positively to the blended-learning approach, especially when allowed to progress at their own pace. Students often complete coursework and demonstrate competency much more quickly than they had in the traditional, time-based system. In addition, the school has had higher ACT composites in the past three years than in any year prior. (It is important to note that in Kentucky, all 11th graders have been required to take the ACT since 2008.) Danville High Schools’ ACT composite is higher now than when only college-bound students were taking the test. As result of successes in the last three years, the high school has been featured on PBS’ NewsHour, KET’s Education Matters, and videos for both the Council of Chief State School Officers and the Council of State Governments.
Describe any financial impact this blended-learning program has had on your cost of operations. Use numbers when possible.
The school has used some of its NGLC funding to hire new support staff and invest in hardware and online content providers. The funding has also helped the school improve its bandwidth and wiring throughout the school. Between the middle school and high school, administrators estimate they have spent $400,000 toward the blended-learning program.
What have been the biggest obstacles in implementing this blended-learning program? What has needed adjustment along the way?
The biggest obstacles the school has faced have been learning how to implement the blended-learning models into the school day and finding high-quality online content providers for all subjects. The school is still looking into finding additional quality content providers, but the administrators feel they have a solid and workable blended-learning model in place.
Have you or are you planning to scale your program model to more/other schools?
The school has no plans to scale its program at this time.
Contact Information
Name: Carmen Coleman
Title: Superintendent
Email: [email protected]
Name: Brian Gover
Title: Director of Technology
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.danvilleschools.net