Legislators
Considerations in Developing Statewide Policy for Online Education
State policies are an important factor in incorporating online education into the larger educational picture, and the Legislature, State Board of Education and the Office of the State Superintendent each have roles in policy-making.
Reasons for State Support of On-line Education
Here are some goals legislators might consider in supporting online education as part of their state's K-12 system:
- To offer more opportunities for students to stay in school and work toward graduation.
- To increase options for students by offering access to courses that may not otherwise be available, or resolving course scheduling conflicts.
- To provide opportunities for students for remediation and to recover credit unattained because of non-completion of requirements for some reason (failure, dropout, illness, etc.).
- To provide access to a wider range of offerings for students in districts and schools having a small teaching staff.
- To more fully address differing student needs related to pace of learning, learning environment, language ability, and/or health or special needs.
- To facilitate accelerated student progress through collaboration between higher education and on-line high schools
- To prepare students for their future in the 21st century, when higher education and business will be increasingly reliant on virtual environments.
- To support the provisions of the NCLB Act.
Enabling Policies
State policies may variously enable, encourage, require, and/or ensure that online learning is a part of the education system. They may also define the role of online learning in the overall system, and the roles of various educational organizations in the provision and support of opportunities. At least the following major areas and specific sub areas should be considered in the development of statewide policy:
Curriculum
- Responsibility and support for development of new courses and instructional opportunities
- Standards and specifications to be applied to approved courses
- and materials
- Legitimate sources of courses and other instructional opportunities
- Collaborative arrangements between on-line schools and higher education institutions for developing dual-credit courses
- Quality criteria or guidelines to be applied
- Policies and procedures for overseeing implementation
- Alignment of online courses with state/district academic standards, curriculum frameworks, and assessments
Teacher qualifications and evaluation
Teacher support
- Plans and funding to support professional development for online educators
Accountability for student achievement
Legal status of an on-line school
- Who or what bodies can operate an on-line school: an independent board, the state department, the state board or a school district? Should there be a statewide on-line school, and if so, can it be a charter school?
Credits and accreditation
- What entity will award credit?
- What agency will accredit on-line course offerings?
- School Year, School Day or Seat-time Requirements: How are they to be applied to online courses?
Funding
- Development and distribution of courses
- Allocation of state per-student formula funds for on-line students
- State support for home school and private school enrollees
Equity and access
- Will home school and private school students be permitted to enroll in online courses? Will they enroll directly or through a school district?
Program quality and improvement
- Standards for on-line schools
- Responsibility and parameters for school or program oversight
Privacy
Oversight and Support
- Roles of the state education agency, regional service districts, school
- districts and higher education in relation to the above factors
Information Sources
Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning: A Snapshot of State-level Policy and Practice (2004), North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, (2004), North Central Regional Educational Laboratory
Policy Brief on Virtual Schools (2004), ICEE Center for Policy Studies, Education Research, and Community Development