Pub. 3 2013-2014 Issue 2

30 U APCS recently met with several repre- sentatives from online charter schools around the state to discuss their success in the digital learning arena, and how they handle student accountability and data, among other topics. Those in attendance included Linda Harless – Utah Connections Academy; Stacey Hutchings – Utah Virtual Academy; DeLaina Tonks – Mountain Heights Academy; Laura Belnap – Utah Online School K-12; and Chris Bleak – UAPCS. What are some of the differences and similarities of online charter schools and bricks and mortar charter schools? DeLaina Tonks: First, online schools can custom- ize the educational experience for each student. Instead of receiving 50 minutes of instruction per subject, they can do 25 or 75. Second, the connections are different. Students are front and center; they can’t hide in the back row. Teachers know each student as an individual, not just as part of a collective group of students. That kind of connection is very powerful. Third, online schools offer a lot of flexibility because students can do school when and where they want. One similarity with bricks and mortar schools is culture. Online schools should work hard to establish a culture, a space for students to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. School pride is impor- tant. How do you build culture within your online school, where students feel con- nected even when not going to a building and seeing classmates every day? Stacey Hutchings: One thing we do is have out- ings all over the state every month, encouraging students to interact and meet face to face with each other, with their teachers, and with their parents. When parents come along, they feel a part of the school culture as well. An- other thing we do is help students figure out ways to work with each other virtually, and build relationships virtually. What misconceptions are out there that, in reality, do not relate to online schools? Linda Harless: In a bricks and mortar school, stu- dents are used to being told what to learn, when to learn, and how to learn it. In the online environment, we have to help transition them to more of an independent learning style. Many times, there are misconceptions from the par- ents as far as what the expectations are; they may think it’s a hands-off approach and that their kid can just sit down at the computer and everything is there. Laura Belnap: Another misconception is that online school is easier, but many parents, legislators and even the state board of education have never seen it in action so it’s hard to visualize it. Describe the process of enrolling a stu- dent for your online school and how you manage student records and confidenti- ality. DeLaina Tonks: Student enrollment for online char- ter schools is referred to as “onboarding.” Students go to the website and enroll online in a secure system. We con- tact the parents as soon as the student is accepted into the lottery and we invite them to come to open houses to see how our online school works and what it looks like. Once they commit, they’re entered into our specific learning management system that is localized and in-house. We are the ones who manage all of the data and student informa- tion and we send the appropriate reports to the state. Stacey Hutchings: Our school goes through a third party during onboarding. Students fill out the forms online, they get a call, and they’re walked through to help them understand how it works. Then we have them digitally send in compliancy documents which are kept on-site at the school office. We have complete access and control of those documents and we are a part of every- thing that goes on in the enrollment process. Even though we use a third party, we meet with our enrollment partners constantly and we review all the documents, all the scripts, and all the information that goes out. We can customize the documents for our school and make changes at any time. Once the documents are submitted and the school Making a Successful Online Charter School A Roundtable Discussion BY SHAUNA GUERRERO, THE NEWSLINK GROUP, LLC