Pub. 3 2013-2014 Issue 2

31 itself approves the enrollment, we take over the docu- ments, we track them, we do the reporting, and it’s all done in full oversight. That maintenance of control is a key issue. Linda Harless: Another important aspect of keeping student records and data safe is training and making sure each student’s system at home is as secure as possible. We have policies in place and do internet safety training with the parents to ensure this. What does an online charter school look like from the student’s perspective and the teacher’s perspective? Stacey Hutchings: Students look at what they have to do at the beginning of each day. They have online work to do, but they also have, especially in the lower grades, lots of books, manipulatives, and art projects. They use paint, clay, cds, recorders, and more, so they don’t just sit at a computer all day. Students do some of their work with their learning coach or, if they’re older, on their own. They also have a menu of instructional opportunities that they can choose from. Our teachers deliver live instruction daily and also do recorded classes that students can access at any time. Our teachers are involved in PLCs (Professional Learning Com- munities) and meet in data teams every week to identify students that have different needs. Our teachers will then teach smaller groups to help students where they have gaps. Our teachers also have what we call “office hours,” where students know they are online and can jump in and work with the teacher on solving the problem. Laura Belnap: Our school doesn’t do anything pre- recorded. We do however, record during the session and the student can go back to watch it at any time. We also have, especially for our high school students, key words in each lesson that they have to use to prove they were there. What does testing look like in an online environment, specifically with the SAT and ACT? Stacey Hutchings: Online charter schools, like ev- ery other school, district or charter, are required to follow all of the testing standards required by the state, but the way online schools have to carry it out is very different. DeLaina Tonks: Our teachers and testing direc- tors have to make plans for multiple testing locations all over the state instead of just blocking out four-hours on a certain date where everyone just goes into the cafeteria. We have to do that in multiple venues across the state, for every different test, including the ACT, SAT, DWA, SAGE, and any AP tests. There’s a cost associated for the time, the facility and the teachers’ travel. What are some of the tricks of the trade that teachers use to engage students online? Stacey Hutchings: First, our teachers work really hard, even before class, just to get the students to show up. They work on building those relationships with phone calls, emails, and more. Once they come to class, the second part of engagement is using different tools than what are used in a bricks and mortar classroom, but using the same types of techniques. We have ways for students to write on the white board, they can chat, they raise their hand, they can post a smiley face, and many more. Linda Harless: There are two things our school does. We have curriculum-based calls on a regular basis, where we call the students and test them on what they learned. The second thing we just implemented is the pledge every day. What we’re finding is that kids are more consistently engaged on a daily basis when they meet and do that pledge with their teacher. At the same time, they like to highlight a student or exceptional student work. If a bricks and mortar charter school is looking at starting online or distance learning, what are some of the things they need to be thinking about before they move in that direction? Laura Belnap: As a charter board, we’ve accepted some requests and denied others because they aren’t ready for it. They haven’t looked at what it takes to have a teacher around. Some of their plans were to have a mentor in the room, but you can’t have a mentor unless there’s a teacher of high quality endorsed with each subject. Their lack of knowledge of how the system runs is one of the biggest obstacles when they’re thinking about running an online program. Stacey Hutchings: It takes a lot of feeding and watering to constantly maintain online students. What does the future of online charter schools look like? DeLaina Tonks: I think education will look more like a playlist that students can pick and choose from. It will be a lot more componential, where you can “buffet table” your education, which gives students the opportunity to customize their experience. Stacey Hutchings: Some teachers don’t understand or like online because they think the technology is going to take away their jobs, but our schools are proving that teachers are incredibly important in an online environment and we need effective, highly qualified teachers in that online environment.