[nfbmi-talk] online education in mi and why it is important

[Nadia Cioffi]

It would be a good idea to source your reading.:When given a topic to support I always want to know the source, their research meathead and credibility. Adding a source explaining or at least stating the other view point adds to your credibility. Consider instead of trying of writing to persuade, If start off informing and stating the other view point, you sound like understand the facts and thus may persuade someone without directly saying oplrso. Source your facts and builds to your credulity as well. The source of this my college English course and my personal experience when provide proof besides yourself or people trust  ir more, so source other credible people. 

Nadia 

On Mar 27, 2014, at 7:20 AM, "joe harcz Comcast" <joeharcz at comcast.net> wrote:

Fellow Federationists:



The article after my signature line might not seem germane at first blush to this list. But, it is. Regardless as to the merits of online education what we need to be concerned with is the accessibility, or rather, full and complete accessibility of these programs to blind students, educators and even blind parents.



This is precisely why the TEACH Act is so important and why the recent OCR ruling under the ADA and 504 is so important.



I urge all to work to ensure that these systems in Michigan are fully accessible and NFB of Michigan should, in my opinion create a task force on this critical issue.



Joe Harcz







Online classes surge in popularity among Michigan K-12 students By Lori Higgins Detroit Free Press Education Writer The number of K-12 students taking online

courses in Michigan surged 52% in the last three years, according to a report released this week that provides a first-of-its-kind - but limited - look

at the effectiveness of online learning in the state. During the 2012-13 school year, 55,271 students took at least one online course, up from 36,348 during

the 2010-11 school year. The overall number of courses taken surged from 89,921 to 185,053 during the same time period. The effectiveness data was mixed.

Of the students taking a blend of online and traditional classes, the completion/passed rate for the online classes was just 60%, compared to a completion/passed

rate of 72% for non-online classes. But the researchers caution that limitations in the data could affect those completion rates. For instance, completion

rates for summer school classes were not available when the data was analyzed, said Joseph Freidhoff, executive director of the Michigan Virtual Learning

Research Institute, which conducted the research at the request of the Michigan Legislature. The students who took the summer classes in 2013 are listed

as incomplete, but many of them may have passed those classes, Freidhoff said. "We know this data isn't perfect," said Jamey Fitzpatrick, president and

CEO of the Michigan Virtual University, the state-created nonprofit that includes the research institute. "This is a giant first step in trying to wrap

our arms around what we know is a growing trend. State Superintendent Mike Flanagan said in a news release that the information in the report will help

impact instruction and policy in Michigan. "The findings ... provide an important baseline to evaluate online growth and effectiveness over time," Flanagan

said. Fitzpatrick said the report puts Michigan years ahead of other states in evaluating the effectiveness of virtual learning. More work will be needed

to ensure that there is uniformity in the way schools are submitting data to the state. The researchers analyzed data from several sources: Students enrolled

in courses through Michigan Virtual School , which is part of Michigan Virtual University; students who take all of their coursework online through a cyber

school; and students who take online courses via other means, such as courses provided by their districts or another entity. While there's been a growing

push for students to take advantage of online learning, the data suggests students perform better when they only take one or two classes online. Of the

students who take a mixture of online and non-online courses, the completion/passed rate was higher - 68% - for those taking one or two online classes

than for those taking three or four (59%) and those taking five or more (55%) online courses. Some additional findings: ¦Completion/pass rates for students

in grades K-5 ranged between 87% and 94%, while the rates for older students in grades 6-12 ranged from 47% to 77%. ¦The overall percentage of students

taking online courses still remains relatively small, particularly at the elementary grades. In grades K-7, fewer than 1% of students have taken an online

course. The highest percentage was in 12th grade, where 15% of seniors have taken an online course. Fitzpatrick says he's concerned that the data suggests

that a large number of the students taking virtual courses are students who are behind academically and need to catch up on credits. He said there needs

to be more discussion at the local level on how to ensure online courses are an option for all students. "We have to ask ourselves from a policy perspective

- if a student is struggling and they need more help and assistance, is loading them up with five or six online classes going to increase their chances

of success? The data suggests no. 


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