Advisory Council Meeting Agenda 8/3/2011

1. Advisory Council Meeting Agenda8/3/2011 • Enrollment Update • District Survey Results • Future of Virtual Schooling in NM (discussion)

2. IDEAL-NM SPRING 2011 SURVEY RESULTSNumber of Respondents: 68 Estimated Enrollments for Summer 2011: 629Estimated Enrollments for Fall 2011: 1,875

3. 67% 67% 64% 42% 25% 19%

4. Other Reasons: -Serves gap areas -drop-out recovery -Graduation -Critical for credit recovery & summer school -Exploring online options 44.2% Important 13.5% Not Critical 9.6% Other 32.7% Critical

6. How does access impact AYP? • Standards and benchmarks are included in IDEAL-NM courses. • A way to offer graduation requirements (online, dual credit…) • Challenges and engages students (reduce absenteeism and drop out rate) • Allows students to complete requirements for graduation when scheduling and other problems present obstacles. • Transfer and recovery students may not have access to coursework as class offerings are limited due to scheduling conflicts and teacher availability • Students are graduating who would have otherwise, dropped out of school

7. How does access impact AYP? • Use of IDEAL for remediation/RTI • Give students an opportunity to learn in an alternative environment, where they have to take charge of their own learning • Our school is limited in staff and offerings • Allows our teachers to spend more time in class individualizing instruction for students who have difficulty academically • Without IDEAL-NM resources our quality of course offerings would suffer. We simply cannot offer the high level course work necessary for our students to compete.

8. How does access impact AYP? • Options for credit recovery-students stay on track for graduation • High quality rigorous coursework which prepares students for annual assessments • Increase graduation rates • Standards are aligned with instruction and SBA and short term testing • Elective credits

11. Strategic DirectionsRobust, statewide virtual schools • Secure funding for sustainability (cost-sharing, fee structure, general appropriations vs. special appropriations) • Accessibility (ensure all students in NM have access to virtual schooling) • Outreach to home school population • Outreach to more charter and BIE schools • Examine options for LMS (cost-effective long-term solution) • Examine what other states are doing and determine future direction for NM • Establish return on investment for NM tax dollars (what has the ROI for IDEAL-NM been?)

12. Future of Virtual Schools in NM • “The challenge now is fostering a competitive online learning landscape to promote continuous improvement, innovation, and efficiency among a variety of online education programs—not just state-led initiatives.” • –Lance T. Izumi, J.D. excerpt from the Albuquerque Journal

13. Most promising practices • Fund for success: Funding follows students to the virtual school of their choice (results-based) • Expansive Enrollment Policies: that do not cap the number or type of students. Priority to students who need expanded access (rural, low-achieving schools, low-wealth schools, students from military families, foster-care, non-public and home school students) • Eliminate Rigid Teacher Certification Mandates: Full licensure reciprocity and alternative routes for individuals with advanced degrees or industry-specific skills

14. Most promising practices cont. • Remove Anachronistic Mandates: Remove class size mandates, compulsory codes, and seat time requirements. • Protect Parents’ Rights as Educators: by exempting them and other persons providing educational services in students’ homes from state licensing requirements.

15. Discussion • Where do you see IDEAL-NM within this paradigm? • In what ways will IDEAL-NM need to change, advance, expand etc… • Benefits, challenges, ideas…