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Characteristics and Perspectives of Colorado’s Online Students

Characteristics and Perspectives of Colorado’s Online Students. By: Amanda Heiney, Dianne Lefly, Amy Anderson. Why Research?. Concerns about quality in Colorado’s online schools Media attention Ongoing identification of data gaps. Combination of Two Studies. CDE Study

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Characteristics and Perspectives of Colorado’s Online Students

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  1. Characteristics and Perspectives of Colorado’s Online Students By: Amanda Heiney, Dianne Lefly, Amy Anderson

  2. Why Research? Concerns about quality in Colorado’s online schools Media attention Ongoing identification of data gaps

  3. Combination of Two Studies • CDE Study • Utilized internal datasets • Demographics • Performance • Mobility • University of Colorado-Denver Study • Sample of online schools • Survey of parents and students • Experience in previous brick and mortar schools • Reasons for choosing an online school • Online school satisfaction levels • Administrator and teacher interviews

  4. Colorado Department of Education Study • Utilized data from the following collections: • Colorado Basic Literacy Act (CBLA) • Reading assessment data for students in grades K-3 • Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) • State assessment for students in grades 3-10 • Assesses Reading, Math, Writing and Science • Student October and Student End of Year • Student Identifier • Gender, demographics and socioeconomic status • School and district codes • Entry dates and codes • Exit dates and codes

  5. Introduction Overall Trends and Changes in Online School Student Characteristics

  6. Education in Colorado • Over 170 school districts • Local control state • Open enrollment • Current full-time online education options: • 24 multi-district online schools • 12 single-district online schools • 17 single-district online programs

  7. Population Changes in Online Schools • From 2003 to 2011, the number of online schools increased from nine to thirty-five • Pupil enrollment in online schools increased from 3,248 students to 16,464

  8. Demographics of Students in Colorado Online Schools Online School Demographics Over the years, the online population has become more reflective of the overall population in Colorado. Demographics of Students in All Colorado Public Schools

  9. Percentage of Students Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch in the Fall Pupil Count for Online Schools and the State of Colorado Free and Reduced Lunch Eligibility Over the years, the proportion of economically disadvantaged students in online schools has dramatically changed and is now comparable to the State’s eligibility rate.

  10. Pupil Membership in Online Schools from 2003 to 2011 by Grade Level – Elementary (K-5), Middle (6-8) and High (9-12) Pupil Membership Growth by Grade Level Pupil enrollment growth at the High School level has exceeded growth at the middle and elementary grade levels.

  11. Percentage of Online Students at Each Grade Level – Elementary (K-5), Middle (6-8) and High (9-12)

  12. Graduation Rates of Online Schools Compared to Statewide Graduation Rates from 2004-2011

  13. Dropout Rates of Online Schools Compared to Statewide Graduation Rates from 2004-2011 The erratic online dropout rate over the years may be attributable to coding practices.

  14. Mobility Incidence Rates for the State and All Online Schools from 2006-07 through 2010-11

  15. The Early Years (Grades K-3) Key Findings

  16. The Early Years Students attending online schools in grades K-3 changed schools more frequently than their non-online peers. A greater percentage of online students who had been assessed as on grade level with CBLA assessment in the early years were not proficient when later tested on the CSAP. Elementary-aged students in online schools consistently performed below their non-online peers in reading and math assessments. Key Findings

  17. CBLA Grade Level Classification Grade 1-3 Students and the Percent Proficient/Advanced on Grade 3 Reading Assessment in 2011 The Early Years A greater percentage of online students who had been assessed as on grade level with CBLA assessment in the early years were not proficient when later tested on the CSAP.

  18. CSAP Reading Results for Cohort of3rd-6th grade students in 2011 that were in Grades K-3 in 2008 2011 The Early Years Elementary-aged students in online schools consistently performed below their non-online peers in reading and math assessments.

  19. CSAP Math Results for Cohort of 4th-6th grade students in 2011 that were in Grades K-3 in 2008 The Early Years Elementary-aged students in online schools consistently performed below their non-online peers in reading and math assessments.

  20. The Primary & Formative Years (Grades 3-9) Key Findings

  21. The Primary & Formative Years Students (online & non-online) have a very high chance of never attaining reading proficiency if proficiency is not achieved in the early grades. Students (online & non-online) who attend multiple schools perform worse, on average, than students who have attended fewer schools. Most 9th graders in online schools were new to an online school in 2009 and 2011. Of these students, a high proportion were not proficient as 8th graders. Very few 9th graders had been enrolled in an online school for at least four years in 2009 and 2011, but these students performed comparably to their non-online counterparts. Key Findings

  22. Percentage of All 9th Graders in 2009 Non-Proficient on CSAP Reading based on Non-Proficiency at Primary and Middle Grade Levels (Total N=60,170) The Primary & Formative Years Students (online & non-online) have a very high chance of never attaining reading proficiency if proficiency is not achieved in the early grades. Percentage of All 9th Graders in 2011 Non-Proficient on CSAP Reading based on Non-Proficiency at Primary and Middle Grade Levels (Total N=59,824)

  23. 2011 9thGraders-Percentage of Students Proficient on the CSAP Reading Assessment by Number of Schools Attended The Primary & Formative Years Students (online & non-online) who attend multiple schools perform worse, on average, than students who have attended fewer schools.

  24. The Primary & Formative Years • Over half of incoming 9th graders in online schools are enrolling in an online school for the first time. • Most of these students were not proficient as 8th graders. • Over 20% of these students had been enrolled in six or more schools in grades 3-9. Less than 10% of online 9th graders had been enrolled in an online school for four years or more. • These students performed comparably to and sometimes better, on average, than all 9th graders statewide.

  25. The Primary & Formative Years Proficiency Rates of 9th Graders in 2009 and 2011 and as 8th Graders on CSAP Reading *This data is not available due to a 2010 CSAP misadministration in a very large online school.

  26. The Primary & Formative Years Percentage of 2011 9th Grade Online Students in each Subgroup by Number of Schools Attended

  27. Secondary Success A Look at Graduates and Dropouts

  28. Secondary Success Overall, online schools’ graduation rates are much lower than statewide rates. Both online and statewide graduates had attended fewer schools on average than dropouts. Almost half (44%) of online graduates transferred to their current online school within the year they graduated. Key Findings - Graduates

  29. Secondary Success Overall, online schools’ dropout rates are much higher than statewide rates. Online schools have a higher percentage of dropouts in grades 7-10 than statewide dropouts. Nearly 60% of online dropouts had transferred to their current online school within the year they dropped out. Key Findings - Dropouts

  30. Secondary Success & Postsecondary Readiness Race and Ethnicity of Online School Dropouts and All Colorado Dropouts in 2010-2011 White students comprised a higher proportion of dropouts in online schools, while Hispanic students comprised a smaller proportion of dropouts in online schools as compared to the State.

  31. Percentage of All Graduates and Dropouts by Number of Schools Attended from 2007-08 through 2010-11 Secondary Success & Postsecondary Readiness Average Number of Schools Attended from 2007-08 through 2010-11 by Student Group

  32. University of Colorado-Denver (UCD) Study

  33. UCD Study Survey of K-12 Parents Survey of 9-12 Students Original Sample of Online Schools Branson School Online eDCSDColorado HOPE Online Learning Canon Online Academy Edison Academy Insight School Colorado Calvert Grande River Virtual Monte Vista Online Colorado Virtual Guided Online Academy Southwest Colorado Total response was 1247 students in grades 9-12, and 1982 parents of which 778 were parents of high school students. The remainder was parents of elementary or middle school students.

  34. Parent Respondents

  35. Online High School Respondents – Time in Online Learning and Grade Level

  36. Previous Experience in a Brick and Mortar School Online parents and students reported a high level of dissatisfaction with brick-and-mortar schools Parent and students reported a high level of absenteeism at their brick and mortar school

  37. Reasons for Absences in a Brick and Mortar School

  38. Reasons for Choosing an Online School • High School Parents and students’ reasons for choosing an online school • Students: • Like the choice of classes available online • Want to graduate early • Want classes to move faster • Was falling behind in classes and needed to change something • Need to make up credits for failed classes • Parents • Like the choice of classes available • Have concerns about the environment in brick-and-mortar schools • Alternative to home schooling

  39. Online School Supports and Activities • A high proportion of parents and students felt they had enough access to the following online school supports and activities: • Teacher support • Technology • Variety of classes • Guidance counselor support • Interaction with classmates/other students

  40. Parent and Student Satisfaction with Online School Students reported performing far better and being more motivated in their online school. Students were more satisfied with their online school, but academic performance remained low. Parents and students both felt that the communication at their online school was superior to communication at their most recent brick and mortar school.

  41. Feedback from Staff Interviews Parent involvement is critical at all grade levels. The public and traditional schools need to be educated about online learning before recommending this option. Professional development for teachers and staff is needed. Administration of State assessments is challenging for online schools. An alternative accountability framework should be considered for online schools. An alternative funding mechanism should be used for all schools.

  42. Recommendations • Online schools need to more accurately evaluate and diagnose their youngest students’ reading levels. • Online schools need to modify the programs and services they offer in order to better meet the needs of the students they are enrolling. • Excessive movement between schools should be avoided. • Parents and students need to be better educated about the realities of attending an online school. • Colorado should consider a different funding model for both online and brick & mortar schools that accounts for student mobility and competency-based pathways.

  43. Next Steps . . .

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