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Mississippi Virtual Public School Using tomorrow’s technology for today’s learning… www.mvps.mde.k12.ms.us Today’s Goals: • Explore the rapid growth of online learning • Reflect on the history and growth of online learning in Mississippi • Examine the plan for continued success for Mississippi’s virtual students Here we grow… A 2006 report called “Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning: A Review of State-Level Policy and Practice” (from the North American Council for Online Learning [NACOL]) says enrollment in online courses has increased by as much as 50% in some states. 38 states have state-led online programs, policies regulating online education, or both. Standards matter… Guidelines for high-quality online teaching have been developed by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and the National Education Association (NEA). Why a virtual high school? • • • • • • • • • More choices for students Equitable learning opportunity Address local teacher shortages Distribute and model online teaching and learning Flexible scheduling Enhanced course selection Critical graduation credit Accommodate alternative learning styles Prepare 21st-century employees The history of online learning in Mississippi • Mississippi Online Learning Institute (MOLLI) was launched in 2000. • In 2006, the new Mississippi Virtual Public School was launched. Senate Bill No. 2602 “It is the intent of the Legislature that the Mississippi Virtual Public School established under this section provides Mississippi families with an alternative choice to access additional educational resources in an effort to improve academic achievement.” What is the MVPS? • The first state-wide public virtual high school • An educational alternative offered at no cost to districts, students, and parents • An innovative plan to increase opportunities for “under-served” populations, including rural schools and low-performing schools • A way to support class-size reduction and equitable educational access initiatives High School Participation 200 2004-2005 23 H.S. Pre-Katrina 150 2005-2006 39 H.S. Post-Katrina 2006-current 178 H.S. (est. site coordinators) 100 50 0 H. S. Participants Pre-Katrina Post Katrina MVPS Teacher’s Pool 100 80 60 40 20 0 MOLLI Active Contracted MVPS Pending MOLLI Active = 13 Contracted = 32 Pending = 19 MVPS Active = 53 Contracted = 98 Pending = 4 Total trained in Teacher’s Pool with Contracts = 94 Course Offerings 70 60 MOLLI Active Sections: 13 50 40 30 MVPS Active Sections (spring semester): 65 20 10 0 MOLLI Courses MVPS Active Sections Student Enrollments MOLLI 706 MVPS >2000 (including new spring 2007 semester enrollments) 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Enrollments MOLLI MVPS MVPS is an educational service managed by the MDE. MDE/ MVPS team Parents MVPS Student MVPS Teachers Local High School/Site Coordinator • All enrollments come through local public high schools. • Credit is granted by the local high school. • There is a shared responsibility for student progress and success. More about us… • Our course management system: Desire2Learn • Our curriculum: Aventa • Our teachers: Mississippi-certified teachers - many teach at local high schools during the day Going to Class… Students have a unique username and password to access their courses. Once they have logged in, they are brought to a home page. From here they can access email, the pager, news information, preferences, and more. Going to Class… Students click on these links to access their individual MVPS courses. Inside the classroom… This is an example of a course home page. This is Earth Science. Inside the classroom… Mr. McKammon is RCSD’s Teacher of the Year! From the course home page, teachers can communicate with their students about the weekly assignments and expectations. Students access all course materials online. Students can save or print materials if they choose. Links to additional course content Discussion Boards simulate classroom discussion. Virtual Dropbox Students use the Dropbox to submit assignments to the teacher; the teacher also returns graded assignments (with qualitative and quantitative feedback) to the students within four days. Assessment Students can take course quizzes and often receive immediate feedback. All midterm and final exams, however, are proctored at the local high school site. Summer 2007 Math Science Social Studies Language Arts Elective Algebra II Earth Science American Government English III Programming I Pre-Algebra Physical Science Economics English IV Programming II Geometry Global Studies Psychology Priority Summer Registration: March 5-16, 2007 Future academic initiatives • Expanded Advanced Placement course offerings • MVPS teachers will update curriculum on a regular basis, beginning Summer 2007 • Development of an online Mississippi Studies course • Course offerings for 7th, 8th, and 9th graders The MVPS Team Gwenda B. Purnell Special Assistant to the State Superintendent Office of Leadership & Professional Development [email protected] Jackie Mangieri IT Planner [email protected] Lavern Fortson Educational Specialist Sr. [email protected] Connie Ratcliffe IT Planner [email protected] Demetrice Watts Special Projects Officer II [email protected] Questions?