Amy Bray RtI Coordinator/Learning Specialist

1. 1:1 Laptop Model The Technology is the Tool Blended Learning is the Solution Amy BrayRtI Coordinator/Learning Specialist Patrick StaleySocial Studies Chairperson

2. Today’s Digital Learners There is a disconnect between what we offer in schools and what the students need or want.

3. VOISE ACADEMY Virtual Opportunities Inside a School Environment (VOISE) is Chicago’s most innovative school when it comes 21st Century Learning. VOISE uses “Blended Learning” as a way to engage and educate urban students. At VOISE students use laptops which integrate teacher-led instruction with an online curriculum. Students use the latest digital and technological tools to create a student-centered, individualized learning environment.

4. Structure and Demographics • 400 students grades 9 – 12 (first graduating in 2012) • 98% African-American, 2% Latin American/Hispanic • 97% free or reduced lunch • 89% of students reside in the Austin Neighborhood. • Majority of students enter VOISE reading at a 5th grade level and 6th grade level in math. • 22% of population are students with special needs. • All 30 faculty members are Highly Qualified by NCLB standards and are certified in the content area they teach.

5. 1:1 Model @ VOISE Blended Learning Instructional Model and Culture of Innovation. Apex Curriculum, Self Pacing, Creating a Culture 5

6. Blended Learning Model Combine the synergy of technology, best distance learning pedagogy, and quality online curriculum with exemplary secondary classroom teachers to provide individual choice, scholarship, and achievement providing • rigorous, relevant, quality, accredited online curriculum allowing students to work at their own pace and truly master the material; • certified, subject matter expert teachers who can provide differentiated, just-in-time instruction; and • emphasis on building relationships as a catalyst to meeting high expectations and creating lifelong learners.

7. Blended Learning “Combining face-to-face with fully online components optimizes both environments in ways impossible in other formats” -Educause Research Bulletin, 2004 • Digital content/curriculum, LMS, online assessments, data system, AI, simulations • Shift in instructional model and PD/training Self-direction, high engagement, (Less direct student support needed) Struggling student, low-engagement, (More direct student support needed)

8. Blended Learning: The Convergence of Online and Face-to-Face…Powerful tools for Teachers Blended learning should be approached as not only a temporal construct, but rather as a fundamental redesign of the instructional model with the following characteristics: • A shift from lecture- to student-centered instruction where students become interactive learners (this shift should apply to entire course, including face-to-face sessions); • Increases in interaction between student-instructor, student-student, student-content, and student-outside resources; and • Integrated formative and summative assessment mechanisms for student and instructor.” - Educause, Blended Learning (2004)

9. What our 1:1 Model Looks Like • Students carry a laptop from class to class instead of books, students do not take the laptops home. • Follow a regular school schedule adhering to the union contract. • All students are encouraged and sometimes mandated to attend Saturday School. Students of academic levels come to Saturday School. • 90% of curriculum of is online, students use various online platforms for instruction (CK12 Flexbooks, Achieve 3000, Skills Tutor, Destination Math, Khan Academy, Gizmos, Quia) • Student data and feedback is immediate so teachers are always able to differentiate and reassess. • Students and parents are able to monitor grades and proficiency of skills through online components.

10. What our 1:1 Model Looks Like • Laptops attained through iProcurement leasing – Dell. • All rooms equipped with SMARTboards and other digital devices. • Have begun to use iPads in some courses such as Reading and Math. • MAC lab for our Digital Music and Multi-Media Electives • Students learn Spanish by using Rosetta Stone which immerses them in the language and culture.

11. Blended Learning = Personalization Digital and Online Curriculum Provides: • Real-time assessment of students. • Quick and easy access to student data. • Immediate feedback for students. This allows Teachers to: • Address learning gaps immediately. • Target students for intervention. • Adjust/modify instruction. • Give students and parents the information they need, when they need it, to drive their decisions.

12. Students are given the flexibility of online learning, with the support of face-to-face instructors so they always feel supported. Students work in a one-to-one laptop environment and gain daily exposure to 21st Century Skills. How does Blended Learning impact students @ VOISE? • Self-paced model creates students who are more confident and are more independent learners. • Satisfaction and success keep students in school, on-track for graduation, and prepared for college.

13. Change and Evolution for Success • Years 1-3: Used Apex Curriculum for core content instruction • Re-evaluated Programs during 2011 VOISE Instructional Summits • Students are highly engaged but need more individualized instruction. • Focus on RtIschool-wide • Create own curriculum using open source tools and software based on the Common Core • Focus on self-pacing and coaching students to address skill deficits.

14. 1:1 Laptop Model Individualizing and Differentiating Instruction Blended Learning The Perfect Model for RtI 14

15. Blended Learning & RtI • In order to solidify a true Blended Learning model, we utilized the RtI principles framework. • VOISE focuses on: • Providing all students with focused instruction that meets their individual learning needs. • Allowing students to work at their own pace to ensure understanding, competency, and mastery. • Using online curriculum and digital tools which enhance learning and engage struggling/disengaged students. • Data-driven instruction

16. Blended Learning & RtI • How do we do it? • The paradigm shift: • Changing our mindset from fitting our students into our curriculum to fitting our curriculum to meet our students’ individual needs. • A school-wide initiative: • All teachers and students are involved. • Students are receiving self-paced and individualized instruction based on their skill deficits and learning needs. • Focused online instructional tools available to all students: • SkillsTutor, Achieve3000, and Flexbooks.

17. Blended Learning & RtI • What results have we seen? • SkillsTutor: Tiers 2 and 3

18. Math and Reading Results

19. Blended Learning & RtI Empower 3000: • Average Lexile growth of 371 points for students who have completed at least 40 activities. • Student reading achievement: 1.75 years of Lexile growth in one academic year (2011-2012) • Average Lexile growth of 71 pointsfor students who have completed less than 40 activities. • Our daily structure allows students to practice with this program 2x the amount of a traditional school.

20. Blended Learning & RtI • Tiers 2 and 3 Interventions: • Students’ deficits determined by Stanford Diagnostic Reading and Math assessments. • Systematic schedule of intervention times are based on Tier level and deficits. • Each student receives a minimum of 45 minutes of targeted intervention-based instruction each week. • During intervention periods, students are following an individualized sequence of lessons which targets their specific deficits in Reading and Math.

21. A Whole School or Individual Classroom Solution While VOISE has been implemented at the school level, individual classrooms can adopt practices, such as: • Utilizing either a fully digital curriculum or digital resources associated with a curriculum. • Utilizing digital resources to allow for a “facilitator model of instruction”. • Utilizing available formative assessment data to foster differentiated instruction. 21

22. For More information or to schedule a site visit contact us through our website www.voiseacademy.org 22