TheNEW Normal
BY BEVERLY KNOX-PIPES
“In an effort to expand opportunities for Michigan high school students, Superintendent Flanagan has invited schools and school districts to seek waivers from the Administrative Rules and Pupil Accounting Rules that cause barriers to innovation and student academic success.” This was the message from the Michigan Department of Education in 2007. At the time, only three school districts in Michigan ventured into this unknown territory. Since that time, at least 26 seat time waivers have been granted to various school districts throughout Michigan.
In the summer of 2009, the Michigan Department of Education granted a statewide seat time waiver to Genesee ISD due to the success it had shown with its own waiver implemented with the 21 school districts in its ISD region. The statewide model works through the GenNET portal (
www.gennet.us) to ensure that accurate data is available for evaluation purposes and that courses delivered via the portal are of high quality and teacher led. This portal offers over 900 teacher led online courses from eight providers that have met the guidelines established by GISD. Courses are taught by certified and highly qualified teachers.
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I could not have anticipated in 1993 when I finished my second bachelor’s degree. But, I do know that opportunities are now presenting themselves for educators to become tech-savvy – school improvement, student improvement and our state economy depend on it.”
Vanden Heuvel is a physics and mathematics teacher for the Michigan Virtual School. He is also a science education consultant for USA Today Education and a physics and astronomy professor at Calvin College and Grand Rapids Community College.
“Teaching online and developing new tools for online learning are among my greatest achievements because in the process I am working with my fellow online teachers and students to develop a new model of education, a model that is consistent with our 21st century, information-based society,” Vanden Heuvel said.
“Online instructors are a critical component to effective online teaching and learning,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of MVU. “Just like in face-to-face teaching, online instructors must be engaging, knowledgeable and available. Molly and Andrew are all of these things and more, and they represent the very best in what is a new and growing field. Our online teachers of the year truly
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believe all students can learn and do a remarkable job of developing rapport with students they never get a chance to meet in person.”
Online learning is expanding dramatically in Michigan and nationwide. Michigan Virtual School has seen its course enrollments climb from 100 during the 1999-2000 academic year to more than 15,000 during 2009-10. National estimates for online enrollments have jumped from 40,000 to 50,000 in 2000 to more than one million last year, according to the International Association for Online Learning (iNACOL).
About MVU MVU is a private, nonprofit Michigan corporation established in 1998 by the State of Michigan to serve as a champion for online learning. It is the parent organization of the Michigan Virtual School® and Michigan LearnPort®, an online learning portal that delivers professional development opportunities and more to the Michigan education community. To learn more, visit www.mivu. org.
Jamey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO, Michigan Virtual University® (MVU®), has served as a catalyst for change and a champion of innovation in public education. Mr. Fitzpatrick serves on the Board of Trustees for Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan, as well as the Michigan 4-H Foundation Board.
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SEAT TIME WAIVER OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
What is the seat time waiver? This simply means that all school districts in Michigan can offer up to 100% of high school classes completely online to high school students who are expelled, have life situations that prevent them from attending school on a regular basis such as illness, pregnancy, traveling with special performing arts or sports groups, work responsibilities to support family, or any number of other issues that high school students face. Through a partnership with their Intermediate School District, 512 local school districts signed a memorandum of understanding to deliver online classes to high school students through the GenNET portal (
www.gennet.us). The entire Seat Time Waiver process can be found at
www.geneseeisd.org/ quicklinks/seattimewaiver. This will take you to a Blackboard site that hosts the directions for enrolling students through the GenNET portal or email
stwinfo@geneseeisd.org.
In addition, each REMC in Michigan has identified a point of contact to work with each district in its REMC region to facilitate questions and the seat time waiver process. This is a great opportunity to help students stay on track toward graduation and find ways to meet their high school requirements in a very successful way. It is imperative that we understand that there is a “new normal” that allows alternative delivery of instruction to meet the needs of high school students using online learning.
Beverly Knox-Pipes is the Assistant Superintendent at Genesee Intermediate School District and has been instrumental in facilitating the use of distance education through interactive television and online learning for over 20 years in Michigan. She is a leader in distance education at the local, regional, state, and national level having received numerous awards for her work from the United States Distance Learning Association, MACUL, TWICE and the National School Boards As sociation. Contact her at 810-591-4436 or
bknoxpip@geneseeisd.org.
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