On Tuesday, August 6, 2013, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) hosted a webinar to explore recently announced plans to update the Federal Communications Commission's E-Rate program. As more schools adopt new learning models powered by blended and online learning, an updated E-Rate program will provide more opportunities for schools, libraries and other learning environments to secure essential broadband access for the country's students. The webinar addressed the pressing need for schools and students to have improved access to high-speed Internet with upcoming online assessments in 2014.
Susan Patrick, President and CEO of iNACOL, said, "80 percent of U.S. schools do not have broadband Internet access sufficient to provide new learning models that ensure students graduate ready to face the challenges of a 21st century college or career environment. The United States is in the bottom half of developed nations for Internet access and speeds available to its citizens. It is vitally important that education leaders work with the FCC to strengthen and update the E-Rate program to make certain our students get the best start possible, regardless of where they learn."
In July, the FCC announced a proposal to modernize the E-Rate program to meet the educational needs of students and teachers. iNACOL, in partnership with leading education organizations, is committed to amplifying the voice of school leaders and policymakers throughout the country through this series of webinars dedicated to an examination of the E-Rate program and driving efforts to achieve a comprehensive update to this critical effort.
Presenters:
Susan Patrick, President and CEO, iNACOL
Evan Marwell, CEO and Co-founder, Education Superhighway
Susan Van Gundy, Associate Director for Assessment Technology, Achieve / PARCC
Jennifer Davis, Director, CCSSO Innovation Lab Network
More info: http://inacol.org
3. Susan Patrick
President and CEO, iNACOL
Susan Van Gundy
Associate Director for Assessment
Technology, Achieve / PARCC
Panelists
Evan Marwell
CEO & Co-Founder,
Education SuperHighway
Jennifer Davis
Program Director, CCSSO
Innovation Lab Network
4. About iNACOL
• Premier K-12 nonprofit in online learning dedicated to an important
student-centric mission: that all students have access to a world-class
education and quality blended and online learning opportunities that
prepare them for a lifetime of success.
• Leadership, advocacy, research, PD, quality standards, training, and
networking with experts in K-12blended and online learning.
– 4400+ members in K-12 blended and online learning in over 50
countries
– Annual conference – iNACOL Blended and Online Learning
Symposium: Orlando, FL in October 28-30, 2013
• Our strategic areas of focus in online and blended learning:
1. Policy
2. Quality
3. New Learning Models
5. iNACOL/CCSSO E-rate Webinars:
to empower & inform education
advocates
7/25
• E-rate 101:
Basics for
Education
Advocates
Today
• E-rate 2.0:
Defining
Drivers and
Capacity
Needs
SAVE THE DATE!
8/20 4-5 pm ET
• ConnectED
and E-rate:
Q&A with FCC
and Dept of
Education
officials
6. New Solutions through Online Learning
• 40% of US high schools do not offer AP courses
– 75% of districts use online learning to offer Advanced
Placement or college-level courses.
• Teacher Shortages
– 40% of public school districts in America today say they
need online learning resources because certified teachers
are not available for traditional face-to-face instruction.
• More than 50% need online learning to reduce
student scheduling conflicts to graduate on time.
• 60% of school districts say they need online learning
for credit recovery.
7. Trends
• Change toward New Models of Learning
– Online learning
– Blended learning
– Competency-based approaches
– Online credit recovery
– Mobile learning
• National:
– CCSSO Innovation Lab Network
– Gates Foundation’s Next Generation Learning
Challenges
• Wave IV Personalized, Blended, Mastery-based New School
Models
9. • Ensure Full Access to Broadband Internet Infrastructure
• Build out broadband connectivity with needs of digital content
resources, and online assessments to enable student-centered,
personalized, blended and online learning – accessible anytime,
anywhere at school and at home.
Top Policy Issue
10. Where we are now
• FCC launched update of E-Rate on
7/19/2013
• Comment on the Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking due 9/16/13
12. Jennifer Davis
Director, Innovation Lab Network
Council of Chief State School Officers
August 6, 2013
E-Rate 2.0:
Defining Drivers and
Capacity Needs
13. A new “North Star”…
College and career readiness for all students
14. …drives education system
transformation…
Personalized, mastery-based learning
Anytime, anywhere learning
Computer adaptive assessment
Real-time data collection and reporting
15. …with new requirements for technology
and connectivity
Hardware
Software
High-speed internet
17. CCSSO Innovation Lab Network
17
9 states taking collective action to
identify, test and scale student-
centered approaches to learning
that advance:
1. World-class knowledge and skills
2. Performance-based learning
3. Personalized learning
4. Comprehensive systems of learning
supports
5. Anytime, everywhere opportunities
6. Student agency
18. CCSSO Innovation Lab Network (cont’d)
Schools and districts in ILN states come together to advance new
and innovative practices aligned to the 6 critical attributes
States across the ILN come together to share lessons learned and
advance policies and practices to support and scale innovation
CCSSO facilitates collaboration and communication among ILN
states and with a broader audience, and provides leadership and/or
support as states move forward
19. ILN Excerpt #1
“Student learning is individualized in a variety of ways
in our district. Our middle school is the most
sophisticated with these practices with the
establishment of both Math and Literacy Centers in
which 100% of 7th and 8th graders
experience learning in a personalized manner. The
Math Learning Centers utilize ALEKS as a tool
along with a large group setting with multiple teachers
and staff, structured around regular student goal
setting and conferencing. Students move at a pace
commensurate with their ability to learn the content
and skills. Teachers monitor frequently and
incorporate mini or small group lessons strategically
based on student progress. The Literacy Center
works in a similar manner using Google Apps and
online teacher developed rubrics for ongoing
feedback. Teachers work in teams and share the
responsibility of helping all students grow.”
20. ILN Excerpt #2
“A teacher came to me wondering how she could
make her reading assessment available online. I
helped her create student Google Sites, Blogger, an
Audioboo and a Google form. I attached students’
Audioboo accounts to their Blogger
and embedded their Blogger into their Google
Site. The site layout was a two column layout. In one
column was the Blogger and in the other I embedded
the Google form. Now when students use the
Audioboo app on their iTouch, Smartphone, iPad,
etc, to read a paragraph, the ‘boo’ is quickly
posted to the blog where the teacher, the
student, or other students can listen to the ‘boo’
and complete the form. The teacher now can hear
the student progression throughout the year as well
as see how students rate themselves and others on
the individual’s progression.”
21. ILN Excerpt #3
“We are in the process of a 1:1 iPad roll out. In our
PD we have stressed how technology
supports learning but our focus is on personalization
and preparing students for -career and -college
readiness. Recently in a 1,2,3 multiage
NxGL classroom, some students were gathered in a
corner discussing a problem they were solving in
math. A first grade student pulled out her iPad,
snapped a photo of some of the data they were
discussing and then invited her group to another
remote location of the room. She proceeded to show
the group, which contained several older
students, how they could pull the data up on Skitch
(a free app) and mark it up to collaborate over the
data while working to solve their problem. This
without any teacher direction! This student
demonstrated her understanding of how technology
can facilitate learning and allowed them to opportunity
to move “anywhere” and mark and remix the data to
make it their own.”
22. Recent state-level movement
California – Piloting Education Technology Task
Force recommendations
Iowa – Creating a statewide plan for digital
learning
Kentucky – Developing next-generation Open
Educational Resources linked to the Common
Core for broad distribution
Maine – Exploring expanded access to online
courses, simulations, video resources
New Hampshire – Exploring open-source data
systems and other digital platforms to support
competency-based education system
Wisconsin – Implementing statewide learning
management system
23. CCSSO Digital Learning Task Force
CCSSO recently launched a chiefs’ Digital Learning
Task Force to engage federal policymakers in support of
improved digital learning opportunities for all students.
This task force, co-chaired by Tom Luna from Idaho and
Tom Torlakson from California, seeks as its first
objective to inform the FCC rulemaking process that
would improve and expand the E-Rate program.
The task force will advise upon:
Appropriate targets for E-Rate success
Metrics to define E-Rate success
States role in E-Rate program administration.
24. Our Imperitive
We must eliminate the “digital divide” in public schools to
ensure that all students have access to 21st century
learning opportunities.
31. Confidential
Teachers Waiting for Robust Infrastructure
31
45
77
105
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0-25% 25-50% 50-75% 75-100%
AvailableBandwidth(Kbps/student)
Bandwidth Utilization
Average Bandwidth By Utilization Quartile
32. Confidential
State of the Nation
Source: EducationSuperHighway National SchoolSpeedTest – Interim Results as of 6-20-13
Assessment Readiness Based on SBAC Standard (Basic = 20K bps/student; Media Rich = 50 Kbps/student)
Digital Learning Readiness Based on SETDA Standard
42%
31%
27%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Not Ready For
Assessment
Ready For Basic
Assessment
Ready For Media
Rich Assessment
Assessment Readiness
77%
23%
1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Not Ready For
Digital Learning
Ready For Digital
Learning (2013)
Ready For Digital
Learning (2017)
Digital Learning Readiness
37. Confidential
Dark Fiber Transforms Bandwidth Costs
$40
$6.15
$0.69 $0.08
$-
$5
$10
$15
$20
$25
$30
$35
$40
$45
Median
School
"Best
Practice"
Leased
Dark Fiber
Leased
Dark Fiber
Owned
Cost Per Megabit
21 159
1,419
12,237
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
Median
School
"Best
Practice"
Leased
Dark Fiber
Leased
Dark Fiber
Owned
Megabits Per School*
38. Confidential
E-Rate Modernization Objectives
• Update goals to focus on Internet infrastructure
– Priority One = Internet access, WAN, LAN & Wi-Fi
– Priority Two = Telephony, Mobile, Application Services
• Fund one time capital investment to connect schools to dark fiber
and deploy ubiquitous wireless networks
• Create incentives for pooled purchasing & cost savings
• Increase transparency & accountability
– Web based Form 471 Item 21 data entry portal
– Automated bandwidth monitoring
• Simplify the E-Rate application process
EducationSuperHighway 38
40. Technology and
Common Core Assessments
Susan Van Gundy
Associate Director for Assessment Technology
Achieve
40
41. What Is PARCC?
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for
College and Careers:
Made up of 20 states
Developing common, high-quality
math and English language arts
(ELA) tests for grades 3–11
Computer-based and linked to what students need to know
for college and careers
For use starting in the 2014–15 school year
41
42. Available Now: PARCC Item Prototypes
Available Now: Technology Readiness Tool
Available Now: Capacity Planning Tool
Available Now: Accessibility/Accommodations Manual
Summer 2013: Item Try Outs and Research Studies
Fall 2013: Additional Prototypes Released
Winter 2013: System Check Tools Open
Spring 2014: Field Test
Spring 2014: Practice Test Available
School Year 2014-2015: First Operational Assessment
PARCC Timeline
43. Assessment Design
ELA/Literacy and Mathematics, Grades 3–11
43
Beginning of
School Year
End of
School Year
Diagnostic
Assessment
Mid-Year
Assessment
Performance-
Based
Assessment
End-of-Year
Assessment
Speaking and
Listening
Assessment
Optional Required
Key:
Flexible administration
44. Assessment Shifts
PARCC Assessment Technology Shifts
From To
Scale Individual state tests Multistate consortia sharing common tests, common
infrastructure, and economies of scale.
Content Low complexity
items and task
response modes.
Cognitively complex tasks that leverage use of multimedia,
interactivity, authentic tasks, multi-part, simulations – and
address traditionally difficult to assess skills within the
Common Core.
Delivery - Once a year
- Paper and pencil
Computer-based assessment system including summative,
mid-year, diagnostic components + curricular and
professional development resources.
Scoring &
Reporting
- End of year
- Decontextualized
- High Level
- Data to inform instruction
- Contextualized to CCSS
- More granular feedback
Data Student responses - Responses, interactions, patterns to improve assessments
- Data for state longitudinal systems
- Results will be interpretable across states (for example
when a student moves from one state to another)
Infrastructure - Procured services
- State-specific
- Common consortium infrastructure
- Scalable, flexible, extensible
Interoperability Virtually none Common standardized formats for results data, items, and
student registration allow interoperability across states and
across technical components.
45. Some examples include:
Text to Speech
Speech to Text
Magnification / Zoom
Highlighting
Customized colors
Masking
Graphic organizers or
representations
Captions for audio and video
Descriptive video
Native language
supports/tools
Braille (tactile/refreshable)
Signing supports (ASL)
Assistive technologies
Accessibility Features and
Accommodations
45
46. School Technology Readiness
TECHNICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
• Devices and Networks
• Bandwidth
• Accessibility
• Security
• Interoperability
• Data Storage and Reporting
• Tech Support
• User Training
• Systems Testing
LEARNING
INFRASTRUCTURE
• Standards
• Curriculum
• Pedagogy
• Instructional Materials
• Opportunity to Learn
• Professional Development
• Formative and Summative
Assessments
• Data Analysis
46
47. PARCC
Technology
Specifications
Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Thin Client/VDI
Minimum Recommended
Operating
System
Windows XP–SP3 (with caveats)
Mac OS 10.5
Linux: Ubuntu 9-10, Fedora 6
iOS6
Android 4.0
Chrome OS
Windows 7 or newer
Mac OS 10.7 or newer
Linux: Ubuntu 11.10, Fedora 16
iOS6 or newer
Android 4.0 or newer
Chrome OS
Memory By operating system 1 GB RAM
Processor By operating system 1 GHz
Screen Size 9.5 “ 9.5 “ or larger
Screen
Resolution
1024 x 768 1024 x 768 or better
Bandwidth 5 kbps/ student
using local caching
100 kbps/ student
to support instruction and
assessment
48. Technology Readiness Tool Goals
• Assist states and districts in evaluating their own readiness
and creating specific strategies to address local needs
• Inventory baseline level of technology and supporting
infrastructure currently residing in schools
• Data to inform for technical platform architecture and
assessment designs
• All states are defining and evaluating readiness in same way
Smarter Balanced – PARCC – SETDA
Technology Readiness Tool
48
49. State & Local Participation
• State Readiness Coordinators (SRCs)
• Serve as primary point of contact for working with Pearson
and the consortia
• Communicate regularly to Local Educational Agencies
(LEAs) including technology personnel
• Facilitate training of LEA technology personnel
• Answer questions from LEA personnel
• LEA Staff
• Upload or enter data for each school
• Communicate when they are “finished” with data
entry for a particular readiness assessment window
49
50. Data Collection Parameters
Data Collection Parameters
Parameter Collection Method
Device Specifications Readiness
Operating System Auto
Processor
(Type/Speed/Capacity)
Auto
Memory Auto
Resolution Auto
Monitor/Display size Survey
Supported Browsers Auto
Wireless connectivity Survey
Type of Device Survey
Device-to-Tester Readiness
Number of devices Calculation
Number of testers Survey
Length of testing window in
school days
Survey
Number of sessions/day Survey
Ratio of devices/testers/sessions Calculation
Parameter Collection Method
Network Infrastructure Readiness
Estimated Internet Bandwidth
Available
Survey
Estimated Maximum Network
Speed
Survey
Estimated Network Utilization Survey
Number of wireless access
points/school
Survey
Ratio: wireless devices to access
points/school
Calculation
Maximum number of
simultaneous testers
Survey
Available bandwidth for maximum
number of testers
Calculation
Staff & Personnel Readiness
Survey Question: Categories of
Concerns/Problems
Survey
50
Not Available in First Data Collection
52. • Technology Strategy for Instruction and
Assessment
• Clear, Consistent, and Intentional Planning
• State Leadership and Support
• Intra-State Education Agency Coordination
• Clear and Ongoing Communications
• Network Analysis at the Local Level
• Recognition That One Size Does Not Fit All
52
Key Lessons – Successful
Planning Involves…
53. Devices
• Most machines meet or exceed consortia minimums, many
meet recommended specifications (except operating system)
• Windows XP still dominant operating system
• Windows > Mac > Chrome > Linux > iOS > Android
• Tablet segment is growing
• Wireless vs. Wired almost even
• Very little BYOD reported
June 2013 Snapshot – PARCC + SBAC Trends
7.9 million devices reported
72,000 schools / 14,000 districts
54. Networks
• Network speeds and utilization estimates are difficult for
schools to report (32% of responses reported no network
data)
• Local environment considerations need to be calculated at a
finer grain size to be meaningful (network configuration, peak
load speeds, wired vs. wireless, simultaneous non-assessment
usage, simultaneous test takers)
Staffing
• Largest concerns are around (1) having adequate IT staffing
levels and (2) proctors having sufficient technical training to
administer tests
June 2013 Snapshot – PARCC + SBAC Trends
7.9 million devices reported
72,000 schools / 14,000 districts
58. www.inacol.org
Thank you!
Follow up questions about this webinar?
Contact:
Maria Worthen
Vice President for Federal & State Policy, iNACOL
mworthen@inacol.org
Editor's Notes
Jenny’s task: Set context for 2014 assessments, quick overview of state drivers of the need for an E-rate update (e.g., blended and online learning, new learning models)
To better serve the needs to all students, education systems are undergoing transformative change through the implementation of digital learning tools and adaptive assessments.
Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces is a Web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system. ALEKS uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know in a course. ALEKS then instructs the student on the topics she is most ready to learn. As a student works through a course, ALEKS periodically reassesses the student to ensure that topics learned are also retained. ALEKS courses are very complete in their topic coverage and ALEKS avoids multiple-choice questions. A student who shows a high level of mastery of an ALEKS course will be successful in the actual course she is taking.ALEKS also provides the advantages of one-on-one instruction, 24/7, from virtually any Web-based computer for a fraction of the cost of a human tutor.
Screen readers text-to-speech/speech-to-text software Highlighting Enlargement of text/graphicsCustomized colorsGraphic organizers or representations Customized dictionary or other home language supports/toolsEmbedded/pop-up glossary Reducing visual distractions surrounding written text Captions for audioDescriptive audio for students with visual impairments Option response: adapted keyboards, StickyKeys, MouseKeys, FilterKeysBraille (tactile/refreshable)Signing supports (ASL)Assistive technology
Susan will do a brief, high level stage setting about the inseverability of assessment from other parts of the system, and importance of technology supporting learning first and then assessment.As states think about and plan for PARCC’s technology-based assessments, this needs to happen on multiple fronts. It has become a recurring theme in our conversations with PARCC states that there are needs around building readiness in both learning infrastructure and technical infrastructure – areas that have traditionally been considered separately, yet states recognize the need for these two areas to inform and reinform each other. This is increasingly the approach we are taking to interpreting and planning for the transition to computer-based assessments
Key points: For this spring, there are 18 parameters to be collected (and four more that we will calculate manually) Subsequent readiness assessment windows will likely add more info (such as any locally-installed software requirements), as the consortia further define their delivery engine and their minimum technology requirements.CLICK to show red circleThe highlighted parameters will be measured against the PARCC minimum hardware specifications
When looking at sustaining these efforts over time, there were some consistent themes across states that have the most experience with computer-based testing and widespread digital learning access. These key lessons include:Clear, Consistent, and Intentional PlanningThese states developed clear strategic plans to help districts build technology capacity and create a long-term vision for the state’s digital landscape. State leaders should consider creating clear plans to implement feedback loops and monitor progress, allowing a state to identify any challenges or issues in the plan and correct the course of action. State Leadership and SupportMany of the states that have successfully helped schools and districts build robust technology infrastructure have had strong and sustained leadership whether from the governor, a state legislator, the state’s chief state school officer, or state education agency leaders. In these cases, having a champion to help build the vision, lead the effort, and sustain support over time was critical. This holds true regardless of the state’s role (i.e. facilitating disseminating best practices, procurements, etc.).Intra-State Education Agency CoordinationStates can benefit from proactive, coordinated planning efforts across state education departments, including assessment, curriculum and instruction, teacher effectiveness and professional development, communication and outreach, and federal programs. States should also encourage personnel within the agency to work with professional organizations to network with and learn from other states by sharing strategies and lessons. These efforts should address all student populations to include students with disabilities and English learners. Clear and Ongoing CommunicationsIt is essential that states map out a communication strategy outlining different messages that may need to be targeted to different stakeholder groups, including legislators and state government leaders, educators, parents, students, business leaders, and community leaders. In some cases, communication will need to include targeted messages among different stakeholder groups to help build the support needed (monetary or otherwise) for increasing access to technology across the state. One Size Does Not Fit AllImplementing one or two strategies to help districts close technology gaps is unlikely to be enough. Instead, state leaders may want to consider a set of strategies that are targeted to the needs of different types of districts and that best fit the state’s policy and regulatory context.