Education means inspiring someone’s mind, not just filling their head. -- Katie Lusk
Elo and school finance Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) is an innovative teaching and learning platform designed to ignite the unique potential of every child through the creation and delivery of dramatically customized learning experiences. ELO creatively and systematically integrates a vast range of new and existing teaching and learning tools, resources, modules and approaches into more personalized, engaging and relevant learning experiences that tap into each student’s passions, interests and learning styles inside and outside of the classroom.
School Finance in Colorado’s Context Currently, Colorado allocates funding to districts based on student attendance on a single count date each school year and the amount of student-teacher contact time scheduled for each student. Generally, students are eligible for full time funding if their schedule provides at least 360 hours of student-teacher contact and instruction per semester. Districts are required, but not limited, to provide: a school year calendar for each secondary school, which must be adopted by the local board of education, the district administration, the school administration, or any combination prior to the beginning of the school year; the bell schedule for each secondary school; and student schedules for all secondary students. These allocations do not take into consideration effectiveness of the hours spent or any changes in enrollment that occur during the rest of the year.
What is the connection between ELO and school finance? Schools have an obligation to educate every student, and the options for students are changing and varied (e.g., blended learning, competency-based systems). Making the connections between ELO and school finance means rethinking funding autonomies available to school and district leaders to enable them to make decisions that support personalized learning opportunities. A five-year goal of the ELO Initiative is that Colorado’s funding, accountability, and higher education admission systems will support competency-based pathways for students and funding will follow the child to an array of learning options.
Why is this important? Changing the way students are learning will require systemic innovation not only in how we view learning, teaching, and classrooms, but also in how we access and allocate our critical resources: people, time, and funding. The current reality of education funding in Colorado only underscores this fact. Sustainable solutions will not arise by continuing to cut from a funding model that currently produces an inadequate return on student outcomes. During times of consistently diminishing resources, we have an obligation to model change.
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What is the benefit to students and teachers? The key elements of the ELO vision are meant to aid and accelerate increased funding flexibility on behalf of school and district leaders. For example: How do elements of the ELO vision support ScHOOL FINANCE? Knowing the student means educators know what Arming school and district leaders with timely and students know, can do, and are ready for, as well as, individualized data to know students well will directly what motivates them and how they work and learn best. impact their ability to effectively allocate resources in ways that better meet and respond to individual student needs, competencies, learning styles, and learning options. Modularizing content means educators have access to Moving away from a funding system based on seat time varied and flexible instructional tools and resources that would empower schools and districts to have more allow them to offer content to students that is presented flexibility in implementing competency-based approaches. in different ways, at different paces, and with different Where students held back in the current system are likely support. They use what they know about each student to repeat an entire year of a specific subject, educators’ to determine next steps, grade, as well as course ability to unbundle content will ensure more targeted and completion and earned credit. efficient use of time, so that students can progress when they are ready. Maximizing time means schools make the best use The ability to differentiate time based on individual of each minute in the day and each day in the year. student and teacher needs would allow school leaders Calendars and schedules are driven by student learning to be more outcomes focused, vs. schedule and hours priorities and are organized to support educators’ ability dependent, in allocation of resources. to engage in the assessment and planning required to deliver personalized approaches. Reimagining human capital means school leaders think Leveraging expertise inside and outside of the classroom creatively about how to get people into roles that allow will support school leaders’ ability to develop innovative each teacher to give students his or her best each day. staffing systems, and marshal community resources and They also think differently about community partners relationships, to better meet school and student needs. and what it means to be highly qualified to deliver This type of autonomy and flexibility in staffing and specialized content in credit bearing courses. scheduling would inform more creative and efficient use of funds, as well as educator and community assets, at the school level. Varying delivery methods means teachers and Offering a range of personalized options for teaching schools work with students in flexible systems that and learning promotes a system where funding follows provide students with multiple ways to engage in and students to a variety of quality learning options. It also demonstrate the same rigorous learning. informs the need for autonomy in allocation of funds for technology and transportation costs (e.g. those related to operating on flexible schedules or providing access to traditionally out-of-school activities that should be incorporated into the school day to drive learning).
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What’s next? ELO Initiative implementation priorities and other upcoming opportunities: • The partnership between the Colorado Legacy Foundation (CLF) and the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is strategically structured to bring private funds to bear on public dollars, using short-term investments of private resources to build capacity and plan for the long-term sustainability of needed reforms undergirded by public funds. We believe that for the next 5-7 years there will be a need for continued investment in research and development to seed innovation and measure effectiveness of selected strategies. Importantly, CDE has conducted an internal funding analysis in order to be strategic about how existing funds are used, leveraged, and prioritized at the state and local levels. • The Colorado School Finance Partnership has outlined principles and recommendations for a new school funding system in Colorado that is focused on student outcomes, advancement based on mastery, and funding that follows students to an array of learning options. These recommendations are being used to drive conversations and inform potential legislative changes around needed improvements to Colorado’s School Finance Act. Recommendations from Colorado’s ELO Commission related to school finance: • Determine a new funding approach based on student outcomes and mastering competencies versus seat time and grade level enrollment. • Determine a school finance formula that equitably addresses student participation in both in-school classroom learning and blended, distance and online learning options within and outside of the school building.
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