Digital Directions

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Meeting the Challenges of

COMMONCORE 12

Shifting to Adaptive Testing_The goal is to build better measures of student skills and knowledge.

14 Tailoring the Tests To Special Needs?

Questions raised about adaptive assessments.

18 Choosing the Right Device_A look

at the issues technology leaders are considering when they choose what devices to buy.

19 Bandwidth Demand Rising Sthnol te[hnology needs grow Faster in preparation For commoncore testing.

DEFYING TRADITION:

Lindsay High School students work together during a history class.

The Lindsay Unified

School District

33 Are You Ready? _Many school districts are worried that the technology demands of the common core could create a perfect storm of digital challenges.

25

in California

is putting

education system in place at all grade levels that emphasizes

a competency路based digital learning.

Virtual Ed. Dives In to the Common Core_E-learning advocates are optimistic about the common standards' emphasis on digital learning.

42 Open Education Resources Surge_Spurred by the adoption of common-core standards by nearly every state, the movement For open digital resources is growing as educators realign curricula.

Where's the Money? _Paying

For digital upgrades tor the common core will take a creative redistribution of resources.

29 High-Priority Virtual

PD_[ommon core raises the profile of online training programs For educators.

30 Online PO Destinations

DEPARTMENTS 4

EDITOR'S NOTE

5

DD SITE VISIT

8 45

BITS & BYTES_News and Trends SECURITV_DnlineTesting

Go-to resources For educators.

Education Week Digital Directions [ISSN: 1940-8609] is published by Editorial Projects in Education Ine. Editorial and business offices: 6935 Arlington Rd., Suite 100, Bethesda, MD 20814-5287; (301)280-3100. For advertising information, call (301) 280-3100 or e-mail ads@epe.org. Copyright 漏 2012 by Editorial Projects in Education Ine. All rights reserved.

COVER ILLUSTRATION: Dan Tero_iStockphoto; Laura Baker, Gina Tomko_Digital Directions

In

EDUCATION WEEK

DIGITAL DIRECTIONS

PRESIDENT & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

NOTE

Ready or Not, Here They Come

VIRGINIA B. EDWARDS EXECUTIVE EDITOR I

EDITOR'S

KEVIN C. BUSHWELLER DEPUTY DESIGN DIRECTOR

Design Lead, Digital Directions

GINA TOMKO DESIGN DIRECTOR

LAURA BAKER

Tidal wave of tech. needs for common core rises

ASSISTANT DESIGN DIRECTOR

VANESSA SOLIS DESIGNERS

LINDA H. JURKOWITZ, PAULA SALERNO SENIOR WRITER

increasing pressure to upgrade your technology programs in preparation for what's ahead?

KATIE ASH, IAN QUILLEN EDITORIAL INTERN

MIKE BOCK

Many district technology leaders are feeling that

WRITER

pressure acutely, and that is why we dedicated

LESLIE HARRIS O'HANLON

this issue of the magazine to examining the

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

challenges schools are facing as they try to

CHARLES BORST ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

NICOLE FRUGE JOARNONE

demands of the common core, which call for having online testing in COORDINATOR

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COORDINATOR

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EDITOR, edweek.org

KATHLEEN KENNEDY MANZO ONLINE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, edweek.org

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PAUL HYLAND PUBLISHER & GENERAL MANAGER

MICHELE J. GIVENS CONTROLLER

edweek.org

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Some districts "are panicked about getting ready for it but some are Ann Flynn, the director of educational technology for the Alexandria, Va.based National School Boards Association. "I won't say they're in denial, but it's going to be a real challenge for a lot of districts:' (See 'j'lre You Ready?," Page 2 7.) atmosphere, where accountability is center stage. School district

JEFF RUPP DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE

daunting. And that is especially the case in districts struggling to make financial ends meet.

Of course, ignorance is not bliss, especially in the current K- 12

JILL N. WHITLEY DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT,

place by the 2014-15 school year. That school year may still feel relatively far off to the average student or teacher, but for educational technology leaders, who appreciate that upgrades do not happen overnight, it is

not even in a place where they know enough to be panicked yet" says

CHERI HUNG CHIEF TECHNOLOGY

determine what technological measures they need to put in place in preparation for the standards.

The reality is that many districts are not ready for the technological

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

PRODUCTION

he Common Core State Standards are reality every day. Are you feeling the

STAFF WRITERS

ADVERTISING

•••

picking up steam and racing closer to

MICHELLE R. DAVIS

CONTRIBUTING

-

technology leaders need to take an honest inventory of what they have versus what they need to meet the technology demands of the common core. Then they need to be realistic and strategic about what they can put in place with the resources available, working creatively with their states and other districts to make it happen.

It will be a bumpy and imperfect journey over the next two years. But there is a silver lining: The demands of the common core are opening the doors for schools across the country to take a hard look at their technological infrastructure and how they use digital tools for learning.

And this hard look will undoubtedly create the kind of pressure that can lead to better ideas for how technology should be used in schools .•

MANAGERS

GUY BLUMBERG (917) 747-1351 JULIE FAGAN (301) 502-4300 JOSH FORD (301) 280-3203

C~C~ Kevin C. Bushweller kbushweller@epe,org

Browse these and other past issues online.

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Learn how adaptive testing works and the characteristics that differentiate these tests from traditional exams.

Edlech in Action > >

www.digitaldirections.org/go/adaptivetesting

See video interviews and stories about how educational technology is shaping K-12 education.

I WEBINAR I

www.digitaldirections.org/go/techvideos

OnDemand»>

Startup Hopefuls Test Ideas With Educators

_

E-Learning in the Age of Choice

Watch a video about how one participant

Now that many students have the opportunity

in Imagine

to take online

K12, the only startup incubator program specifically for

courses, schools and districts are starting to offer more

K-12 education technology,

choices when it comes to providers and accessing virtual

prepares to pitch a product

education. Some districts are adapting online courses so they can be accessed by smartphones. States are also making

idea to a group of educators. www.digitaldirections.org/go/startupvideo

sure students have choices in how they use virtual education.

Several states have passed recent legislation requiring that districts allow students to choose their own online learning providers, whether that means state-run online schools, virtual charters, or private providers. This webinar provides

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_

Read about news and trends in the eo-tech world on a host of topics, including online coursetaking, mobile computing,

useful tips for school administrators and K-12 policymakers on how to navigate this choice-filled world of virtual options.

Sign up to view this webinar at any time. www.digitaldirections.org/go/webinar/ElearningChoice

gaming, and budget challenges. www.digitaldirections.org/go/digitaled

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Learn more about how school leaders can build bridges

Sign up for our Twitter updates on ed-tech

between educators who use technology and researchers

news and events.

who seek to understand its impact on teaching and learning.

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Digital Directio en ns ~ ews/etters receive t ' UPdates on h;~crmonthly is shaping K-12 echnology edUcation Www,edweek.org/go/ ' neWSletters to

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Tell the editor what you think about articles in this issue and what topics should be

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covered in future issues of the magazine.

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kbushweller@epe.org

SOCIAL NElWORKING

that children's virtual lives could get in the way of their real-life social skills and

Parents See Benefits in Kids' Facebook Time

friendships.

The expert's take?

Social-media exposure has many benefits

says Children's Mercy child psychologist Ec Christophersen, but giving children

Parents, it turns out, rarely see Facebook as a danger zone.

-A whopping 83 percent of parents think SAFETY & SECURITY

the benefits of their children's social-

Durham Students Can Now Text Anonymous Tips Students in Durham, N.C., public schools can now use their mobile phones to provide anonymous tips to

media use outweigh or at least balance any perceived risks.

In a national survey by Children's Mercy, Hospitals and Clinics, almost three-fourths of parents said social media prepare children for success in a digital society and encourage curiosity and collaboration.

The results surprised researchers at Kansas City, Mo.-based Children's Mercy,

school safety administrators.

The service, called Text-A-Tip, allows

given that parents also said they are

students to send anonymous tips online, via smartphone, or by sending a text message to "CRIMES" (274637) with the

and cyberbullying.

More than half of the 728 parents surveyed thought social media made their children

concerned about child molesters, sexting,

unlimited and unsupervised access is asking for trouble.

"Most of us did some things as adolescents that we don't want on the front page of The Kansas City Star," he says. "And yet we kind of assume blindly that our kids won't:' Police agree.

"You have a right to demand the password for your children," Overland Park, Kan., polio spokesman Gary Mason says. "They're your kids, and you should be actively looking at what they put on the Internet:' Of the parents surveyed, 71 percent believe that 13 is the right age to let their children use Facebook. Christophersen says that's usually the right choice.

"People keep saying 'what age, what

keyword DPSTIP from any mobile phone.

"In a school setting, it's often imperative that information be conveyed to authorities quickly," says Eric Becoats, the superintendent of the 32,700-student

PARENTS MONITOR THEIR CHILDREN

BY LOGGING INTO THEIR ACCOUNTS

MONITOR BY "FRIENOING" THEM

MONITOR BY MAKING THEM SHOW THEIR PROFILE PAGES

DO NOT MONITOR CHILD'S FACEBOOK ACnVITIES

district. 'And with Text-A-Tip, students will know that it is safe for them to do the right thing without ever disclosing their identity:' Students can use Text-A-Tip to report any safety-related information, including bullying, suicide prevention, sexting, drug use, or information about potential crimes.

Currently used by more than 800 schools and law-enforcement agencies throughout the country, Text-A-Tip,which is provided

by Draper, Utah-based CrimeReports, allows text-message providers to remain

SOURCE: MinorMonitor

more open-minded.

Barely two in five parents worried their children's online

2012

age, what age?' Well, it depends on the maturity level," he says. "If you've had a kic that has just been a pain, why would you give them unlimited access to the Internet?"

anonymous by encrypting the text

activity could breed social isolation and

messages, assigning them a unique 10,

behavioral problems.

Facebook restricts children younger than 13 from opening an account, although it's

and routing them through secure

Roughly the same number was concerned

not uncommon for children to lie about their age when signing up.

-MC'

servers.

8

-McCLATCHY-TRIBUNE

INFORMATION

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e I

VIRTUAL

EDUCATION

Pa. Cyber Charter School Fires Most Top Managers The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School board has axed its director, finance director,

school of education and former superintendent of the Quaker Valley school district "I think when you remove that number of

parents and teachers around the country

with his or her situation:'

asked them to answer some important

Along with Oberg, 43, the board terminated

management that education experts are

officer Judy Shepp. Also dismissed is law firm Barry & Worner of Green Tree, Pa, one of

by the school's board in September, have anything to do with the search of the school in July by FBI and IRS agents. A federal grand jury is probing current or former executives of the Midland-based school.

School officials confirmed the moves, but said they had nothing to do with the federal investigation.

Andrew Oberg, the school's fired director, said he believes the school will continue to thrive. "I have so much confidence in the folks that work here, and I told them at a meeting that it needs to continue," he says.

890/0 760;0

-

The purge leaves in place school Chief Executive Officer Michael Conti and just one of the four directors who used to report to

-

him. It eliminates one of the two law firms

-

the school leaned on for its legal work.

Pennsylvania Cyber is a public school that

-

open to students from throughout the state.

When a student enrolls with the school, his or her home school is compelled to pay tuition based roughly on its average perpupil cost.

application process.

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~~

-

~

TEACHERS

-

PARENTS

•

Giving each student an Intemet-connected device like a tablet computer

•

Purchasing new science textbooks

-

The school has grown from around 500

15%

110;0

does most of its teaching online and is

effects, says Ralph "Jerry" Longo, an associate

Albuquerque Schools Replacing Textbooks With 'Tech books'

Which would be a better investment of $200 per student for a school district today?

served the state-chartered online school.

students in 2000 to a total of 10,284 students, with around gOOmore in the

DIGITAL CONTENT

school budget questions.

whose attorneys, W. Timothy Barry, has long

The removal of so much of the top management, though, could have ripple

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A survey of more than 800 public school

ranks," he says. "Everyone becomes nervous

finance director Scott Antoline, personnel director Nancy Yanyanin, and compliance

potentially damaging in the long term.

It's unclear whether the firings, approved

DECISIONS

Choosing Between Print and Digital

people who are in charge of an organization, obviously there's an impact through the

personnel director, compliance officer, and a longtime lawyer, in a near-sweep of its top characterizing as highly unusual and

"r

SPENDING

professor at the University of Pittsburgh's

-

sou RCE: PRESS

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Albuquerque Journal reported, Officials in the gO,OOO-studentdistrict say contracting with Silver Spring, Md.-based Discovery Education is cheaper than buying new textbooks and will better prepare students, "This is going to be a transition year," says

--

ParentsfTeachers

on Technology

in Education,

August 2012; Hart Research for the Leading Education

by Advancing

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passages, and glossaries.

Making the transition from traditional books to tech books has some teachers concerned, including Gary Bodman, who teaches science at Madison Middle School. He says he's worried about those students who don't have

Shelly Green, the district's chief academic

computers or Internet access at home.

textbooks in New Mexico's largest public

officer. "We're not going and pulling books out of the schools, but we do want teachers to start

At Zuni Elementary, which piloted the program last year, a computer lab for

school district appear to be numbered.

taking advantage of this. The electronic world

students and parents is open after school

is really where the kids are starting to live:' District officials call the new materials

and is accessible to students during the day.

District officials say the same kinds of

"tech books:' They include videos, interactive

accommodations district.

The days of students' use of traditional

The Albuquerque school board recently approved an $11.3 million contract with a company that provides Web-based resources instead of paper educational materials, the

lessons, educational games, online reading

FaII

will be made across the -AP

2012_Digital Directions»

9

ED-TECH PERSPECTIVES

E-LEARNING

Parents, Teachers Rate Benefits Of Using Tech. for Learning

Florida Ed. Dept.

Investigates Operator Of Virtual School

A national survey of more than 800 public school parents and teachers found especially strong support for digital learning was among parents.

Parents

â&#x20AC;˘

Teachers

r---------------------~------~~--------~75%

Real-time feedback on mudentpertonnance

INDUSTRY

60%

The Florida Department investigating

largest for-profit

Individual/flexible learning, tailored to each student

online virtual education

provider, over allegations uses uncertified

More hands-on learning opportunities

74% 47%

Closer connections: classroom and real world

73% 56% 72%

Students more engaged and active participants

61%

of Education is

K12 lnc, the nation's the company

teachers in violation of

state law and has asked employees to cover up the practice, K12 lnc, officials allegedly asked statecertified teachers to sign class rosters that included students they hadn't taught, according to documents that are part of the investigation, which began in January.

Opportunities to learn from experts outside classroom

72% 52% 69%

Exposing students to different perspectives

documents obtained by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and

63% 50%

Connecting students with counselors to motivate/guide SOURCE: ParentsfTeachers

more than 100 students, according to

51%

learning opportunities beyond school hours

Statelmpact Florida. But the documents show she only recognized seven names on that list.

62% 25%

"I cannot sign off on students who are not my actual students," then-K12 teacher

on Technology in Education, August 2012:

Hart Research for the Leading Education by Advancing

In one case, a K12 manager instructed a certified teacher to sign a class roster of

Digital (LEAD) Commission

Amy Capelle wrote to her supervisor, "It is 111111111111'111111

COMPUTERIZED

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NAEP Writing Exam Taken on Computers Shows Low Scores tests, the

new results from the "nation's report card" in writing come from a computer-based assessment for the first time, but only about one-quarter of the 8th and 12th graders performed at the proficient level or higher. And the proficiency rates were far lower for black and Hispanic students.

With the new National Assessment of Educational Progress in writing, students not only responded to questions and composed their essays on laptop computers, but also were evaluated on how frequently they used wordprocessing review tools like "spell check" and

10

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editing tools such as copying and cutting text.

TESTING

After decades of paper-and-pencil

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not ethical to submit records to the district that are inaccurate:' Co-founded in 2000 by William J.

Some prompts also featured multimedia components.

According to the NAEP report, the switch

Bennett, a former U.S. Education Secretary under President Ronald Reagan,

from paper and pencil to a computer-based

company whose stock price has more

test is tied to recognition of the role technology plays in a 21st-century student's

than doubled in the last year. It operates

K12 is an $864 million publicly traded

life. In 2009, a hands-on and computerized science NAEP was administered, and all new NAEP exams are slated to be computerized, including,

for example, a 2014 technology

and

Crovo, the executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for NAEP. "[Technology] is becoming more the norm than the exception in our nation's schools and certainly the way students communicate in -NORA

in kindergarten According

engineering assessment administered entirely on computers, 'This is a very exciting time for us," says Mary'

college and the workplace:'

in 43 Florida school districts, teaching everything from art to algebra to students

FLEMING

through high school.

to K12's website, students

enjoy "state-certified

teachers, with a

parent or other responsible adult in the role of 'Learning Coach:" And in a statement to the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and Statelmpact Florida, K12 lnc. spokesman Jeff Kwitowski denied the allegations, "K12 teachers assigned to teach students in Florida are state-certified," he said.

-AP & JASON TOMASSINI

Shiftin toAD PTIVE TESTING The goal is to build better measures of student skills and knowledge hen Delaware switched to

W

computer-adaptive testing

more closely," says Gerri Marshall, the

for its state assessments

supervisor of research and evaluation for the 15,OOO-studentRed Clay Consolidated

three years ago, officials

School District in Wilmington, Del., which

found the results were

piloted such tests.

Nationally, two coalitions have received

available more quickly, the amount of time students spent taking tests decreased, and the

tests provided more reliable information about what students knew--especially those at the very low and high ends of the spectrum.

federal funding to develop English! language arts and mathematics tests for the

basis. Even supporters acknowledge challenges to its implementation and use, considering that many school districts are currently doing little, if any, testing online.

"It's a big philosophical

shift for people,"

says John Jesse, the director of assessment and accountability for the Utah department of education, which is in the process of

common standards. Both coalitions-the

developing

its own computer-adaptive

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

tests for the common core. "If your district

and the Partnership for Assessment of

is still using paper, shifting to online is big,

involved a significant education of students, parents, and teachers, a sizeable

Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC-have said their assessments will

and then shifting to adaptive testing might be too much of a move all at once."

technology investment by the state, and the development of hundreds of test items for

feature high-tech, interactive questions that incorporate video and graphics and are

every exam.

designed both to identify what students

As many states move to put in place online testing tied to the Common Core State

know and to be more engaging.

But the path to launching those tests

Seeking Greater Precision So what exactly is the difference between a

Both assessments will be given online, but Smarter Balanced will use adaptive testing,

traditional test, which presents a student with

while PARCCwill use what are known as fixedform tests, which feature set questions that

during test-taking, and adaptive testing?

Testing experts say that traditional, or

lessons.

generally do not change.

Only a handful of states-including

fixed-form, exams work well with the majority of students, who hover around the level

"Adaptive testing is really beneficial and can pinpoint a student's leaming level

using adaptive testing on a widespread

Standards in 2014-15, at least 20 states have indicated they plan to use new computeradaptive versions of the tests, and they're looking at states like Delaware to learn some

12

Âťwww.digitaldirE'Ctions.org

Delaware, Hawaii, and Oregon-are

now

a set number of test items that don't change

the assessment is seeking to evaluate. Test questions are developed to appeal to most

shiFting to online is big, A

I

students and can assess how much those students know.

However, students at the farther ends of the spectrum-high achievers and struggling students-fare worse on those types of tests in terms of allowing teachers to identify exactly what material those students have or have not mastered.

With exceptional students, a fixed test can't determine just how extensive their knowledge may be, and for struggling learners, it can't determine how far behind they may be. A teacher won't know exactly

and then shiFting to adaptive testing might be too much of a move all at once."

how far gaps in students' learning on certain concepts go because the test questions don't move far in that direction.

-John Jesse_Director of Assessment and

"The range of proficiency among kids in a grade is huge," says Jon Cohen, the

Accountability_Utah Department of Education

executive vice president and director of assessment for the Washington-based American Institutes for Research, which is

they can get right, and a kid at the top is not going to see many items they'll get wrong," he says. "Kids on the ends get a less precise score."

Adaptive tests operate from a large testitem bank. For example, for a 40-question test, an adaptive test bank might contain 800 items, Cohen says.

An algorithm guides the computer as it picks questions based on the answer given to previous questions to pinpoint a student's skill and knowledge level. Typically, a student will get about half the questions offered by the computer correct, whether he or she is a high, middle, or low performer, since the questions are tailored for that student's particular level.

"With a computer-adaptive test, the percent correct is no longer relevant," says Tony Alpert, the chief operating officer for Smarter Balanced. "The adaptive test is always challenging for every student, and we need to help people understand that."

Computer-adaptive

assessments aren't

scored on the basis of how many right or wrong answers a student gets. A student's

already delivering statewide adaptive tests in several states and has been selected by the Smarter Balanced consortium to do pilot and field testing and to create the adaptivetest algorithm.

"With a typical test, a kid who is struggling is not going to see many items

FaI12012~DigitaIDirections>>

13

Tailoring the Tests to Special Needs?

Advocates for such students say they are excited about the potential of adaptive tests

Questions raised about adaptive assessments

to both engage students and measure their

By-Michelle R. Davis

C

omputer-adaptive

testing, in

pinpoint more accurately the achievement levels of students with disabilities, to focus on areas where

those students need help.

The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities

learning more accurately. But those

recently drew up a policy statement on

advocates are also watching to make sure that the designers of computer-adaptive

computer-adaptive testing and emphasized that students should be tested on the full range

tests-which are being created by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

of grade-level content regardless of their proficiency levels entering the test.

to assess performance on the Common Core

theory, should allow educators to

learning patterns. Their skills may jump around:'

''A poorly designed adaptive test can deny

State Standards-understand that just because students may lag in one area, that

students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge across the grade-level content,"

doesn't preclude them from being on grade level or advanced in another area.

the statement says. "It is important to keep in

"Our biggest fear is that the test will lock

mind that difficulty and cognitive complexity are not the same:'

Designed to provide each student with an individualized test, computer-adaptive testing

out kids with disabilities because of the structure," says Lindsay E. Jones, the

to provide test questions based on

gives students with disabilities more questions they can get right, preventing frustration, and

senior director of policy and advocacy services for the Washington-based Council

previous student answers; for example, if a student answers a question correctly, he or

can provide support to aid students as they take the exams, assessment experts say.

for Exceptional Children. "Students with disabilities do not demonstrate typical

she will then be presented with a more difficult question. Advocates worry that

computer-adaptive

or she got right and the difficulty of the items presented. Early trials, or field tests, present

an adaptive graduate school admissions test.

"There's a belief that this provides a more

items to representative

samples of students

pool and to translate that into values that will

test, also produces the GRE,

rewarding testing experience for the testtaker," Mattson says. "A struggling student doesn't need to be beaten over the head

provide a score, Cohen says.

encountering lots of questions they can't handle, ... and the student who is strong might

Personalization Improves Security

welcome an additional challenge."

In addition, because each test for each

The biggest advantage to a computeradaptive test, experts say, is the ability to

student is personalized and there are so many test questions in the bank, security risks

evaluate all students at their own levels.

are lessened, says Doug Kosty, the assistant

Because of that, students often report that

superintendent for assessment and information services for the Oregon department of

they are more engaged with the test and find it more interesting, says Dirk P. Mattson, the executive director of K-12 assessment for the Educational Testing Service, who is based in the nonprofit testing company's San Antonio

Âťwww.digitaldirections.org

tests are structured

score depends both on the number of items he

to evaluate the difficulty of each item in the

14

Computer-adaptive

education. His state has used computeradaptive testing for nine years.

It's unlikely that students sitting near each other would encounter the same test questions

office. ETS,which has been hired by Smarter

in the same order, for example. A student "can't

Balanced to develop several aspects of the

go out on the playground and compare notes

Experience has shown educators "not to be

students who score low in one area, though, may never be presented with harder questions in other areas.

'The test must allow students to view a range of complexity, or else you're going to cognitively

presumptive about what they can and cannot do," he says. Adaptive testing "lets the kids and their skill determine how high and low they can go, not the teacher's expectations:'

feature translations for English-language learners, glossaries may be available to define certain words, and software can vocally describe charts and graphics for students with visual impairments.

"We're really focusing on accessibility:'

discriminate against them," Jones says.

Most students with disabilities in states that have chosen to support Smarter

Font Adjustments and Translations

Balanced adaptive testing will take those

help any student:'

tests, Chia says. Two separate coalitions are

Oregon, which has been using adaptive testing for nine years, instituted a Braille

Chia says. "And these are things that could

Magda Chia, the director of support for underrepresented students at Smarter

developing common-core assessments for the 1 percent of students with the most

Balanced, says the coalition is aware of the

severe cognitive disabilities.

potential problem. All students will start the test in the middle of the difficulty range, she

Because a majority of students in states that have joined the Smarter Balanced

says, instead of basing the starting level of

coalition will take the adaptive tests, Chia

students. The result was 16,600 test items

their exams on past performance.

says, the goal is to make them more accessible to all students whether or not they

that could be translated using a refreshable

'The computer will start off at a wide-angle lens, and as the student responds, the computer lens gets more and more focused,"

have disabilities. The test font size will be adjustable, for example, to allow enlarged

version last school year for its students with visual impairments. The process involved culling questions from the test's 18,000-item bank that would not work with such

Braille display, or could be read or described to a student using special software.

"We looked through every single item and ranked each according to accessibility," says

she says.

Bill Stewart, the assessment and special-

type if needed. Students will have the ability to highlight sections as they go through the

Holly Carter, an assessment policy analyst for

projects coordinator for the 2,000-student

test and may use an option eliminator to take

the Oregon Department of Education ''We

Gladstone school district in Oregon, where

away answer options a student has discarded to help with focus.

In addition, some parts of the tests will

were able to identify the gaps that did exist to

adaptive testing is used for special education students, says the method has worked well.

on question 14," Kosty says. "Kids are basically guaranteed not to have the same test."

Some educators who have used adaptive

make sure we had that full depth and breadth included in the Braille pool:' â&#x20AC;˘

department

of education. The computer-

adaptive tests shrank that time to one hour for reading and one hour for math, he says,

testing say the test window is shorter since

making it easier for schools to schedule test

students don't always have to answer as many

times around computer labs. "We're getting a

questions. In Delaware, students used to spend

more precise estimate of ability with the same

multiple hours taking state reading and math tests, says Michael Stetter, the director of accountability and resources for the Delaware

or fewer questions," Stetter says.

However, Smarter Balanced's tests are expected to take 10 to 13 hours, depending on grade levels. Because of concerns from states, the coalition is now developing a shorter version it says will produce comparable results.

In addition, users of computer-adaptive testing laud the immediacy of the assessment

â&#x20AC;˘

-HichaeISteffe'

and

R

with the sam ear Fewer qu t' " es Ipns.

results, which typically are posted when a student finishes the test, giving teachers the opportunity to adjust their instruction more quickly based on the results. Officials from both coalitions say some results will be

r_Dlrecto F esources_Delaware 0 r 0 Accountability epartment of Education

Fall

zOlz_DigitaIDirectionsÂť

15

cost

students with learning disabilities

or other

special needs may be more likely to consider While laptop computers,

and especially

tablets or smartphones-devices

netbooks, continue to drop in cost, they still often run hundreds of dollars more than many smartphones

Students with limited motor skills, however,

and tablets.

may be better served taking assessments on

For districts issuing devices to students, that can make smartphones

devices that use keyboards for input, rather

and tablets a

much more feasible option. Smartphones particular

are also considered

bring-your-own-device

Choosing The Right Devices

than a touch screen, because of the possible in

better for a

which students who own computing

devices

are asked to use their own, and students who

strategic development

for Measured

Progress,

a Dover, N.H.-based assessment company.

"I think that's a big factor that people tend to

don't are provided loaners. Research has

not talk about," he says. "A lot of people tend

found smartphones

to forget that assessment is a very precise

to be the most commonly

owned devices by students at all socioeconomic

measurement

activity:'

levels.

The BYOD model can pose challenges, content. which is accessible and functional

content

on A major consideration in what devices states

a variety of devices and from a variety of Internet connections.

Columbia are expected to be

are focusing more effort in that area, in part

core assessments may be what kind of content is

because it is an increasingly attractive idea to

contained within the assessments themselves, as

districts.

well as how exactly students are expected to

summative assessments in English/language arts and mathematics as part of their states'

But developers say they

and districts choose to utilize for the common-

every state and the District of logging online for formative and

I

lack of precision in using a touch screen, says Mike Russell, the senior vice president of

assessment model, in

though, especially in finding open assessment

By 2014-15, students in nearly

that are

generally viewed as more user-friendly.

"It's customer-driven,"

interact with it

says Rich Patz,

For example, assessment items that would

the vice president of research and product development at CTB/McGraw-Hill, Calif.-based educational

a Monterey,

assessment company

adoption of the Common Core

that will be among those contributing

State Standards.

to the common assessments.

material

netbooks, smartphones, and

screen keyboard.

On the other hand, smartphones

Because the assessments will be meant to measure student skills in English/language arts and mathematics,

experts say, that no one device for

acumen, some experts say it's important

Here's a look at the issues technology leaders are considering when they choose what devices to buy or enable for common-core assessments.

on

to minimize a video to respond via a touch-

Familiarity

states and districts. And it's likely,

universal acceptance.

than a typical smartphone would provide. Such items could also prove more challenging

tablets are all being considered by

online test delivery will gain

would probably need more screen real estate

tablet devices, which generally require a user

What's less clear is what devices they'll be using. Desktops, laptops,

ask students to view and respond to a video

manipulative

to

The two consortia charged with creating

already familiar with so there is no negative

the common assessments, the Partnership for

related directly

Assessment

to technology. important,

from a test-validity

Assessment

the technology

for the first time

"Things like tutorials, and the opportunity

have indicated that

methods of response and interaction

in an

effort to gauge not only content knowledge,

to

but also related critical-thinking,

figure out things like how the online works-that

Consortium,

the items within the tests will require multiple

when testing," says Patz of CTB/McGraw-Hill.

calculator

of Readiness for College and

Careers and the Smarter Balanced

point of view, for students not to be encountering

in ways that cannot be done with

laptops or netbooks.

give assessments on devices students are

"It's certainly

and tablets

technology that

might allow them to be used as a physical

and not technological

impact on test performance

often have motion-sensor

and knowledge-application

stuff needs to be

Such approaches

tended to:'

analytical,

skills.

might mean schools would

be better served by investing in more versatile devices, if they can afford them, says Leslie Wilson, the chief executive officer of the

Needs

Mason, Mich.-based

What devices a district purchases may also be influenced

1 B Âťwww.digitaldirections.org

1-to- 1 computing

by the need profile of its

students. Districts with a higher proportion

of

One to One Institute,

which provides advocacy and guidance for programs.

-IAN

QUILLEN

Bandwidth Demand Rising 'A

School technology needs grow faster in preparation for common-core testing ByJan Quillen romthe outside, experts, advocates,

F

and government agencies appear to be shedding more than enough attention on schools' growing demand

for better Internet connectivity.

As one example, promoting and facilitating

projects to bring more broadband Web access to schools and libraries has been a major focus of the Federal Communications Commission during the more than three years Julius Genachowski has served as FCC chairman.

Meanwhile, the Washington-based

Software

and Information Industry Association, or SIIA, in a survey released this past summer, reports that educators are continuing to express a high desire for more robust on-campus Internet connections. And the Glen Burnie, Md.-based State Educational Technology Directors Association, or SElDA, in recommendations

it

"My pulse on what is going on in many districts is that necessary bandwidth

... is

lacking, both between schools and out to the Internet," says Bailey Mitchell, the chief technology and information officer for the 38,OOO-student Forsyth County, Ga., school system. He also chairs the board of directors of the Washington-based Consortium for

issued last spring for school connectivity speeds, signaled that schools' demand for connectivity was something that would

School Networking,

increase exponentially rather than linearly.

adds, but "it is more about the levels of

But with the Common Core State Standards initiative pushing schools in 46 states and the District of Columbia to administer "next generation" assessments almost exclusively online-with

an accompanying

more digital resources-it's

commitment to

possible schools'

demand for bandwidth could exceed even those projections.

Further, ensuring access to enough bandwidth-the common term for the measure of the rate of data consumption that is possible over a given network-isn't always as simple as increasing funding or raising priorities. And it's

or CoSN.

"Most folks identify needs as the amount of equipment you have connected," Mitchell [technology] adoption for your teachers, students, and staff:'

Determining Bandwidth Needs In its report issued in May, SElDA

formative and summative online assessments, according to the report. That 2014- 15 year is the same year the common standards and their new assessments are to be fully implemented.

By the 2017-18 school year, those recommendations 1 gigabit

call for expanding

per 1,000 students

members for an external connection,

of future technologies

not yet conceived.

Both sets of recommendations the coming implementation

have taken

of the common

standards into consideration, says SElDA Deputy Executive Director Geoffrey H. Fletcher.

He concedes that any such considerations would fall well short of a concrete estimate of the connectivity required specifically for

recommends that by the 2014- 15 school year,

assessments and other digital materials stemming from the common-core

gigabit per second of connectivity for data transactions within a schoolwide or districtwide

and

10 gigabits for internal network connections for the same number of people, in anticipation

schools have at least 100 megabits per second of connectivity to the external Internet for every 1,000 students and/or staff members, and 1

to

and/or staff

initiative.

And he also suggests the bandwidth necessary to administer assessments may pale in comparison with other, more organic school

network. That level of connectivity is what is

connectivity needs, which themselves could grow because of the standards' emphasis on

even more difficult when districts use

necessary to allow students and faculty to use

applied knowledge and critical-thinking

shortsighted

contemporary Web technologies such as video streaming, webinars, online courses, and

methods to calculate just how

much bandwidth they need.

"I think the [bandwidth]

skills.

load in many

school districts may be greater during a Fa II

2012_DigitalDirectionsÂť

19

SElDA recommends that by the 2014-15 school year, schools have at least:

100 megabits per second of connectivity to the external Internet for every 1,000 students and/or staff members

normal day than it would be for the online assessments," Fletcher says, adding that on

projects won't also be hard to find. Constricted

connections via fiber-optic wire networks; and allowing for a half-dozen pilot mobile-

assessment days, schools may have to

budgets mean that not only do schools face the task of increasing their connectivity with

choose between using the internal network

less money to spend, they may also encounter

device programs, in which devices can leave campus with the student, to draw

only for assessment or for other school functions as well.

more competition in applying for public

from a pool of $10 million in E-rate funding.

funding to help with such projects.

"What I am curious about is ... how, of the

Fiber connections, at least theoretically, could be cheaper than other broadband

content itself that is typically used in the classroom," he says, "how much of that is

Competing for E-Rate Money

options, depending on availability, while mobile devices can be a more affordable way

going to be turned digital:'

On the national level, that competition is increasingly seen in the volume of

than laptop or desktop computers to provide 1-to-1 connectivity, freeing up more cash to

However, for some schools and districtsparticularly rural ones-getting

enough

applications for funding from the E-rate, the

be invested in infrastructure.

connectivity to execute assessments across an entire school will be a substantial challenge,

roughly $2.3 billion annual federal program that helps subsidize schools' and libraries'

'The increase in E-rate funding requests reflects that schools realize that now, more

according to Denise Atkinson-Shorey, an

Internet-related purchases, notes John Harrington, the chief executive officer of

than ever, students need high-speed Internet connectivity to meet their educational needs," reads an FCC statement issued to Digital Directions. "Through recent reforms to

educational technology consultant in Colorado and the former president and chief information officer for the Educational Access Gateway Learning Environment Network, or EAGLE-Net

Funds for Learning, an E-rate consulting firm based in Edmond, Okla.

Applicants for the two-tiered program have

Alliance, which leads network-infrastructure

generally been able to expect requests for

allow E-rate recipients to select the most cost-effective broadband solutions, and our

projects geared to educational and

Priority 1 funding-for

daily interactions with stakeholders, we are

government services.

The reason, Atkinson-Shorey says, is that

to giving schools a connection to an outside network-to be fulfilled. But increasingly, only

continually assessing the E-rate program to make sure we can meet the essential needs

the basic architecture of the Internet is not all that dissimilar to that of a municipal

districts with the highest levels of poverty are

of schools and libraries while staying within a set budget:'

water system: Think of a core network as the central water supply, the middle-mile

for Priority 2 aid, which can be devoted to projects to improve internal connectivity.

connections as the pipes that take the water from that supply to neighborhoods, and the

Harrington says those funding requests would increase even without the common

network gateway as the smaller pipes that

core, as digital resources continue their transition into the educational mainstream,

take water into homes.

projects related directly

able to qualify for whatever funding remains

Karen Billings, the vice president of the educational division for the SIIA, says research the trade association has published reinforces Harrington's assertion that demand for connectivity will continue to rise.

If the capacity for data transmission is too

but predicts common-core adoption will

Survey results released by the SIIA in July show that K-12 educators, despite

low at any step along the way, the connection speed (like water pressure) suffers no matter

heighten the competition.

"There's no question in my mind that it's

experiencing increasing access to broadband Internet, still want more connectivity. But

how much a single user invests in making

going to drive the demand for bandwidth, which will drive the demand for E-rate funding,"

influence that implementation of the common

Harrington says. "It will definitely show up in this next E-rate application cycle because that's the

core has on that equation.

"We don't know if the responders

the cables that run from hubs on the national Internet backbone, that are inferior.

"They haven't built the pipes out to get it

2013-14 funding year, and at the end of that you're starting the 2014-15 funding year:'

themselves were expecting that additional need because of common core, but we do

there, so even if they could find the dollars to

changes to the program that could be seen as measures to alleviate funding pressures,

bandwidth available at the network gateway end, she says. And in the case of many rural schools, it's the middle-mile connections, or

buy additional bandwidth, it's not there, it doesn't exist." Atkinson-Shorey says of the plight of some rural schools.

That's not to say money for bandwidth

20

Âťwww.digitaldirections.org

In October 2010, the FCC made some

Billings says it's anyone's guess the exact

know that the need was there and they see it," Billings says. "From the other comments [on the survey]. they all realize that with 2014

including indexing the then-$2.25 billion

and online assessments approaching, their

annual program for inflation; allowing for the use of E-rate dollars for buying Internet

bandwidth has to be significantly stronger than it has [been) in the past:' _

ILLUSTRATION: Chris Whetzel_for

Digital Directions

Are You Ready?

Many school districts are worried that the tech. demands of the common core could create a perfect storm of digital challenges had limited participation from districts and many states. And state and national education groups are detecting a rising level of anxiety among

By-Michelle R. Davis chool districts are raising concerns about

school and district leaders regarding the

their ability to be technologically

technology

S

ready to

give Common Core State Standards assessments to students online in two

years. Administrators

say they remain

uncertain about the types of devices to buy, the bandwidth they need, and the funding available for

technology improvements.

An initial round of data collection launched to determine technology gaps for schools preparing for the common-core online assessments has so far

they feel is necessary to implement

online testing by the 2014-15 deadline.

Some districts" are panicked about getting ready for it, but some are not even in a place where they know enough to be panicked yet," says Ann Flynn, the director of educational technology for the Alexandria, Va.-based National School Boards Association. "I won't say they're in denial, but it's going to be a real challenge for a lot of districts."

Superintendent Kaylin Coody of Oklahoma's

FaI12012_DigitaIDirectionsÂť

21

1,800-student Hilldale school system says her

for interactive test questions, simulations, new

to collect information about the types of

district doesn't have the staff or technology it will need to implement the common-core

graphics, and faster exam results.

The two groups-the Smarter Balanced

technology schools and districts now have--

assessments. For example, though the district's elementary school has 400 students,

Assessment Consortium and the Partnership

the building has only 43 computers.

"With the current financial constraints

Careers, or PARCC-are

facing Oklahoma public schools, I do not see how most of us will be able to provide adequate hardware and prepare staff to manage the level of testing being planned, especially in a short testing window," Coody writes in an e-mail.

The vast majority of states have adopted the new standards in English/language arts and mathematics and have also signed on to provide online testing under the standards starting in the 2014-15 school year. Two consortia received federal funding to create online tests; both intend to use technology

for Assessment of Readiness for College and also in the process

of sketching out the technology standards schools will need for the assessment process. Both consortia have released some technology guidelines that call for having specific technologies in place, such as computing devices that have at least 1

has not gathered as much data as the consortia had hoped.

At a meeting

in early August of the

National Assessment

Governing

Board,

which sets policy for the federally sponsored National Assessment of Educational

Progress, Jeff Nellhaus,

PARCC's director of assessment, reported that only 36 percent of schools in the states backing his coalition

responded

to

gigabyte of computer memory, a screen

the first round of the survey, which closed

display size of 9.5 inches or greater, and access to the Internet.

July 15.

Joe Willhoft, the executive director of

Thin on Tech. Data But a free, Web-based Technology Readiness Tool-introduced earlier this year

EDWEEKuPDATEÂť The EdWeek Update is delivered daily, Monday through Friday, to help you stay on top of the most timely news from the most informed voice in education.

Smarter Balanced, said his consortium had "thin results" as well.

According to the consortia, 32 states and the District of Columbia each submitted

information

on five or more

schools. About

25,000 schools submitted

comprehensive

information

about their

technology status. The two consortia have a combined 44 states and the District of Columbia as members.

A low response rate to the survey of schools' current technology

profiles could

point to a lack of infrastructure and the ability to assemble the technology data, some observers say.

However, Tony Alpert, the chief operating officer for Smarter Balanced, cautions that it was just the first of several rounds of data collection, and that the two coalitions expec to collect significantly more information.

"We're limiting the conclusions we make based on the data," he says.

The consortia released few findings from the initial round of data-gathering,

but did

say that computer memory capacity, or RAM, does not appear to be a problem for most schools responding to the survey, and that neither does screen size of computer devices. Most districts are using desktops and laptops or netbooks, although the use of tablets is growing, Alpert says.

Louisiana, though, took the data collection one step further. With the information collected through the readines tool, the parameters provided by the consortia, and the state's own estimates of how long the testing window is likely to be and how many hours the testing may take, Louisiana estimated schools would need a

22

Âťwww.digitaldirE'dions.org

7-to-1 ratio of students to devices.

The state found its schools have 197,898

two big technology problems for schools.

"Overall, this is definitely a source of

devices available for online testing, but

anxiety for everyone in the country, not just Tennessee," she says.

only 67,038 met new device standards, which excluded machines using Windows

the common-core

plans to stop supporting

administer, it's hard to determine the

the program.

tests will take to

Only five districts met the minimum

number of devices that might be needed.

device-readiness requirements, and only two districts met both the device- and

"There are many answers that are not yet firm, so we can't easily fix on the number of

network-readiness

devices we're going to need," she says.

Some of those uncertainties are causing

guidelines for online

testing, says Carol Mosley, the K-12 E-rate director and a management

consultant for

problems for school districts in South Dakota,

the Louisiana Department of Education.

But Mosley says she's working closely

says Jim Holbeck, the superintendent of the state's 3,OOO-studentHarrisburg district, who is

with districts and feels confident

also president of the School Administrators of

that small

upgrades and investments will put many more schools in the "ready" category. The state is also being creative about helping districts find refurbished purchase, grouping

,

Since schools still do not know how long

XP, for example, since Microsoft has said it

devices to

districts together

South Dakota and the South Dakota School Superintendents Association. Schools still aren't sure which devices to buy, but want to make sure students are familiar with using

for

those devices well before they have to take

buying power, and pushing districts to

the online common assessments, he says.

share technology know-how.

The districts" don't have to depend just on

"Our fear is, are we going to have a test that accurately shows what our kids know, or

the state. They can rely on each other, too," Mosley says. "We're all in this boat together."

will the results be unreliable because the kids are taking it in a different format?" he says.

'Source of Anxiety'

for districts, Holbeck says. The state provides a minimum level of bandwidth,

The reality is there's a vast range of common-core technology readiness

adds, "but if we want more, we have to pay for it," and school budgets have little extra money. (See related story, Page 19.)

In addition, bandwidth

among states. Some already do their state assessments online; others still use paper

is a huge concern

In Washington state, Raj Manhas, the

and pencil. And some states have collected

superintendent

significant data on schools' technology profiles, while others have not.

Thurston schools, says districts must turn

Georgia, for example, already had a statewide technology

survey in place and

he

of the 14,OOO-student North

to the voters for approval on tax levies for technology purchases. Twice in recent levies for his district.

ability to administer state assessments online, though many haven't done so.

however, and Manhas is using part of that money to buy new devices for the common

A general fund levy was approved,

core. But he's concerned about the

into online testing, and they are really, really hesitant," says Melissa Fincher, Georgia's

"technology gap" between districts that serve wealthier communities and districts

associate superintendent for assessment and

with lower-income families.

accountability. "There are so many unknowns about the [common core] assessment. We

While he fully supports the concept of

know there's going to be a deficit, but we

common standards, Manhas says that "sometimes when national policies are

don't yet know where we stand."

In neighboring Tennessee, the assistant

made, the corresponding not planned for." â&#x20AC;˘

commissioner

resources are

for curriculum and

instruction, Emily Barton, predicts that inadequate bandwidth and devices will be

What are your digitalconversion planning objectives and how will they support implementing the common core and preparing For the new college- and career-ready assessments?

Have you developed a phased plan For improved access that incorporates textbook and open-resources savings?

What resources can be reallocated to support deployment? What savi ngs can be secured through adoption of digital resources?

Have you supported adoption of blendedlearning models that leverage teacher talent?

years, voters have rejected technology

submitted that information through the readiness tool. The state offers districts the

"Some districts haven't dipped their toe

READINESS QUESTIONS TO ASK

Education Week Assistant Editor Catherine Gewertz contributed to this article.

SOURCE:Oigital Learning Now!

, eres

I

I

:I

25

Âťwww.digitaldirections.org

one I

Paying for digital upgrades for the common core willi take a creative redistribution of resources

By_leslie Harris O'Hanlon

n the next couple of years, most public school students will be expected to

pays for higher teacher salaries and school technology improvements. So far, some

be taking tests online, instead of using

of the money has been used to improve network connections at schools, says

pencil and paper, because of their states' adoption of the Common Core

The district is considering applying for grant funding to make it happen.

"That would be one area we would look at. But that would have to be a pretty large

Matthew Kinzie, the chief technology officer

grant," Hensley says. "We have used grants

State Standards. But in this time of

for the San Francisco Unified School District.

tight budgets, many school districts

Nevertheless, Kinzie is concerned about what additional technology his 55,000-student

to add a few computer labs here and there, but to add several labs because we needed

are wondering how they will pay for improvements they may need to make to their technological infrastructure to test large numbers of students online under the common-core

initiative by the 2014-15

school year.

Some districts may reallocate sizable amounts of money used for textbook purchases to pay for technology improvements, says Geoff Fletcher, the deputy executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association, or SETDA, based in Glen Burnie, Md. For instance, the Indiana board of education created a waiver for districts to use digital content instead of textbooks.

district will need to conduct online testing.

"We feel that we will have sufficient network capacity to handle online assessments. The challenge will be the

to have entire schools complete testing on the computer, that would be a significant grant, and we would be competing with a lot of other people to get that kind of grant."

State officials in Florida have examined

end devices," Kinzie says. "Is it going

the technology purchases they have made

to be a computer, an iPad, an Android

to ensure that the products can be used for multiple purposes, such as online testing for

tablet, a cellphone, or something we are not thinking about right now that will be a game changer when it comes out?"

Funding is a huge issue in this economy, he adds.

"Online delivery is predicated on a wonderful idea, but it is an unfunded mandate," he says. "We don't see any funding for technology to implement online assessments."

the common core, says Mary Jane Tappen, the deputy chancellor of K-12 public schools for the Florida Department of Education.

"Some tools can't be used for assessment, such as a hand-held reader that doesn't have any network capability," Tappen says. "So you probably don't want to use that for testing. Districts have to make efficient use of their funding,

Much digital content is free or available at

purchasing equipment

a low cost. So that move allowed officials to shift money from textbooks to technology,

Money for Multiple Purposes

multiple purposes."

Florida has been doing online testing

Fletcher says.

"One administrator

Some officials are hoping that they will be given a larger window of time to test students

for many years and has used federal Race

told me that his

that can be used for

to the Top money to pay for technology improvements. Two years ago, Florida was

school stopped buying books," he adds.

"They now buy technology and find content to use in the classroom. He said that this

to take online assessments at the same time, many schools will not have enough

awarded a $700 million competitive grant

changed the mind-set on how textbook money could be used."

computers for them to do so.

"Our technology is good, but to have a

it is spending more than $47 million to support a digital learning-management

computer available for every student to take a test at a particular time, that we are not

system that includes computer software and infrastructure to support instruction and assessment.

Other districts may use money from property taxes to shore up their technology.

For example, in 2008, voters in San

online because if students are required

Francisco approved Proposition A, a $198

prepared for," says Tim Hensley, an assistant to the superintendent for the 1O,OOO-student

parcel tax per taxable property. The money

Floyd County district in Rome, Ga.

under the Race to the Top program, and

"By 2014-15, we will be well prepared or close to ready for common-core online

FaII 20

y

\

12_DigitalDirectionsÂť

27

, , Online delivery is predicated on a wonderFul

idea,

un fu nded mandate. We don't see any Funding Fortechnology to implement online assessments."

but it is an

Matthew Kinzie ChleFTechnology Officer_San Franristn Unified School District

testing," Tappen says. "We may need to make more additions. But we have tried to

To complicate

matters, there is little

cheating easier.

Such issues need to be addressed before

build our infrastructure and capacity annually

money available in Oregon-or in most states-to increase the number of

a little at a time, so this will not be one large

computer devices in a big way that would

requirement that needs to be taken care of at

make 1-to-1 computing

the last minute."

schools, Harrington says.

A Larger Movement

"When a budget crisis comes, you have to make a decision to keep a teacher in

Some education experts say that common-core

online testing is bigger than

just taking a test at a specific moment in

having large-scale online testing, Gordon says

a reality in most

extended period of time," she says. "This doesn't necessarily address the funding

your budget for replacing computers,"

piece. But it does question how reliable th.

he

says. "Obviously, we are going to choose to

results will be if kids aren't used to doing this on a regular basis."

time. Rather, it's part of a larger movement to infuse more technology into schools, changing how teachers teach and how

aging significantly. We are looking at a number of different ways, given the funding

students learn. So, the same technology

crisis, to begin replacing them again."

used to test students should also be used

One option for Oregon is putting forth a bond measure for voter approval. The

Therefore, the question isn't just where the money will come from to do online

bond would increase property taxes, and the money could be used to fund capital projects, such as building new

assessments, Fletcher emphasizes, but where it will come from to increase

schools, improving school facilities, and

technology resources and usage in schools.

"The money should be used for online

that money might not be enough to pay

assessments, instructional resources for classes, increasing access to websites, and professional development for teachers," he says. "What we are talking about is a different way of looking at teaching and

upgrading

technology

in schools. But

for the professional development

needed

for schools to best use the technology, Harrington says.

testing means every student should have a computer or some other computing device available to him or her at all times during school, the approach commonly known as 1-to-1 computing.

"To do this well, we have to put a device in the hands of every student. So we are looking at the evolution of technology right now and what's the most appropriate device," says James Harrington, the chief technology

Also, if schools have to stagger students through computer labs over a long window of time, the first students who take the test could share with other students what's on the test.

"How do you keep them from talking to the next group of kids who go to the lab a week later?" Gordon says. "Without one-toone technology, schools could be opening themselves up for test -security issues." (See related story, Page 46.)

And the question, once again, comes around to who will pay for such technolog improvements?

"We are all struggling very mightily to come up with an answer to that," Gordon says. "It's going to be very interesting. ThE

Unforeseen Challenges

vast majority of districts don't have one-to

learning."

And some experts say to fully integrate technology into the curriculum and into

are not used to reading from, at least for ar

front of students or to reduce or eliminate

reduce the amount of technology.

"So, right now, our computer fleet is

to teach students.

"We would be putting kids on a device they are not used to doing tests on. We would be putting them on a device they

For some districts that have tried online

one technology."

testing on a small scale, unforeseen

Some educators hope that the issue

challenges have emerged.

Melissa Gordon, the director of

of needing more technology to conduct common-core testing will push lawmakers

assessment, grants, and student services for the S,700-student Upper Arlington

to find money to pay for technology

school district in Ohio, helped pilot an online-testing program last May. During the testing, some students complained of eye fatigue because they weren't used to reading on a screen for long periods of time. Also, the computer

screens in the

improvements.

"Given the current state of funding for public education in California, our district needs funding across the board for everything,"

Kinzie says. "So we are

imploring elected officials to adequately fund education, including bringing our technology

resources up to the current

district in Oregon. "And that has ripple

lab where students took their tests were large enough for students to look at their

educational

needs of our students and

implications for infrastructure."

neighbors'

teachers." â&#x20AC;˘

officer for the 20,500- student Hillsboro

28

Âťwww.digitaldirections.org

screens, potentially

making

High-Priority Virtual PD Common core raises the profile of online training programs for educators "[Teachers] have been teaching a certain

in this specific area for what I thought we

Kentucky's Fort Thomas school district

could get off the PD online," says Goetz,

recently did something they'd never

although he is quick to point out that

and objectives for a long time," says Barbara

while saving money was a bonus, it cannot outweigh the need for high-quality PD for

Treacy,the director of EdTech Leaders Online

T

eachers at Highlands Middle School in

done before: They took professionaldevelopment classes online.

Spurred by a need to provide high-

quality, comprehensive

professional

development to help teachers make the transition to the Common Core State Standards, Highlands Middle

his 660-student school. "[The courses] really

at the Newton, Mass.-based Education Development Center. "To change, we're not

pinpointed laser-like focus on what we were trying to get done."

going to be able to snap our fingers. They need support, and we cannot short-shrift the

Goetz is not the only administrator turning to the Internet for professional

PD that teachers need."

development

development

for his staff members.

School Principal Mark Goetz discovered online courses from ASCD-a nonprofit

Ongoing

membership-based professionaldevelopment group based in Alexandria,

development is critical to implementing the common standards, experts say, and

Va.-that addressed those very topics.

"There was no one I could bring in cost-

technology

effectively to do professional development

way and under certain kinds of standards

and effective professional

holds the key to providing

deep learning experiences for teachers that can be scaled across state borders.

Organizations

providing professional-

resources, such as the EDC

and ASCD, have been inundated with requests from schools for guidance on implementing common standards, officials from those organizations report.

"Everywhere we turn, we're asked to PAGE 31

FaII 20 12_Digital DirectionsÂť

>

29

Online PD Destinations Go-to resources for educators EduCore [ http://educore.ascd.org Created by: ASCD For: Teachers. administrators. educators Registration: Not required. but it allows special access to certain features Features: Aggregates professional-development resources. lesson plans. and

learning modules to help educators implement the common standards in their classrooms. Created and maintained by the Alexandria. Va.-based ASCD with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. the website is divided into three categories: general common core. math tools. and literacy tools. Teacherswill find videos. PDFs.websites. and other resources to help them prepare for the transition to the common standards. Those who register can bookmark items that will then appear in the "My Resources" tab. Registered participants will also be allowed to create journal entries. where they can jot down notes about the resources they find. Although the site does not have social-networking capabilities yet. allowing teachers to interact on the site and share ideas and best practices is a goal. according to ASCD.

MyGroupGenius [www.mygroupgenius.org

Inside This 21st Century Tool

ASCO and the Common Core

O!*>tIH'j •• ~1ao1W1_.a""'~d~_ 1JO:I ••••• H<.,..,..~*"-"!I'!«NI ~~~~~WI~*~~~~

1O_'IW'MIIh

Registration: Invitation only (for now) Features: Aims to provide an online

space where teachers can exchange ideas and best practices about integrating the common standards into their curricula. The website is currently being piloted with a small group of teachers but it will be rolled out to all teachers in the future.

MyGroupGenius will host resources and tools created by the Literacy Design Collective and the Math Design Collective. both of which are also funded by the Gates Foundation. Both collaboratives are in the process of creating instructional tools. professional-development learning

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modules. and support services to help teachers implement the common standards.

Illustrative Mathematics http://i II ustrativemathematics.org/ Created by:

Institute of Mathematics and Education.

University of Arizona For: Teachers and other educators Registration:

Not required. but it allows special access to certain features Features: Creates tasks for each

common-core math standard that illustrate the central meaning of the standard and its connection to other standards. clarifies what is new about the standard. and

•..• :llec:.r_

••

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provides instructional tools and lesson plans related to the standard. The tasks are written by teachers. mathematicians. and other educators and reviewed by both a math expert and a classroom expert before they are posted to the website. The standards are divided between the K-8 and high school levels. and are then broken down by grade.

Registered users can comment on and rate tasks as well as submit tasks for review. The leaders of Illustrative Mathematics say they hope to increase the social-networking capabilities of the site. such as adding a feature that will automatically notify a user if a comment he or she posted has drawn a response. The project. which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. has about 500 tasks so far and aims to reach at least 2.000.

CONTINUED

FROM

from 10 to 15 hours of work per course-

PAGE 29

around various aspects of putting the help people with studying the common core," says Treacy. "This has to start

LearnZiLLion

I http://learnzillion.com Created by: LearnZiliion

common core in place, says Ed Milliken,

going on yesterday if students are really

ASCD's managing director of professional development.

going to be able to show what they know on these tests [tied to the standards]."

more courses in the next four months to

As a result, those organizations are building robust online resources that

keep up with the demand for high-quality online professional development.

The group plans to create at least six

For: Teachers

can be used in all of the states that have

Registration: Required

adopted the common standards. All but

related courses] has more than doubled

four states have signed on to the initiative,

in the past month," Milliken says.

In addition, the organization has a

Features: Hosts video lessons and assessments related to the common standards in math and literacy for grades 3-9. The website was created with content from teachers at the E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in Washington. as well as teachers around the country. and is funded by the Next Generation Learning Challenge. the NewSchools Venture Fund. the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. and the Achievement Network. among others.

Eric Westendorf. a former principal at E.L.Haynes. and Alix Guerrier. an education consultant, founded the company. The site currently hosts about 2.000 online lessons available to teachers for free. and teachers can create playlists of lessons. contributed from a variety of different teachers.

Lessons include screencasts. videos. guided practice. commentary from the content creator. and PowerPoint slides.

Creators of LearnZillion hope to add more functionality to the site that will allow users to contribute lessons and post resources as well as provide feedback on the already-posted lessons.

-KATIE ASH

as has the District of Columbia.

The EDC has about 40 online professional-development

subscription-based online channel that houses videos and other resources for

courses

aligned to the common standards, says

various aspects of professional development

Treacy, and is in the process of creating two courses that will provide overviews of

channel dedicated to common standards.

the standards-one

for math and one for

English/language arts.

"We're working with teachers in a learning-community

called PD in Focus, which includes a specific ASCD has also hosted a series of webinars about the common core that is archived on its website for educators to

model," she

access.

says. "It's facilitated, and it's delivered

The group's latest offering is called

over time, and it's got some kind

EduCore. Part of a three-year grant from

of accountability .... It provides an

the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, EduCore is a website that pulls together professional-development resources on

opportunity for deep reflection that teachers are going to need."

common standards and allows teachers to

PO Demand Doubles

search and bookmark lessons. (The Gates

And by providing the courses online, not only can teachers allover the

Week's coverage of the education industry and K-12 innovation.)

country participate, but teachers also can become familiar with the technology

resources from the Shell Centre, based

tools needed to implement

in Nottingham, England, as well as

Foundation also helps fund Education

the

standards, Treacy points out.

"Media and technology is integral throughout the common core in both the math and English/language

arts

standards," she says. "If you're getting the professional development online, and using those tools and incorporating

The Gates Foundation also helps fund Education Week's coverage of the education industry and K- 72 innovation.

"The utilization of [common-core-

those

tools into the way that the professional development is delivered, that's going to help teachers."

ASCD also provides numerous resources for teachers to help ensure a smooth transition to the common standards.

The organization

has been creating

online courses for teachers-requiring

EduCore has incorporated math

modules created by the Literacy Design Collaborative, a loosely knit group of consultants working with the Gates Foundation.

But the website, which is free for anyone to use, is not just an aggregator of content, says Milliken. It divides each lesson into what the teacher needs to know before, during, and after the lesson, and it also allows teachers to save and print lessons as PDFs. "What we have done is taken the information

and made it very

accessible," Milliken says. The group is also working to incorporate social

Fall

2012~DigitaIDirectionsÂť 31

VIRTUAL ED. DIVES IN to the Common Core

"Opening up these learning trajectories and pathways through the common core-this is where we can really take advantage of tools and content in the digital environment," says Susan D. Patrick, the president and chief executive officer of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, or iNACOL, located in Vienna, Va. Because of that, leaders in virtual education have begun preparing for the transition and, in some cases, launching projects that, while not directly related to the common core, may stand to benefit

E-Iearning advocates are optimistic about the common standards' emphasis on digital learning

erhaps no segment of educators is more

greatly from its implementation.

enthusiastic about the transition to the

For example, online content repositories have grown greatly in the number of repositories and

P

Common Core State Standards than those who work in virtual schools or in blended

learning environments that mix face-to-face and online instruction.

With the standards' emphasis on deeper

movement to align those learning objects to the common English/language

arts and math

learning, collaboration, and applied knowledge, some proponents of online education suggest

standards and share them around the country.

their adoption could lead to the passage of

teachers for online instruction also appear to have gained steam from the belief that the common

policies that are more friendly to effective online learning. Meanwhile, many online programs are already practicing the other changes inherent in common-standards

ByJan Quillen

quantity of learning objects-individual items of digital educational content-thanks largely to the

computer-based

adoption, such as the use of

online assessments.

"

,J~ ~

:-> •••••••• ~

At the same time, efforts to institute certification of

standards could help push momentum for the recognition of those credentials across state borders.

One of those efforts, the Leading Edge Certification program launched in January by Computer-Using

Educators, a professional association in

subject-matter

California, has aims already of becoming a nationally recognized credential. And Mike

core for the FLVS, suggests that virtual education may be a good fit for standar

Lawrence, the executive director of the

that place a greater emphasis on skills

Walnut Creek-based group, says the

application

implementation of the common standards will help ensure that the curriculum for the certification

program is widely applicable.

"It was very much in our minds as we embarked on the project," Lawrence says.

"Without a common bar to demonstrate proficiencies, it's difficult to know whether [the certification is] going to work for your online program."

Lawrence acknowledges that policy discussions are a big distance away from getting states to recognize certification from other states, but says he sees the adoption of the standards as a potential catalyst in that process.

"Just the fact that you have states talking to each other with a common language for the first time ever, that opens doors," he says.

Emphasizing Innovation At the Council of Chief State School Officers'

Innovation

strategic-initiatives

n

For the past several months, Dulgar anc her team have been delving into the content of the school's courses in English,

Will states open policies to a common teacher certification?

II

00 virtual schools have an edge on teaching to the standards?

around the broader spectrum innovation.

of

(The Washington-

based CCSSO partnered with the National Governors' Association to lead the common-standards movement.)

The Innovation Labs Network is a nine-state coalition supported by the CCSSO that Pittenger says will address challenges relating

Will standards lead to more educational choice?

II II

Are standards-driven digital projects helping online learning?

and insights

from any efforts at reinventing a portion of a particular state's educational system.

But Pittenger

sees online and blended

for the Kentucky Department

of

Education and the state's virtual school, says none of the nine states in the network is obligated

to take a particular

approach toward solving any of those problems. The idea of the model instead is to enable a quicker and more reliable

34

Âťwww.digitaldirections.org

changes, will in general be a natural one "The live lessons we do, the discussion based assessments we do, ... those piece are definitely going to help us make the shift," she says. "I think the shift will caus us to change the way we do some of tho

encounter their own difficulties during the adoption process, says Patrick of iNACOL For example, the idea of having to give proctored online assessments could prese funding challenges for virtual schools that

states in the coalition

have traditionally not had to build in the costs of facilities or face-to-face personnel

of Iowa, Kentucky,

Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

She says this is particularly an answer for increasing educational options and allowing a more flexible course of study. educational resources and modularity," Pittenger says. "And I think this is one of

Pittenger, who previously served as the director of secondary and virtual learning

become increasingly confident that the

learning as a likely vehicle for some of the

assessments created to test the common

options for students and educators.

gaps exist between current content and future standards.

During that process, Dulgar says, she',

That's not to say virtual schools won't exchange of information

"You're looking at more digital, open

personalize education while meeting those standards, and how to expand educational

are part of the course, and noting where

things, but it will just be better."

to how to supplement the next-generation core by two separate consortia, how to

been cross-checking to see where that

transition, while spurring some content

Labs Network, the

only around online learning, but also

language arts and mathematics, the two subject areas of the new standards. They'

content covers the necessary standards tl

[an virtual schools afford to fund proctored exams?

IJ

and collaboration.

Focus on Effectiveness

director, Linda

Pittenger, is trying to drive some of those discussions and open those doors, not

educational

QUrSTIONS TO ASK

expert on the common

the reasons that virtual learning, and online learning, is such a natural part of these kinds of environments .... These are all characteristics of the sort of learning environments

we are looking for."

she says. For better or worse, she adds, th standards may also provide a more thoroi. and comparable measure of the quality of

online and blended learning offerings at a time of increasing questions about the quality of online learning content.

"Now we can start to focus resources

0

high-quality curricula that are similar acro 45 or 46 states," Patrick says. "The outcoi of that is to start to be able to look at onl

courses and modules of online courses al value-judge them on effectiveness.

"We could talk about that before, but i

The Florida Virtual School, the largest state-sponsored online school in the

been difficult to do when there's so man~

country, is having to rethink its curricula

disparate standards. ".

because of the common standards-just like all schools, virtual or brick-and-mortar, in the participating curriculum

states. Cindy Dulgar, a

specialist and the resident

Competency-based education models embrace digitallearnin~ n

t

~~----~----------------------~~ \

.1.

1

III

â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

j

fIIII.om Rooney

sees education-supported

competency-based by digital learning

tools-as the path to building school district.

a better

The superintendent of the 4,200-student Lindsay Unified School District in California, Rooney set in motion this school year a plan to move to a system in which students progress not on the basis of their age or a set school calendar, but by demonstrating proficiency on learning objectives.

demands of the Common Core State Standards, experts point out, and in their ability to use technology effectively to personalize leaming.

more

"We have these practices that are ingrained in the traditional public education system that are not consistent with principles of learning and not consistent with how most of the rest of the world operates," says Rooney.

"Prior to kindergarten, everyone leams to talk at a different time," he continues. "They get potty-trained

at

different times, but suddenly when you get to kinder-

Educators in the district are aware that the transition will

garten, you're placed in this box, and you're given the

undoubtedly hit some bumps in the road, as do most districtwide school improvement efforts. But school leaders

kindergarten curriculum because you're five, not because you're ready for it, or even if you already know it all. Kids

entered the school year feeling well prepared because the district has been gradually putting competency-

learn in different ways on different time frames."

based education, school year.

tion echo those sentiments, pointing out economic and policy forces that are building momentum for such an

or CBE, in place since the 2009-10

The move to competency-based known as proficency-, based education-by

education-also

standards-, and performanceLindsay Unified and other districts

will likely give them a head start in preparing for the new

National advocates for competency-based

educa-

approach.

"We're global

in a place

right

competitiveness,

core, all of these

now with the forces the adoption

new learning

of

of common

models,

and the

Photos by Daryl Pevetol LUCEOJor Digital Directions

"We

have these practices that are ingrained in th traditional public education system that are no

consistent with pri nci pies 0 F Iearn ing,

-Tom Rooney_5uperintendenCLindsay Unified 5chool Distri

The concept

is not new, but several factors hav:

contributed to renewed interest in the structure, says Patrick.

"What's different now is that [previously it] had to be entirely paper-based,"

she says. "Now, with all c

the new online and blended learning tools, teacher

have a whole set of resources that can help them work with students on their learning goals. Teacher! have a way to manage the personalization and allo, the different pacing to happen in a very structured, goal-oriented

way."

In addition to helping teachers differentiate instruction for students, new technologies are givin rise to more powerful and detailed information systems that can help track students at the level of granularity that CBE requires, says Christine Sturgis the founder of the Santa Fe, N.M.-based education consulting company MetisNet, one of the partners A student in Eloy Garza's English class at Lindsay High School works on a writing assignment.

Students in the class have access to online programs that help them develop a more advanced understanding of literal and figurative language and learn how to write better essays.

desire to do student-centered,

personalized

learn-

ing-you can't really do that in a time-based system," says Susan D. Patrick, the president and chief executive officer of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning. The Alexandria, Va.-based iNACOL is a fervent advocate for competency-based education.

"Common

core is a game changer

because

students and teachers and teacher effectiveness," ShE says. New information systems are needed to make "data-rich and informed decisions," adds Sturgis.

Based on conversations at a competency-based-

it's

learning summit held in March 2011, Sturgis and Patrick published a five-part working definition of

going to allow us to be able to share best practices and knowledge of skills across states, and it's going to

CBE. Under the definition, students advance upon mastery, competencies are broken down into explicit

keep the innovators that are developing

and measurable learning objectives, assessment is meaningful for students, students receive differentiatE

tent from having to reinvent the wheel in

online con-

50 states,"

says Patrick. The ability of states to collaborate

will

allow more districts to be able to implement pedagogies like competency-based education without having to start from scratch, she says.

Along with a number of other partners, such as the National Govemors Association, MetisNet, Jobs for the

support based on their learning needs, and learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include the application and creation of knowledge.

However, re-engineering schools to a competencybased model is not a silver bullet, and creating competencies must be done thoughtfully and

Future, and the American Youth Policy Forum, iNACOL

carefully to be successful, Sturgis explains in a

recently launched an initiative called CompetencyWorks

paper about designing competencies, published by

that aims to promote competency-based education and provide resources for educators who are interested in

CompetencyWorks.

"Ifthe competencies, learning objectives, and

learning more about the model.

The CompetencyWorks

organizers hope to bring

innovators together and help share their experiences with more schools and districts.

38

CompetencyWorks. "[CBE] creates an enormous amount of data about

Âťwww.digitaldirections.org

rubrics are not designed well, students may become bored by low expectations, frustrated by highlevel competencies without adequate scaffolding embedded in the learning objectives, or disengaged

through inconsistent feedback from flawed rubrics,"

assessments to go with the curriculum to evaluate how well students learned the material.

the paper says. "Although it is obvious, it cannot be

After several years of tweaking those standards

overstated: Well-designed competencies are one of

and piloting them in classes, the district moved to

the essential elements for high-quality competency education. "

CBE officially in 2009-10 with the incoming class of

'Pace Does Matter'

9th graders.

Teachers, who under the new system are now

Empowering

called learning facilitators, scrapped the traditional grading scale and moved to a 0-4 rubric, where a

students and making sure they

know exactly what it is they should be learning and

3 is the minimum passing standard and 4 indicates

how it can be demonstrated CBE, its advocates say.

that a student has gone above and beyond the

is a key component

of

"Learners really understand where they're at and where they're going next," says Rooney, the Lindsay Unified superintendent.

To create their leaming objectives, officials of his district brought together 30 teachers and about a dozen administrators to go through the Califomia state education standards for grades K-12 and realign the information into need-to-know learning objectives.

The district also worked with the Marzano Research Laboratory, run by educator Robert J. Marzano, to help design the new curriculum.

In addition, the group created a set of

Students in Garza's English class separate into learning groups, a strategy the teacher says frees up more time for him to give individualized attention to each student and allows students progressing at similar levels to help each other.

requirements of mastery.

Although students in Lindsay Unified are still grouped grouped

into grade levels, each student is also by a content level (readiness levels 1-13),

so the learning facilitator knows exactly where every student falls in each subject area by content level. The district also built in more flexibility with scheduling so that students can move from one content level to the next without having to wait for the semester to end.

In addition, students receive frequent and meaningful feedback from their learning facilitators, Rooney says.

In the new information system, teachers, students, and Fa II 20

12_DigitalDirectionsÂť

39

Teacher Adrian Gutierrez uses Kindle Fire tablets with students in his Spanish 1 class at lindsay High School. Principal Jaime Robles says the school used to ban cetlphones and tablet computers, but now it embraces them.

"This is how students communicate and learn," Robles says.

"So we are using the tools that they use to keep them engaged:'

parents can check to see students' exact progress in each content area at any point in time.

But just because students now learn at their own pace does not mean that students can take multiple

The school, which does not use a traditional

years to get through one content level, emphasizes

grading scale or group students by grade levels, h

Rooney. "Pace does matter," he says. "Our system

broken down each yearlong course into 11-week classes so that students have more flexibility to me

is about increasing the rigor and holding everyone accountable-administrators, learners, and learning facil itators."

from one class to the other.

"With this population of students in particular, the

Students who are more than two content levels below their grade levels receive individualized

situations arise, and they may fall behind in that clas

leave school, they have poor attendance, different

learning plans to help them catch up to their peers.

Hramiec says. In a traditional school, she says, "whe

Those students are allowed to test out of certain

they get back to school, everyone's far ahead, and

parts of the curriculum that they may already know to increase their pace.

there's no flexibility to get those kids caught up."

But at the Boston Day and Evening Academy,

Ultimately, though, what CBE cernes down to is good teaching, Rooney says. Providing good feedback, making sure that students learn what they need to know before they move on, and differentiating

40

education since it opened 17 years ago, says the director of curriculum and instruction, Alison Hramiec.

instruction for each student is what

students have the flexibility to start up where they left off, she says.

Like Lindsay Unified, the Boston Day and Evenin Academy has spent several years aligning the curriculum with state standards and breaking it de

good teachers have always done, he says.

The Boston Day and Evening Academy, an

into need-to-know competencies.

"You start with [the standards] and from there

alternative high school in the Roxbury section of Boston that serves overage, undercredited

pull out what you believe are the enduring understandings," says Hramiec. "Those are the

students, has been using competency-based

big learning objectives that are the ones you wan1

Âťwww.digitaldirections.org

" We want [states] to wrap around [innovative schools and distri cts] and protectthem like a cocoon."

-GeneWilhoiLPresidenCCouncil

students to carry with them ten years from now."

All students must demonstrate competencies independently and multiple times to move on, she says.They are given many opportunities to practice mastery informally before the actual assessment.

of Ihief State School OFficers

The Washington-based Council of Chief State School Officers has brought together nine states, including New Hampshire, in its Innovation Lab Network to build new models of education that empower learners.

Members of the network challenge the status quo with six design principles for transformation, one of which is performance-based learning.

Protecting Innovators One state that has taken the lead in competencybased education is New Hampshire, which in 200S

"We want [states] to wrap around [innovative schools and districts] and protect them like a cocoon," says Gene Wilhoit, the president of the CCSSO.

eliminated the Camegie unit, a seat-time-oriented way

The Common Core State Standards have helped

of accounting for students' academic progress. Schools

pave the way for innovative learning models such as CBE, says Wilhoit.

in the state were given until the 2008-09 school year to move from a time-based to a mastery-based system.

Those regulations extend to the statewide online public high school, the Exeter, N.H.-based Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, or VLACS, which has been competency-based

since it opened in 2007.

When students take and complete courses at

However, while innovation is happening in pockets around the country, large-scale statewide movements are rare, he says.

To push that progress along, the Innovation Lab has identified diagnostic tools that need to be developed and more effective intervention strategies for teachers.

VLACS is flexible, allowing students to move at their own pace. They can complete courses in 10 weeks or

One of the most recent states to join the CCSSO's Innovation Lab is Iowa, which has begun to explore

take as long as 36 weeks, says Steve Kossakoski, the chief executive officer of the school.

the idea of competency-based education. It granted districts in the state access to seat-time waivers after a

Students must score at least a 7S or greater on all competency-based

assessments, out of a possible

100, in addition to receiving a passing average score on all the assignments (not just the ones pegged as competencies) in order to pass.

To help brick-and-mortar meet the mastery-based

schools in the state requirements,

begun offering competency-recovery

VLACS has classes for

students in regular schools who have fallen behind.

forum about CBE held in December 2011.

The SOO-student Collins-Maxwell Community School District, about 40 miles north of Des Moines, is one that has taken advantage of the change in policy.

"Competency-based education challenges some of the structures that we think may be there to support students, but may actually be limits," says Jason Ellingson, the superintendent of the rural district, who also sits on the state's task force on CBE.

"In a traditional school, one of the things they've

Although the district has not rolled out a proficiency-

struggled with is what do you do with a student who hasn't met competency in a world where everything is attendance-based?" says Kossakoski. In the

based education system, it is taking steps to encourage organic growth of the model, officials say.

competency-recovery

giving out iPads to all of its K-12 students. While

courses that VLACS offers,

For instance, this school year, the district will be

the courses are broken down into smaller units so students only need to go through the parts of the

school overnight, middle and high school students

class that they didn't pass the first time.

Interest in the competency-recovery classes has

will be allowed to take the devices home with them.

"We feel that those tools are going to be pushing

jumped from about 200 students the first year it was offered to 1,400 students in the last school year,

the idea of personalized learning, and we think that's

says Kossakoski.

based education,"

elementary school students will leave the devices at

going to help the discussion around competencysays Ellingson .â&#x20AC;˘

Fa II Z01

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I

ucationa esources ur e Spurred by the adoption of commoncore standards by nearly every state, the movement for open digital resources is growing as educators realign curricula

n Utah, the state department

of

education is pulling together textbooks aligned to Common Core State

re-evaluate and realign their curricula.

OERs, which are free to use, remix, and adapt, also engage teachers more fully

Standards made up entirely of open

in curricula, allowing them to more easily

educational resources, or OERs. South Dakota officials have created a

differentiate

instructional materials for

repository of open education materials

students, advocates of the movement say.

"As a consequence of this historic national

aligned to the common core for teachers.

And at the national level, the education

transition to these common standards, there are a lot of states going through the exercise

organization

of, 'OK, how do we ensure that our resources

Achieve has launched a set of

rubrics designed to help educators evaluate both the quality of OERs and their

are the right ones? How do we do that in a way that's affordable? How do we work with

alignment to the common standards.

"I think the common core has been a

our peers to develop it?' " says Leichty. "With

catalyst for OER-for

examining

discussing and developing

it, for

and adopting

OER," says Reginal J. Leichty, a partner in EducationCounsel,

a Washington-based

education law and policy-consulting firm.

"There are windows for policy change, and common core has just by its nature necessarily caused this conversation

to

begin."

Spurred by the adoption of common-

OER, you don't need to adopt one rigid model that was adopted by one of the major states. You can adopt and adapt and tailor those resources to unique state needs."

EducationCounsel

is working with schools

to help provide policy advice to those that are embracing open education resources.

Karen Fasimpaur, the president of K12 Handhelds, a Portal, Ariz.-based company that focuses on mobile computing

in

education, is also an advocate for open

core standards by nearly every state the movement for open education resources

education resources.

"There's a renewed interest in [OER],

is seeing a surge in interest as districts

particularly at the state policy level, because

this is such a huge challenge, particularly with the budget situations as they are," says

addresses their professionalism in choosing resources that work best for their kids."

Fasimpaur. "A lot of policy folks are really looking at OER as an opportunity to improve the tools we have for leaming, but also to do it in a way that's affordable and more flexible."

While the cost savings of OER may initially draw interest from policymakers and state education officials, there are many reasons why OER fits well with the common

Teachers Need Training Federal policy has also contributed to greater interest in open education resources, says Barbara Treacy, the managing project director for the Center

core, she says.

for Online Professional Education at the Newton, Mass.-based Education

"With everyone on the same page about standards, it's going to be more and more

Development Center.

"It is becoming

about sharing resources, which is what OER

pre-embedded

is all about," says Fasimpaur.

"A lot of districts are looking at purchasing brand-new curriculum to address common core, and it's so expensive, and it's also burdensome on teachers," she says. "One of the things about OER is that it really empowers the teachers more and

FaI12012_DigitaIDirectionsÂť

43

RESOUR[ES Achieve Created a series of eight rubrics that evaluate the degree to which each open educational resource's COER) aligns to the Common Core State Standards, as well as the quality of each resource. www.achieve.org

Curriki Launched a free Algebra 1 course aligned to the common standards. The course includes real-world examples, projects, interactive online tools, videos, and targeted feedback. http://welcome.curriki.org

MyOER A repository of OERs that can be searched by standard or subject. Includes an explanation of the evaluation rubric used to determine each resource's quality. By registering for a free account, teachers receive an online locker where they can store OERs they are interested in using. www.myoer.org

OER Commons A repository of OERs with collections of resources aligned to the common core, including lessons plans as well as implementation tools.

OER Commons houses the rubrics created by Achieve to evaluate the alignment to common standards and the quality of OERs. www.oercommons.org

44

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in almost every federal grant that the

interactivity, and the quality of the instructional

product of the grants needs to be shared

tasks and practice exercises. Each material is

as an OER," she points out, allowing all states to leverage the tools that are

evaluated on all eight rubrics, scoring from

produced by states that receive certain federal education grants.

But teachers also need support to use the resources properly, says Treacy, addressing one of the challenges of the OER movement.

Critics of open resources contend that

a zero to a 3, with zero being "very weak or none" and 3 indicating "superior."

"Our goal is just that whenever people think about which resources to use for instruction, that they consider all these different aspects," says Jennifer Childress, a senior adviser for science at Achieve. "It's

even though the materials are free to use,

a rigorous way to determine quality so that

they may not be as easy to implement in a classroom as a ready-made, prepackaged

multiple users can know the same criteria."

proprietary resource, such as a textbook.

"Even with this huge amount of curricula

Through the Learning Registry, a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Education

and these lesson-plan websites aligned to

and U.S. Department of Defense that provides a platform for technical protocols

the common core, that is still not going to do the trick for having teachers make the shift

for aggregated resources, each time a resource is evaluated, it is encoded in that

without the PD," Treacy says. "Teachers still

material's metadata, so that no matter where

need training for how to find the stuff they

the resource is being viewed on the Internet,

need, how to understand what they find, and

it will still contain the rating information.

how to adapt it for their students."

(See related story, Page 29.)

Because of the vast array of open education curricula available on the Internet, teachers need to know how to wade through the material and evaluate its quality to determine how it might work in their classrooms, she says.

Another challenge of bringing OERs

Although the rubrics were written with the common core in mind, says Childress, they could be used with any set of standards.

"The evaluation rubric was meant to be portable so that other people could use it in their own collections," says Lisa Petrides, the president and founder of ISKME. And the rubrics are detailed enough to help lay the groundwork for improving

into classrooms is making sure that the

resources that may not rank high, she says.

resources teachers are using are high-

For instance, some materials receive low rankings because they do not include an

quality and aligned to the standards.

Because anyone can create and contribute a resource to the broader OER repositories, the resources vary widely in quality.

assessment component, which could be added by another teacher to make the material more robust.

One tool to help educators determine the quality and alignment to the common core of a particular resource is the OER rubrics developed by the Washingtonbased Achieve, a nonprofit education policy group that helped write the Common Core State Standards. The rubrics are hosted by the OER Commons, a repository of more than 30,000 open resources created by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge

Open Textbooks in Utah Some states, such as Utah, have embraced OERs as a way to provide teachers with the curricula they need to make the shift to the common standards.

Considered a pioneer in the OER movement, the Utah legislature has supported the adoption of open resources

Management in Education, or ISKME, based

by adding language in policy that allows

in Half Moon Bay,Calif.

The rubrics evaluate resources on eight

districts to use the free digital materials.

In Utah, curricula, including textbooks

different aspects, including their alignment

and OERs, are adopted by each district

to the standards, the quality of technological

rather than at the state level. But the Utah

State Office of Education offers guidance through a state review process that

and Innovation in Education, or TIE, which

a 2 or 3 are included on the

is based in Rapid City, is pulling together

provides lists of recommended materials.

In fact, the state has created entire

resources, such as the Achieve evaluation rubrics, to create a repository of open

site, says Preszler.

MyOER has also imported resources from

textbooks from OERs in science, English/

education materials for teachers called

language arts, and math for middle and high

MyOER. "The Internet affords us such a rich

schoolers, with help from open-textbook creator CK-12, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based

opportunity

the Khan Academy and Thinkfinity, bringing its total number of resources so far up to about 3,CX)(). "[Teachers] can really diversify, and they can find resources for standards that are a variety

that we can actually curate

nonprofit organization.

of levels, so they can customize the learning

Pilots of the open textbooks were so

for their students," says Preszler.

And MyOER can be used by any teacher,

successful that the Utah Open Textbook Project received

not just those in South Dakota,

permission from the state office

~ ,

of education to go statewide during the 2012-13 school year.

Mathiesen emphasizes.

Such projects are exactly what the common core can now make possible, says Kim Jones, the chairman and

"As a state that really views

chief executive officer of Curriki, a nonprofit K-12 repository for open

teachers as professionals, both in content and pedagogical knowledge, we really

education resources based in

appreciated the empowerment" that came with allowing

Cupertino, Calif.

"We're seeing a lot of teachers starting to contribute OER materials that are aligned to common-core

teachers to use and create open education resources, says Tiffany Hall, the literacy coordinator for

standards," says Jones. "We're very excited about that and think it's going

the state education office.

Hall is quick to point out that not all

to make a huge difference in allowing

districts are adopting open textbooks, and that proprietary publishers have

people across the U.S. to leverage what teachers are doing in other places."

much greater resources at their

Curriki is also involved in the Learning Resource Metadata Initiative, which is being

disposal to create curricula, which can make them a good option for schools as well.

"Whether it's open or from a publisher,

co-led by the Wilmington,

Del.-based

Association of Educational Publishers and

whatever fits best with the curriculum and

what we need, and that was really the

standards that we have for our students, ... that's the resource that we want to have

impetus of starting the work," says Julie

Creative Commons, a Mountain View, Calif.-based nonprofit that has created a

available to teachers," she says.

Mathiesen, the director ofTlE. "Even if you're the best teacher in the U.S., it's still

variety of legal open licenses to enable the sharing of resources, with the goal of

In addition, Hall says, regardless of whether the curriculum is open or

not possible for you to customize all day, every day, without the use of technology."

creating a common vocabulary with which to tag and categorize OERs. The initiative is

proprietary, everything is vetted and reviewed by the state education office first.

Using open-source software created

intended to make it easier to search for and

for the Michigan Online Resources for Educators, or MORE, TIE created the

find materials.

MyOER repository to house open resources

vocabulary from the common standards,

for teachers. MyOER also incorporates an evaluation rubric, based on that of Achieve

although it will be designed to work with any set of standards, according to the leaming-

assurances to our school boards and parents that the materials students are using are vetted," says Hall. "Just because it's an OER

but simplified, says June Preszler, an

resource initiative.

resource doesn't mean it has carte blanche."

Preszler has pulled together 80 educators in South Dakota-40 from math and 40

'Customize the Learning'

from English/language

"We're going to continue to provide support as this gains speed and ground to make sure that teachers are able to do what they need to do, and we can also provide

In South Dakota, the nonprofit professionaldevelopment organization Technology

education technology

specialist for TIE who

has led the work around MyOER.

arts-to

find and

evaluate resources for the website. Like the Achieve rubrics, resources are rated on a scale of zero to 3. Only resources that score

The project will pull some of that

"It's an exciting time for education, between OER really crossing the chasm and common-core standards coming out, and just the work that's going on around technology," says Jones, from Curriki. "It's all coming together at a great time, and it's really going to have a positive impact on education going forward." â&#x20AC;˘

FaII 20

12_DigitalDirectionsÂť

45

,I

Securing the Assessments Though the common-core

assessments won't go online until the 2014-15 school

year, some states and school districts already administer online testing. With so many

lockdown" that blocks other applications from opening during test time, and a time-out feature that shuts down the testing application after 20

students taking online exams and many more expected to do so in the years to come,

minutes of inactivity. The program also includes

school districts and states are looking for ways to keep online assessments secure.

a built-in pause feature that turns the screen blank if a student needs to step away from his

Digital Directions spoke to a number of educational technology experts to identify

or her desk briefly, preventing nearby students

common problems associated with online testing and what schools can do to fix them.

Bandwidth: Too many students using

Security Risks: Access points that are

online content on a given day could overload the school's allotted bandwidth,

not password-protected could be hacked, leaving private test information exposed.

slowing down or even crashing testing

Solution: Pete Just, the chief technology

platforms on assessment days.

Solution: Michael Jamerson, the director of technology for the' , AOO-student Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation in Indiana,

officer for the' 6,300-student Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township in Indiana, recommends purchasing a premium-quality Internet-access package, which typically

uses Lightspeed Systems' Web filter to limit or

comes with additional

block access to music- or video-streaming

like Pandora that are popular among teenagers

says cheaper Internet packages have access points that are often easier to

and use up a lot of bandwidth. Limiting access to certain sites allows schools to preserve

hack, and with school discounts, higher-quality Internet packages don't

bandwidth strictly for education-related

cost too much more. "Not everyone

sites

purposes on assessment days, and ensures that

looks at hackability

testing applications run quickly.

total cost of ownership,"

security features. He

from getting answers from that screen.

Inaccurate Data: The large number of students taking online exams could lead to assessments linked to the wrong students.

Solution: Elizabeth Jones, the director of the office of assessment for the South Carolina Department of Education, says her state's online testing system requires students to verify personal information to ensure that the right students are taking the tests. Before each test, students are given unique identification numbers by the test administrator and have to verify their profiles with name, birthday, and demographic

of device when looking at Just says.

information

when they log in. The system also prevents two students from using the same log-in information at the same time.

-MIKE

Old Software: Out-of-date

software could

Software limits: Software limitations

could

lead to system crashes during assessments.

lead to more cheating by students on exams.

Solution: Alice Owen, the

Solution: Susan Creighton, a coordinator in the

executive director of technology

Office of Assessment for the South Carolina

services for the 34,OOO-student

Department of Education, says her state uses

Irving Independent School District in Texas, says her district, a , -to- ,

a testing platform from Data Recognition Corp. with built-in security features that crack down

computing district where all high school

on cheating. The software includes a "desktop

students have school-issued laptops, sends software updates to all students to make sure the computers' internal processes flow smoothly on test days and don't crash during exams. Daily software updates are provided by a Microsoft Service Center in what Owen calls a "mostly automated process," which downloads to students' digital devices. Experts say this commitment to regular software updates for school computers is just as important in districts that do not have' -to-l computing programs.

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