Boyd Street Magazine October 2022

ExpandED

Norman Public Schools’ next phase of virtual learning

BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

ExpandED Coordinator Kevin Hogan with math teacher Adrianne Frenette and special education teacher Hannah Danaghe.

While virtual education made headlines in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, online educational opportunities have been available within the Norman Public School district for over a decade.

Originally known as Norman Net, the district renamed the program, ExpandED, as a nod to the expanded educational opportunities now available to families which include a comprehensive, self-paced online curriculum as well as hybrid options.

ExpandED Coordinator Kevin Hogan said that the district’s virtual learning opportunities have undergone significant changes and substantial growth in recent years. One key shift Hogan said has had a positive impact is that ExpandED is now staffed by Norman teachers.

“Originally, teachers for students in our program could be from all around the country, but now, the vast majority of our students are served by our local, Norman teachers which allows ExpandED to be able to do more of the things they might do in a traditional classroom,” he said. “We offer field trips, park days, art activities, and more.”

Katherine Rauch, an ExpandED school counselor, shared that they are “building a K-12 community with holistic supports, small groups and social-emotional skill building to support students.”

“Where we are now is that these are students that want to be virtual learners, and we are paving the way for how that is going to look,” Rauch explained. “Our families want the flexibility of virtual learning but with traditional supports and resources such as tutoring and mentoring and the ability to do it all in a location where they feel safe and comfortable.”

Hogan said that last year the program started with four teachers on staff and quickly grew to more than a dozen in just a few weeks due to the volume of students enrolled. This year, they added an additional math teacher, ELA teacher and a speech pathologist.

The program also has a large number of students participating in the blended option where they take some classes online and some inside brick-and-mortar classrooms.

“Between the two high schools, we have about 520 students that take virtual classes and are at school at some point in the day,” Hogan said.

Taylor Bott, an ExpandED elementary teacher, said that online learning opportunities allow students to pursue passions that are in line with their learning preferences.

Park Days are a regular part of the ExpandED program.

“Families can find a rhythm that works for them which I think is a very cool thing about virtual learning,” she said.

Teaching varied grade levels, Bott said she spends a lot of her time assessing student progress.

“Since students can build their own schedules, we all work together to provide support in whatever way they need whether that be daily Zooms, emails or to cheer you on from the side,” Bott shared.

“Our students are not alone,” Rauch added. “There is a whole team working behind them to guide them.”

Bott said her favorite part of being a virtual teacher is “how connected we are with the whole family.”

Students participate in craft days as part of the virtual education program.

Community building opportunities such as park days are another key addition that Hogan said has transformed the student experience. After talking with one of the ExpandED kindergarten teachers, that teacher expressed a concern that while the school year was going well, something was missing.

“She said kids being kids was missing,” Hogan remembered. Her solution was a playdate at a park.

“Park days are now one giant recess with the whole elementary team,” Bott said. “The kids are making friends and families are connecting. Real community has been created.

“When we were on holiday breaks, families still went to the park together.”

While ExpandED follows the same calendar as in-person learning, enrollment in the virtual program is open throughout the school year.

To learn more about NPS virtual learning opportunities, visit normanpublicschools.org/expanded. – BSM