About 500 North Scott students will join about 4 million students nationwide learning online through Edgenuity, the firm contracted to provide the district’s online alternative to in-school education.
Edgenuity’s vice president of instructional design and learning science, Deborah Rayow, told The NSP that North Scott students will find experienced teachers leading one-on-one lessons, videos and personal presentations that Rayow said should not be considered “lectures.”
“I don’t like the word ‘lecture,’ because it connotes 20 to 30 minutes of someone talking at you.”
Instead, students will experience videos of teachers guiding them through text lesson plans, incorporating instructional images with personal presentations.
“Sometimes you might see a teacher standing in the Globe theater talking about Shakespeare,” Rayow offered as just one example.
North Scott elementary students will get Edgenuity online lessons from North Scott teachers. High school and junior high students will rely on Edgenuity teachers.
The district estimates the contract will cost upwards of $800,000 per school year to reach approximately 17 percent of North Scott students who chose online-only schooling. That cost will be covered by district reserves. North Scott finance director Jill Von Roekel said she anticipates federal or state emergency funding to cover at least part of those costs.
Rayow said Edgenuity students pace themselves through online lessons. “The video stops every few minutes to make a quick check on understanding,” Rayow said. The lesson poses questions. Students who have the answers may proceed. Those who don’t get appropriate follow-up before advancing.
“Students can work ahead to reach an assessment. Then the teacher unlocks the assessment, and it lets the teacher review a student’s work,” she said.
Some courses include collaborations with other students. “Generally, most interaction is one-on-one with teachers,” Rayow said.
Edgenuity is based in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is a division of Weld North Education, whose CEO, Jonathan Grayer, was CEO of Kaplan University online school from 1994 to 2008. Grayer’s firm has been buying other online education providers, adding its 14th firm last year, according to a 2019 interview with EdSurge.com. In that report, Grayer described his firm as among the biggest in a very competitive emerging industry. He said the online education business, “is not one that sets up great for some great single-stroke solution that will change everything. This has always been a complicated market, one that’s about a lot of different businesses doing a lot of small, right things every day.”
Rayow is among about 2,000 Edgenuity employees for the company experiencing rapid growth since the pandemic. Rayow taught fifth grade in New Jersey and says most families will see similarities with in-class instruction. She also expects students will rely more on online, regardless of the pandemic.
“I would predict this will give schools another tool in their toolkit. As they plan for the future, many schools will include online options. Some students will prefer it. Do I think it’s the end of traditional education? No. Not at all. It just gives schools a taste of something else they can offer.”
All teachers meet Iowa certification standards. Some used to teach in Iowa classrooms. Others obtained the certification to teach Iowa students.
“What they all have in common is they’ve all chosen to teach digitally and remotely. This is how they love to work with students. This is their experience,” she said.
Teachers will check in at least weekly with each student. “Different students appreciate different communication methods. Our teachers learn which students respond best to texts, or calls, or white-board demonstrations,” Rayow said.
Like traditional, in-class education, online learning works best with parent involvement. High school and junior high parents can follow progress online, and reach teachers with emails.
Elementary parents can follow along, check lessons and personally contact teachers.
Rayow offered three tips for new online schooling families:
• Stick to a schedule. Wake up and go to school, even if going to school is just going to the living room.
• Reduce distractions. Turn off TVs and other devices.
• Talk to students about what they’re learning.