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Vision 2020 Cycle 2

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The Texas Vision 2020, Cycle 2 grant is out and school districts are thinking about whether they are going to go Technology Immersion or Virtual Learning Strand. Recently, there was a TETN broadcast and this blog entry includes my notes on that event.

For now, here’s a quick overview of Vision 2020 Cycle 2:

The Vision 2020 – Cycle 2 grant includes two separate strands: (1) Technology Immersion; and (2) Virtual Learning. School districts may apply for both strands but will only receive funding for one strand. Applicants must submit a separate application for each strand.

The purpose of the Technology Immersion strand is to provide high-need schools the opportunity to provide total technology immersion to an entire grade level on one or more campuses or on an entire campus with the necessary supplementary resources to provide (1) a wireless mobile computing device for each educator and student on an immersed campus to ensure on-demand technology access at school and at home; (2) productivity, communication, and presentation software for use as learning tools; (3) online instructional resources that support the state curriculum in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies; (4) online assessment tools to diagnose students’ strengths and weaknesses or to assess mastery of the core curriculum; (5) professional development for teachers to help them integrate technology into teaching, learning, and the curriculum; and (6) initial and ongoing technical and pedagogical support.

The purpose of the Virtual Learning strand is to provide high-need schools with the necessary resources to provide supplementary online learning opportunities for students and/or teachers via the Texas Virtual School Network and the opportunity to (1) improve student academic achievement through the use of technology in elementary and secondary schools; (2) assist every student in crossing the digital divide by ensuring that every student is technology literate; and (3) encourage the effective integration of technology resources and systems with teacher training and curriculum development to establish research-based instructional methods that can be widely implemented as best practices by state and local educational agencies.

From my point of view, there was a clear bias towards the Virtual Learning stand. Of course, that could have been my OWN bias at work…I’m leaning more toward the virtual learning than the tech immersion.

Below are my notes from the recent TETN Broadcast (02/18/2009)…I did get tired at one point and stopped taking notes.

TETN Broadcast

Facilitating

  • Nancy Little
  • Terry Wyatt
  • Kate Loughry
  • Kathy Ferguson
  • Tammy Bright
  • Rebecca Shraeder
  • Richard LaGow

Discussion

Vision 2020 Cycle 2

  • Read the entire RFA
  • Examine the options
  • Analyze your needs
  • Develop the RFA

Funding

Early Indications of Success

Improved Student Achievement

  • TIP-PING Points – as a result of its participation in the Texas Immersion Pilot, Brady Middle School saw signficant gains in student achievement on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test between 2004 and 2006.

Impact on Teachers and Teaching

  • Immersion teachers continue to grow in proficiency and use of technology faster than control teachers
  • Students in immersion schools experienced more intellectually demanding work.
  • Increased the frequency of student technology use
  • Students who had greater access to laptops and used laptops for learner had significantly higher TAKS reading and math scores.

Virtual Learning Strand

  • Builds on lessons larned through Virtual Schools Pilot (VSP)
  • Investigating the Quality of Online Courses Pilot (IQ)
  • Electronic Course Pilot (ECP)
  • Initial implementation of the Texas Virtual School Network, which has begun enrollment this month.

OVerview of Online learning

  • Online learning is growing at a tremendous rate nationally and internationally
  • It is increasingly considered integral to state strategies for student success
    • 4×4 curriculum
    • Used to increase graduation rate or address dropout rate
    • Credit recovery
    • AP Courses
  • Online learning has the potential to transform education
    • At national, state and district level, online learning has evolved from new unproven sideline activity to widely accepted, credible educational practice.

Research on Online Learning

  • Online learning programs are growing
  • Online programs expand options for students
  • Online learning programs are effective in meeting students educational needs

Lessons Learned

  • Online courses are not for all students
  • Students underestimate work required in online courses
  • Students and parents need information about realistic expectations of effort required.
  • Teaching online is not for all teachers
  • It is essential for teachers to have PD specifically for teaching in an online environment
  • PD for online teaching improves teaching methods in traditional classrooms.
  • Quality—of both courses and instruction—is critical
  • Quality varies widely
  • Accountability an oversight are essential
  • Schools underestimate the planning and prep time necessary before beginning an online program.

Districts Learning Policies

  • All districts and open-enrollment charter schools have authority to grant state credit toward graduation as long as they have determined, to their satisfaction, that a course meets or exceeds the TEKS
  • To earn state funding students must be physically present and meet attendance and accounting rules.

Correspondence Courses

  • The institutions offering correspondence courses must be the UT at Austin and Texas Tech Univ, as well as public institution of higher ed approved by the commissioner of education. These are the only 2 approved institutions.
  • There is a diff between correspondence courses and online courses.

Texas Virtual School Network

  • Texas Education Code Chapter 30A
  • TEA serves as TxVSN Administering Authority
  • Central Operations: ESC Region 10 in collab with Harris County Department of Education
  • Offers grdes 9–12 reviewed for TEKS alignment and quality online course standards
  • Interactive online courses led by Texas certified teachers who meet TxVSN PD requirements for teaching online
  • TxVSN opened January 2009
  • Network works in partnership with students’ home district
  • Remember that the creation of a state-wide virtual network is a very big undertaking

State Led Online Learning

  • Benefits
    • Creates equity among schools across the state
    • Provides expanded opportunities to meet needs of diverse students populations
    • Ensures students have access to rigorous online courses that align with the state’s curriculum standards and meet other quality guidelines.
    • Helps provide expanded access to highly qualified teachers
    • Provides significant efficiencies and economies of scale and reduces redundant costs and efforts

Virtual Learning Strand, V2020C2

  • Build capacity to participate in the TxVSN
  • Provides students opportunities to take online courses through TxVSN
  • Provides high-need schools….
  • http://www.txvsn.org

Eligibility Requirements

  • Primary
    • High need LEAs or eligible local partnerships are eligible to apply for this grant. A high need LEA is an LEA that
      • a. is among the LEAs with at least 2500 or 22% of children from families with incomes below the poverty line as identified by the 2005 U.S. Census data; and
      • b. serves one or more school identified for improvement or corrective action under Title I (section 1116), OR
      • has a substantial need for assistance in acquiring and using tech per the 2008 STaR Chart
  • An eligible partnership means a high need LEA and one of the following:
    • LEA must serve as mentor school to one or more high need
    • Institution of higher ed
    • for profit business or organization
    • public or private nonprofit org

Critical Dates

  • Friday – 01/23/2009 – Release of request for app in Texas register
  • Wednesday – 02/18/2009 – Applicant’s conference
  • Friday March 6 – Notice of Intent to Apply due in TEA Document Control Center, reviewer recommendations
  • Thursday, April 30, 2009 – App is due in the TEA Document Control Center, 5:00 PM, Central Time
  • Monday, June 15–19, 2009 – Oral presentations (if needed)
  • Friday, June 26, 2009 – Projects selected and notified
  • Tuesday, Sept 1, 2009 – Beginning date of project
  • Thursday, June 30, 2011 – ending date of project
  • Sunday, July 31, 2011 – Final expenditure report due to TEA

Tech Immersion Strand

  • Provide high need schools to create a totally immersed campus or grade level
  • Immerse all students/teachers at a particular grade level….
  • Districts may apply for both strands but may only receive funding for one strand
  • Applicants must submit a separate application for each strand
  • Deadline for submission – April 30, 2009
  • Six Components of Immersion
    1. Wireless mobile computing device for each educator and student on an immersed campus or in an immersed grade-level to ensure on-demand tech access at school and at home
    2. Productivity, communication and presentation software for use as learning tools
    3. Online instructional resources that support the state curriculum in English lang. arts, math, science, and social studies
    4. Online assessment tools
    5. Professional development for teachers to help them integrate tech into teaching, learning and the curriculum
    6. initial and ongoing technical and pedagogical support

Tech Immersed Campus – Looks like

  • integrates evolving tech that transform teaching process by allowing for greater levels of interest, inquiry, analysis, collaboration, creativity and content production
  • on demand access for students
  • regular use of online diagnostic assessment instruments
  • promote students to work collab to communities of inquiry
  • ensures integration of approp tech to maximize learning and teaching
  • involves and educations school community
  • communities of learning and knowledge building
  • Campus tech plan is supported by the local school board
  • dedicated campus-based tech support
  • direct connectivity to internet in all roms on the campus or grade level being immersed
  • provides adequate bandwidth

Virtual Learning Strand

  • Applicans must identify the following:
    • If applying as a provider district, receiving, or both
    • If applying as a collab comprised of provider, receiving districts or both
    • number of teachers to receive professional development to teach online
    • names of campuses to be served
    • number and types of students to be served (i.e. juniors and seniors, homebound, dropout recovery, etc.) through txvsn
    • purpose of online courses (i.e. meet grad requirements, dual credit, credit recovery, etc.)

Purpose

  • Build capacity for the TxVSN
  • Grantees may apply for funds to become provider districts, receiving districts, or both
  • Districts must apply to TxVSN to become a provider district
  • App process is available at www.txvsn.org
  • Applicants wishing to become a TxVSN Provider District must submit courss for review by TxVSN
  • Courses may be developed locally and/or acquired by the district from a third party
  • Initial grade 9–12 online course listings became available through TxVSN in Spring 2009
  • Additional Grade 9–12 course listings will be available through TxVSN through Fall 2009

Upcoming Events

  • Two conferences:
    • August 11–13, 2009
    • Summer of 2010
  • Budget for min of 2 people to attend each conference
  • Held in Austin, Tx
  • Total of 6 days (3 days each)

Use of Funds – TIP

  • Applicants may use grant funds to provide
    • hardware to achieve 1 to 1 immersion for teachers (y1) and students (y2)
    • Online content
    • Productivity tools
    • PD for teachers/admin
    • online assessment
    • technical
    • admin support
  • Funds may also be used to purchase hardware and software for classrooms to implement the goals and objectives of the program, such as computers, projections devices, digital cameras, flash drives, portable digital devices, whiteboards.

Use of Funds – Virtual Learning Strand

  • Align existing courss to TEKS and to iNACOL.org
  • Develop courses meeting the TEKS and NACOL standards to help build capacity for the network
  • Assist students in taking online courses offered via the TxVSN
  • Provide PD for teachers teaching online courses
  • Assist parents in providing for education of their child
  • Provider districts:
    • Pay for course fees for students taking courses through the TxVSN (up to $400 max per semester allowed by law)
    • Cover costs incurred to provide the course
    • Provide PD for teachers teaching online courses
    • Provide ongoing professional development
    • Provide PD for local teachers or other appropriate individuals providing onsite support to lcoal students in the district taking TxVSN courses
    • Provide hardware and tech access for teachers and students participating in TxVSN courses
    • Provide opportunities for administrators and principals to gain knowledge of best practices in online learning
    • Provide admin, counseling and support services needed to serve student enrolled in courses (online registration, prerequisites, academically ready?)
    • share info with parents and students about online coruses offered via TxVSN
  • Receiving District
    • Pay for course fees for students taking courses through TxVSN
    • Provide PD for local teachers or other appropriate individuals providing onsite support to local students in the District taking TxVSN courses
    • Provide hardware and tech access for teachers and/or students participating in courses
    • Provide opps for admin and principals to gain knowledge of bst practices in online learning

Unallowable Use of Funds

  • Debt service (lease-purchase, i.e. lease to own)
  • Purchase or lease of portable buildings
  • Any expenditures that are not supplemental
  • No computer labs, desktop computers and furniture
  • Warranties on previously purchased computers and laptops
  • Courses that replace traditional courses required for grad requirements
  • Courses for adult learners, such as GED, Adult Basic Education, etc.

Reporting Dates

  • Not shown in these notes.

Other items

  • Admin fees limited to no more than 3% of the total grant
  • Supplement not supplant
  • Maintenance of effort
  • Private nonprofit school participation
  • See pages 25–26 of Part 2

Review criteria

  • General Review Criteria (pages 8–11, part 1) – 100 points. You must score at least 70 to be considered for grant specific criteria points.
  • Grant-specific Criteria (pages 28–30, part 2) – 20 points
  • Total possible points – 120 points

(Stopped taking notes at 2:17 PM)

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