Improve access to accountability and technical information for the virtual school network online schools program Page: 1
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IMPROVE ACCESS TO ACCOUNTABILITY AND TECHNICAL
INFORMATION FOR THE VIRTUAL SCHOOL NETWORK ONLINE
SCHOOLS PROGRAMInternet courses and online learning have been a part of the
U.S. educational system since the 1990s, and all 50 states
and the District of Columbia adopted some form of online
learning by 2011. The Texas Virtual School Network consists
of two components: a statewide catalog of supplemental
online courses for credit toward high school graduation and
an Online Schools program offering full-time virtual
instruction for eligible public school students in grades three
to 12.
Although virtual schools have maintained steady enrollment,
accountability information that is available to students and
parents for full-time online schools lacks consistency and
accessibility. The Texas Education Agency provides annual
accountability reports for each district, campus, and open-
enrollment charter school. For each electronic course,
informed-choice reports are required to provide information
regarding enrollment, technical specifications, and course
requirements. However, accountability information and
informed-choice reports for virtual schools are difficult for
parents and students to access, and lack consistency between
the Online Course Catalog and Online Schools programs.
Ensuring streamlined access to informed-choice reports and
accountability reports will increase accessibility and
consistency of information available to parents and students
that are considering enrollment in the Online Schools
program.
FACTS AND FINDINGS
f Enrollment in the Texas Virtual School Network's
seven online schools totaled 13,766 students for
school year 2016-17, an increase of 12.8 percent
from school year 2015-16.
f During school year 2016-17, two of the state's largest
virtual schools received an Improvement Required
rating. These two schools collectively represent
68.0 percent of total Texas Virtual School Network
enrollment.
+ The Online Schools program website provides
an informational video for students and parents,
directions to access accountability reports on another
website, and contact information for the available
online schools.CONCERNS
+ Parents and students must navigate multiple website
pages to access an online school's accountability
information, which may hinder parents seeking to
learn more about online school performance and make
decisions regarding their children's learning needs.
+ The Texas Education Code provides general reporting
requirements for informed-choice reports attached
to electronic courses, but the statute makes no
reference to program-specific requirements. The
Texas Administrative Code outlines informed-choice
reporting requirements for all virtual school courses,
but it is unclear how those reporting requirements
apply to full-time online schools.
OPTIONS
+ Option 1: Amend statute to require the Texas
Education Agency to ensure that accountability rating
information for the Online School programs is posted
directly on the Texas Virtual School Network website
and on the website of each full-time online school.
+ Option 2: Amend statute to require the publication
of informed-choice reports for each course offered in
a full-time online school on the Texas Virtual School
Network website, each online school's website, and
the school district's or open-enrollment charter
school's website, for all grade levels eligible to enroll
in a course or full-time online school.
DISCUSSION
Online learning and distance learning are common
educational tools used across the U.S. Florida, Hawaii, and
Utah first established virtual schools during the late 1990s.
By 2011, all 50 states and the District of Columbia offered
full-time and supplemental online learning programs.
Students in grades three to 12 in Texas have the option to
attend online school full-time through the Online Schools
(OLS) program operated by the Texas Virtual School
Network (TxVSN). Students also may supplement the
traditional classroom setting with online courses offered
through the TxVSN's statewide Online Course Catalog
system. However, users' access to accountability ratings andLEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD STAFF -APRIL 2019 LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD STAFF REPORTS - ID: 4830
LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD STAFF -APRIL 2019
LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD STAFF REPORTS - ID: 4830
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Texas. Legislative Budget Board. Improve access to accountability and technical information for the virtual school network online schools program, report, April 2019; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1486787/m1/1/?q=%22Education+-+Schools%22: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.