E-learning
Kids in “academies,” a separate learning track from other district students, are committed to fully online learning for a set period, typically a semester or an entire school year.
Formats can vary significantly among districts. Some, such as Pickerington’s, are operated completely in-house. Others rely on third-party, for-profit vendors that provide an online curriculum and, in some cases, additional teaching personnel to support students, with costs based on student enrollment.
In Pickerington, 19% of the 10,660 students participate in its academy. Students who didn’t enroll in the program are in “hybrid learning,” spending two days a week in classrooms and three days learning from home.
Rates of participation in schools’ online academies run the gamut, from just 5% of students in Bexley and Grandview Heights to 8% in Worthington to 30% in New Albany, 32% in Dublin and Reynoldsburg and 45% in Licking Heights.
Some districts said that they are still gathering data, or that their numbers are in flux.
For example, Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district, with about 50,000 students, has 7% of students participating in its academy. Earlier this month, it reported 9%.
Ohio schools are not required to offer online learning, but the Ohio Department of Education’s guidelines for schools to reopen recommended that remote learning be considered as an option for students and employees for the entire school year. The suggestion noted that “many families will have higherrisk health concerns and/or may not feel comfortable with in-person instruction until a vaccine is available.”
Columbus Public Health and Franklin County Public Health also support such an option, officials said.
In addition to parents who have health concerns, others said they want consistency at a time when students might otherwise be switching between online and in-person learning based on the number of coronavirus cases in their communities.
“I didn’t want to run the risk of us going into ‘red’ again, and not knowing what’s next,” said Yolanda Colon, a 33-year-old Pickerington mother, referencing the state’s tiered, color-coded coronavirus advisory map.
Colon said her 10-year-old daughter, who is in the fifth grade, and her 14-year-old son, an eighth grader, do best with structure.
“I know if they have something constant, they’ll adapt well to it,” she said.
Because the arrangements are so new, the effectiveness of online academies has not yet been studied, said Melissa Conrath, senior lecturer of educational administration at Ohio State University.
Although most educators agree that online academies should be offered to families who have concerns, that doesn’t mean that executing them is without challenges, Conrath said.
Especially for younger students, such programs depend on an adult being home with a child and available to help — something that isn’t possible for all families.
And some districts in central Ohio and beyond are already experiencing hiccups, with parents questioning the quality of the third-party programs offered.
“It’s a really challenging time for everyone right now,” Conrath said.
Reynoldsburg, for example, had planned to use employees of Edgenuity, a company based in Scottsdale, Arizona, to fill gaps in staffing for its online academy. But when the school year began, the company was unable to provide the personnel, said Jocelyn Cosgrave, the district’s chief academic officer. Students in its academy will now tune in to classroom lessons using video conferencing.
Acellus, a program used in Delaware and Upper Arlington, has drawn criticism nationwide after families alleged that it contained racist and sexually suggestive material. Several districts, including Delaware, have since ended contracts with the Kansas City-based company and are seeking alternatives. Upper Arlington significantly reduced its use of the program.
Delaware spent $141,200 in federal coronavirus relief funds, while Upper Arlington spent $134,750 from its general fund.
Just three days into using the curriculum for its elementary students, Westerville dropped Calvert Learning, a product of Edmentum, a company based in Bloomington, Minnesota, due to concerns about its rigor. Students are now using other programs, and it’s unclear whether the district will receive a refund of the $553,545 it spent, a mix of general fund money and relief dollars. The same is true for Delaware and Upper Arlington.
Despite the issues, however, many families say the online academies are a great fit.
Teonia Hughes, 41, of the Southeast Side, said she is keeping her two sons at home due to concerns about their health and the uncertainty of the pandemic.
The third grader and eighth grader are enrolled in Columbus City Schools’ digital academy, which is using a student-led curriculum provided by Edgenuity and Seattle-based Apex Learning. Combined, the curriculum cost the district about $2 million in coronavirus relief funds.
Columbus isn’t experiencing staffing issues with Edgenuity because it is using its own teachers, spokesman Scott Wortman said.
Hughes said she’s glad that her children, ages 8 and 13, can work at their own pace. She assists, if they need it, while her husband works from home. She said she is grateful for the flexibility because she knows not every family has that option.
“My No. 1 thing, at all costs, is their health ... I just didn’t feel like it was safe to send them back to school immediately,” she said. “I hope and pray that everything gets back to normal soon, so they’re able to return to school.” awidmanneese@dispatch.com @Alissawidman