TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Digital Learning Now (DLN), an initiative of the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd), today released the 2014 Digital Learning Report Card. The Digital Learning Report Card measures state policies on digital learning based on their alignment to the 10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning. New in 2014, the report card examines and highlights the progress of individual states in implementing policies. West Virginia earned a B- in 2014. The report highlights West Virginia for implementation of SB 371, the Innovation Zones Act. The legislation was passed in 2012 to improve and replicate innovative teaching and learning methods across the Mountain State.
“Digital learning can open doors for students by improving the delivery, access, quality and rigor of education for today’s learners,” said Patricia Levesque, CEO of ExcelinEd. “This is exactly what our students need to succeed in the 21st century. Many of today’s lawmakers and education leaders are stepping up and creating the opportunities and infrastructure for students to explore powerful new models of learning.”
State policymakers play a critical role in accelerating the adoption of new models of learning enabled by technology. State policy can either remove barriers to innovative approaches or it can stifle them with restrictions, red tape and protecting the status quo.
“Like every state, West Virginia is on the lookout for new ways to improve education,” said Gayle Manchin, President of West Virginia’s State Board of Education. “The Innovation Zones Act frees schools and districts to create and share new methods for teaching and learning – methods that focus, without restraint, on the ultimate goal of engaging students and reaching those at risk of dropping out.”
Implementation of the Innovation Zones Act includes providing schools with support and flexibility to waive policies and codes that restrict student learning. Since January 2015, over 80 grants have been awarded to schools. Innovation Zones are already demonstrating results. Students in North Marion and Buffalo High Schools are taking advantage and ownership of these opportunities to connect and collaborate with others and focus on problem-based learning.
The biggest goal of the Innovation Zones Act is to keep more students in school and get them excited about learning. The New Tech Model has brought huge success at Buffalo High School in Putnam County. With a move into a new facility on the horizon, funding from the grant allowed the school to design an instructional model that could best use the new resources and space they would have. The school is now a one-to-one school that uses co-teaching and offers embedded credits.
“The main barrier was to get schools and districts to think outside the box,” said Michelle Blatt, Assistant State Superintendent of Schools for the West Virginia Department of Education. “We tend to put people inside a box and slap hands with policies when they get outside of it. It is not enough to say you can waive policy and code – we have sought to give concrete examples of how to use time differently.”
The nation’s 50 states and their education systems have the opportunity to use technology in innovative ways to drive learning. The annual Digital Learning Report Card offers a comprehensive state-by-state analysis of laws and education policies that are doing just that. In 2014, state departments of education, superintendents, teachers and parents tackled implementing and making adjustments to some of the 422 digital learning laws enacted over the last four years. This year, the Report Card amplifies state voices, clarifies metrics for next generation policies and creates a broader picture of digital learning across the nation.
In 2010 the Digital Learning Council, a diverse group of more than 100 leaders in education, government, philanthropy, business, technology and members of policy think tanks convened to develop a roadmap to integrate technological innovations into public education. As a result, the group produced the 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning, a comprehensive framework of state-level policies and actions designed to advance the meaningful and thoughtful integration of technology into K-12 public education. Download the 2014 DLN Report Card to learn more about states’ progressions compared to the 10 Elements.
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About ExcelinEd
The Foundation for Excellence in Education is igniting a movement of reform, state by state, to transform education for the 21st century economy by working with lawmakers, policymakers, educators and parents to advance education reform across America. Learn more at ExcelinEd.org.
About Digital Learning NowDigital Learning Now, an initiative of the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd), works to advance state policies that will create a high-quality digital learning environment to better equip all students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in the 21st century. The policy framework stems from the belief that access to high-quality, customized learning experiences should be available to all students, unbounded by geography or artificial policy constraints.