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. The report highlights Iowa for the 2013 passage and current implementation of comprehensive reform policies that establish a competency-based learning and state online learning initiative. These initiatives are the result of collaboration between Governor Terry Branstad, the Legislature and the Iowa Department of Education.
“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.
Though still in the early stages of implementation, the Iowa Competency-Based Education (CBE) Collaborative has been established to advance a framework for CBE best practices. Many districts in the Collaborative are focusing on the intersection between CBE and online learning. “A group representing these districts is investigating what it looks like to transform Iowa education to be completely competency-based,” said Dr. Brad Buck, Director of the Iowa Department of Education. “We couldn’t do it without the regional education agencies, which provide for a hub for the learning and engaging.
Funding for the Iowa Learning Online program is also provided through this policy, allowing local school districts to award their students credits earned upon successful completion of Iowa Learning Online courses.
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 Now
Digital 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.