SOLON– The Solon Community School District (SCSD) will again offer virtual learning when classes for the new year start in fall.
The school will continue to contract with third-party provider, Edmentum, Inc., for kindergarten through 12th grade offerings in the 2021-2022 school year, according to SCSD Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Josh Lyons.
Lyons reported on the district’s approach to virtual learning at an April 15 school board session.
Many school districts in the area, including Linn-Mar and College Community, expect to use Edmentum for online classes, he said, and many others are developing their own plans for virtual school as a permanent alternative setting.
A total of 41 students are currently taking online classes district-wide, he noted. Of those, 31 are using Edmentum for kindergarten through eighth grade, with 11 students utilizing Apex Learning for ninth through 12th grade. The most Edmentum users have been at the second grade and eighth grade levels, he observed.
Edmentum offers live teachers and is more expensive, while pre-recorded lessons, tutorials and assessment from Apex cost much less.
For next school year, Lyons said, the district will expand use of Edmentum across all grades and continue to use Apex for credit recovery over the summer.
For the 2021-2022 year, he continued, it’s anticipated the district will still have a handful or more families utilizing the online platform.
Some students have done well with virtual learning, while others struggled, he reported.
“It’s a mix.”
And while some online students are expected to return to the physical classroom, he said, the district is planning for 20-25 to continue learning online for a variety of reasons.
“As we move into next year, really think about this online school as being an extension of the regular educational program to us,” he said, like another building in the district.
Flexibility, rigorous curriculum offerings and weekly communication with family members were key reasons for sticking with Edmentum in addition to the live lessons, Lyons told board members.
“For some kids it’s awesome because they don’t like to engage on the social aspect of school, they just want to focus on learning,” he said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he explained, the district retained a relaxed attitude toward attendance and grades.
As virtual learning becomes a permanent educational system, he added, the district will become firmer with attendance and course completion to maintain student achievement levels.
There would also likely be eligibility requirements and expectations for participation in seventh-through-12th grade extracurricular activities, he said.
The district needs to develop an application process including approval for a range of circumstances, along with family participation commitments and a review of home technology viability.
Support for virtual students will be a responsibility assigned to a school administrator, he added.
Neighboring districts in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City are creating their own online options for enrollment.
“We don’t want to see our kids go open enrollment to another district, we want to keep them here as much as we can, so we want to offer this as a different option for them,” he explained.
While Edmentum has an extensive course catalog for secondary level students, Solon will start off with a shell of core classes, Lyons said.
As the program develops, the district will consider its own circumstances for adding other electives, he added.
Board member Rick Jedlicka questioned whether the district would have to renegotiate with Edmentum for a new contract.
Lyons noted he had a meeting scheduled with a company representative to begin the discussions. The contract with the district would be based on a school year and a given number of student seats, he explained.
If interest in the program increased, he said, seats could be added.