Running head: RMS BLENDED SCHOOL

RMS Blended School

Spencer Chambers
University of Maryland University College
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RMS Blended School

Virtual School Status in the United States

The first two virtual schools in the United States were established in 1997. The Virtual

High School (VHS) and Florida Virtual School (FLVS). By 2001 Virtual Schools had expanded

to 14 states and are projected to continue to grow to most if not all state in some capacity. (Barbour

& Reeves 2009). In its 2016, annual report on virtual schools The National Education Policy

Center (NEPC) stated that in the 2013-2014 school year 447 full time virtual schools enrolled

almost 262,000 students and blended schools enrolled nearly 26,155 students in the US. (NEPC,

2016). These students came from the thirty-three states that had full time virtual schools, the

sixteen states that had blended schools and the two states that had blended schools but no full time

virtual schools. (NEPC, 2016). Private education management organizations (EMO) accounted for

44.4% of the full-time virtual schools which represented 74.4% off all student enrolled. There were

less of a presence of EMOs in blended schools. Independent schools with no private partners

represented 62.8% or blended school while EMOs represented just 20.9% of those institutions.

(NEPC, 2016).
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Appendix A1-A2 (NEPC, 2017)

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Rationale and Recommended Model for XYZ School District

rationale.

The XYZ School District is actively seeking new initiatives to improve the performance of

the underperforming schools represented in high poverty areas within its district. As a virtual

school consultant, I have been tasked with creating a model that will change the dynamics and

improve the performance of these failing schools. My proposal is based on the blended school

model.

blended school.

A blended school is described as formal education in which students learn at least part

time through online content delivery and the students have some control over time, place, path and

or pace. And, in part learn at a brick and mortar location away from home (Stalker & Horn, 2012).

In addition, the blended learning model will have the ability to offer personalized learners for all

students. To implement this model, I will target the most underperforming middle school in the

district to be redesigned into a blended school. The school chosen for this pilot program is the

Riverfront Middle School (RMS). The focus of redesign for RMS will be of its mission, policies,

curriculum, course development, program implementation, funding source and administration,

each of these components will be based on the skills learners will need to compete in a 21st Century

global environment.

mission and policy.

The mission of RMS is to use 21st Century technology, a sound learning pedagogy, and

dedicated staff to provide a student-centered learning experience that challenges each student to

reach his or her full potential. The policy of the RMS middle school will be based academic
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integrity, faculty and teacher accountability, proctored exams, discussion based assessments

(DBAs) which includes detailed learner feedback and reporting.

academic integrity.

All faculty and staff will be expected to abide to the highest standards of honesty,

accountability, dedication to the students success and ethics. In addition, all students and parents

are expected to read the student handbook and to sign the academic integrity pledge.

teacher accountability.

. Existing teachers at the school will assigned based on prior evaluations and those with

high evaluations will be placed in supervisory teacher roles and those teachers that are new or

underperforming will be assigned to a supervisory teacher for guidance. Each teacher will

participate in ongoing professional development which includes teaching in an online

environment. Teacher will be given mid-year and end of year evaluations to evaluate instruction

and student performance.

administrative accountability.

Administrative staff will be evaluated based on the effectiveness of the day to day

operation of the school and the quality of their interaction with leadership, faculty, students,

parents, and the public Administrative staff will also be given ongoing professional development

training and will be given mid-year and year end evaluations.

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leadership accountability.

The leadership of the school will be evaluated based on the overall performance of the

school. The principle will be evaluated based on the management of leadership. This includes the

chief information officer (CIO) and chief academic officer (CAO). The CIO will be evaluated a

based on the quality of the technology implementation and maintenance. The CAO will be

evaluated on the quality of the curriculum course development and assessment outcomes.

leadership accountability.

There will be parent teacher conferences in which student progress will be discussed.

Students and faculty will have email accounts and access to all faculty and staff will be

accessible via email. In addition, a parents portal will be established for parents to interact with

the school staff and receive important information. As a part of policy all emails will be

responded to in a timely manner. All policies and procedures will be based on the guidelines

outlined by the National Education Association (2017) which is outlined below:

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National Education Policy Recommendations

1. Clearly define the blended learning model as one combining online resources and
technology with face-to-face instruction by a licensed teacher.
2. Increase federal, state, and local resources, along with public/private partnerships, to fully
fund equipment purchases/leases/upgrades, maintenance, technical support, training
/professional development, evaluation, and staffing to support the full use of technology
in public schools, colleges, and universities.
3. Ensure that students have access to and instruction in technology, as well as the
responsible and ethical use of technology, especially in places where they are not otherwise
available.
4. Provide every school classroom, office, teacher workroom, and library/media center with
affordable, highspeed, seamless, and equal access to the Internet.
5. Develop an acceptable use policy (AUP) to address the appropriate use of the Internet, for
example, parental permission, proper citation and compliance with copyright laws, and
privacy and information protection.
6. Revise, create, and implement state standards, learning objectives, and assessments using
technology for all content areas that reflect 21st century expertise and the power of
technology to improve learning.
7. Design, implement, and evaluate technology powered programs and interventions to ensure
that students progress seamlessly through our P-16 education system and emerge prepared
for college and careers.
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curriculum.

The curriculum for RMS will be vigorous, stimulating and designed using the highest

standards. RMS will provide each learner with an experience that is fulfilling and long lasting. The

curriculum will align with state and common core standards and will take into consideration the

needs of special learners. There will also be an emphasis placed on creating electives that allow

leaners to explore the artistic aspect of life.

methodology.

I will use a combination of behaviorist theory and constructivist theory as my pedagogical

approach. Behaviorism is primarily concerned with observable and measurable aspects of human

behavior. (Standridge, 2002). The behaviorist aspect is based on learner participation in the

learning process. Leaners will be given task that are measurable and they will be evaluated based

on participation and standardized assessments. The principles of cognitive psychology propose

that learners need to attend to stimuli, access existing knowledge to relate to it, realign the structure

of that knowledge to accommodate new information and finally encode that restructured

knowledge base into memory. (Jonnason, 1988). Using active learning, leaners will solve problems

and create projects based on real life experiences.

To ensure all students receive a learner centered education each learner will have a

comprehensive individual education plan (IEP). RMS will be an inclusive organization that

encourages input from teachers, students, subject matter experts (SMEs), and most importantly,

parents. The framework for curriculum development will be based on the following Common Core

(2017) criteria:
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Research and evidence based

Clear, understandable, and consistent

Aligned with college and career expectations

Based on rigorous content and the application of knowledge through higher-order thinking

skills

Built upon the strengths and lessons of current state standards

Informed by other top-performing countries to prepare all students for success in our global

economy and society.

course development.

All courses will be developed to align with the mission and core values of the XYZ school

district, state and national standards. There will be a holistic approach to learning employing the

latest in educational technology. The development of the courses will be supervised by the CAO.

Teachers and SMEs will work together to design and deliver courses easily integrated into both a

face to-face and online environments.

program implementation.

rotation model.

Building on the above framework of standards and guidelines I will use a rotation model

as the primary instructional methodology. A rotation model is a course or subject in which students

rotate on a xed schedule or at the teachers discretion between learning modalities, at least one

of which is online learning. (Christensen Institute, 2017). RMS students within a classroom will

rotate through stations which include differentiated small group instruction, collaborative or

independent practice and directed or online activities. In addition, students will be given activities
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and assignments to be completed via online access outside the classroom using the flipped

classroom method to help student develop self directed learning skills. (Stalker & Horn, 2012).

Teachers will use various tools and methodologies to make the students learning experience more

flexible, enriching, collaborative and personalized. This model affords teachers and students with

learner focused teaching and learning opportunities.

funding source.

Because RMS is a redesigned school that already exist in the XYZ school district the

primary funding will come from the district. Also, RMS will solicit government grants, and partner

with business and community organizations that value quality education and want to see students

succeed. In addition to district funding, government grants and partnerships RMS will fundraise

in the community at large to bring in as many resources as possible.

administration.

. The most important part of implanting a new program is its organizational structure. The

structure of a virtual or blended school have different components than traditional brick and mortar

schools. Based on general standards and guidelines as demonstrating in The Virtual Schools and

Online Learning pdf (UMUC, 2008) the following blended school model will be used:
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RMS Administrative Structure

CEO/Principle school administrator/owner Manages overall functions of the virtual
school
Chief Academic Officer (CAO) -is the person who hires and evaluates teachers and
oversee teacher training and professional development
Chief Information Officer (CIO)- responsible for network and data management,
hardware software tech support
Student Services department responsible for counselors and registration
Teacher Training- department responsible for providing access to teach training and
professional development / sometimes this falls under the Human Resources
department
Human Resources-responsible for faculty hiring, orientation and often manages
teacher training and professional development
Support staff- consists of administrative assistants, kitchen staff, maintenance crew,
custodial staff.

technology.

RMS will use a Learning Management System (LMS) to manage staff, courses, instructors,

students, and school related activities. The LMS of choice will be talentlms. (Talentlms, 2017).

This LMS is all encompassing and cloud based. The LMS administrator under the supervision of

the CIO will assign instructors to courses, and students to classes. In addition, the LMS will be

used to share pertinent school related information such as upcoming events and school closures.

Talentlms is a platform that is 100% mobile compatible. In each classroom there will be a

technology that consists of smartboards, computers, printers, and other computer aided

technologies. All students participating the program will be assigned laptops and thumb drives at

the beginning of the school year equipped when the latest educational software.
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Conclusion

In conclusion, as a virtual school consultant who was tasked with the mission of creating a

school model to improve the underperforming schools in the XYZ school district I have

accomplished this task by using a proven method. I chose to pilot the blended school model at

RMS I believe it is the most effective model to fit the needs of the XYZ school district. The

blended school model allows the district to redesign an existing school that doesnt displace

students and staff. Integrating technology with a traditional educational structure allows the RMS

community to develop a quality school within the existing walls of the current school. Most

importantly, through staff development and teacher training, RMS can serve as a blueprint for

blended school implementation throughout the XYZ school district.

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References
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National Education Association. (2017). Online teaching guide. Retrieved from
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/onlineteachguide.pdf
National Education Policy Center. (2016). 2016 virtual school annual report. Retrieved from
http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/virtual-schools-annual-2016
Stalker, H., & Horn, M. (2012). Classifying k-12 blended learning. Innosight Institute Inc.
Retrieved from http://www.innosightinstitute.org/innosight/wp-
content/uploads/2012/05/Classifying-K-12-blended-learning2.pdf
Standridge, M. (2002). Behaviorism. Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and
technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/
Talentlms. (2017). Features. Retrieved from https://www.talentlms.com/features
University of Maryland University College. (2008). Virtual schools and online learning; how it
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?_&d2lSessionVal=bpwBfBMmvxBD06SjtCJ14pWFk