Archambault, L., Diamond, D., Brown, R., Cavanaugh, C., Coffey, M., Floures, D., Richardson, J., & Zygouris-Coe, V. (2010). Research committee issues brief – An exploration of at-risk learners and online education, M. K. Barbour & D. Scribner (Eds.). Vienna, VA: iNACOL. (original) (raw)
AI-generated Abstract
The research committee brief explores the challenges and strategies of virtual schools in addressing the needs of at-risk learners in K-12 online education. It highlights the necessity for tailored instructional approaches, supportive faculty, and effective interventions to foster student success and retention. Recommendations for future research focus on improving understanding of at-risk student identification, attrition rates, assessment tools, engagement factors, and delivery models that enhance educational outcomes.
Related papers
Virtual Schooling for Students at Risk: Interventions for Success
2011
Because the majority of today's online high school teachers have prior or concurrent teaching experience in traditional school classrooms (Dawley, Rice, & Hinck, 2010), the views expressed by classroom teachers about teaching students who are at-risk for failing or dropping out are relevant to the online setting.
Virtual Schooling Through the Eyes of an At-Risk Student: A Case Study
European Journal of Open Distance and E Learning, 2012
While much of the growth in the popularity of virtual schooling has involved at-risk students, little research exists on the experiences of these students in this largely independent setting. This paper describes a case study of an at-risk student in a rural school in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador who was enrolled in an online course as a means to graduate on time. Data from interviews and video observations were analyzed to reveal several themes. The student was good at prioritizing and understood what students needed to do to succeed in an online environment, yet he often did only the minimum needed to pass the course, and his productivity during synchronous and asynchronous sessions declined as the hour progressed. We also found that the student was limited by the lack of proper technology at home. Based on a single case, we are unable to generalize beyond this one student. However, since the attitude of taking the path of least resistance may have taken hold in earlier grades for this particular student, research into improving virtual schooling for at-risk students may be ineffective or counterproductive by reinforcing rather than reducing those attributes; at least in this instance.
While much of the growth in the popularity of virtual schooling has involved at-risk students, little research exists on the experiences of these students in this largely independent setting. This paper describes a case study of an at-risk student in a rural school in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador who was enrolled in an online course as a means to graduate on time. Data from interviews and video observations were analyzed to reveal several themes. The student was good at prioritizing and understood what students needed to do to succeed in an online environment, yet he often did only the minimum needed to pass the course, and his productivity during synchronous and asynchronous sessions declined as the hour progressed. We also found that the student was limited by the lack of proper technology at home. Based on a single case, we are unable to generalize beyond this one student. However, since the attitude of taking the path of least resistance may have taken hold in earlier grades for this particular student, research into improving virtual schooling for at-risk students may be ineffective or counterproductive by reinforcing rather than reducing those attributes; at least in this instance.
Section I Full-Time Virtual Schools: Enrollment, Student Characteristics, and Performance
Virtual full-time K-12 schools, also known as cyber schools or online schools, are schools that deliver all curriculum and instruction via the Internet and electronic communication, usually with students at home and teachers at a remote location, and usual ly with everyone participating at different times. Although increasing numbers of parents and students are choosing this option, little is known about virtual schooling in general, and very little about full-time virtual schools in particular. For example, information has not been available on such basic questions as the number of virtual elementary and secondary schools operating, the number of students enrolled in them, and the rate at which they have expanded. Moreover, despite a dearth of research evidence useful in shaping policy, many states have adopted legislation permitting full-time virtual schools or removing the
Comparing the Achievement of Students in Virtual Virginia and Face-to-Face Courses
2020
The Virginia Department of Education's Virtual Virginia (VVA) program delivers more than 90 supplemental online courses to more than 10,000 middle and high school students each year. The department partnered with Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Appalachia to examine the relationship between students' participation in a subset of 31 VVA online courses and their performance on end-of-course Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) and Advanced Placement (AP) exams during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 school years. Relying on administrative records available through the Virginia Longitudinal Data System, REL Appalachia researchers conducted descriptive analyses and regression analyses with statistical controls. After controlling for demographic and prior achievement differences, students in face-to-face courses were more likely to score higher and demonstrate proficiency on SOL and AP exams than students taking the same courses through VVA across most subject areas. Because the study design was correlational, additional research is needed to determine whether the difference in performance is due to the characteristics of the students in online courses, aspects of the VVA program itself, or some other factor such as students' reasons for enrolling in the course or the supports available in their local schools. Feb Why this study? Online learning has been a growing trend in K-12 education since the 1990s. During the 2014/15 school year, approximately 2.7 million students were enrolled in K-12 online learning programs in the United States as a supplement to their regular instruction (Gemin, Pape, Vashaw, & Watson, 2015). Five states-including Virginianow require students to complete at least one online course before high school graduation (Herold, 2017). This growth is driven by diverse interests, including expanding the range of courses available to students, offering increased flexibility for students with scheduling conflicts or who are otherwise unable to attend regular school, providing credit recovery options for students who have failed courses, and reducing per-pupil costs (U.S.
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