October 2021
As schools across the country returned to in-person instruction this fall, there was relief that teachers and students were again physically face to face but also a growing realization that digital education is here to stay.
Take the example of Colorado Digital Learning Solutions. The CDLS is the supplier of supplemental online classes for Colorado students under an arrangement that is administered by the Colorado River BOCES (Boards of Cooperative Educational Services). Because many of the state’s districts are small and rural, the online classes give them a way to expand academic offerings for students.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools last year, enrollment in CDLS courses exploded and 8,343 students participated. This fall, enrollment is much lower but there are some interesting trends. Students are taking an average of 2.2 online classes this year – compared to 1.25 classes pre-pandemic -- and districts that have never taken part in the online program have enrolled students for the first time.
“We think what’s playing out is a new vision, a new approach as to how digital learning can be an integral part of education statewide,” said Dan Morris, Executive Director of the CDLS.
Dr. Dale McCall, Executive Director of the Colorado BOCES Association, which includes the Colorado River BOCES, agrees.
“There is a new realization that there’s a real benefit,” McCall said. “We would encourage other states to look at programs like this.”
The CDLS enrollment window for this school year opened August 11 and 2,000 students enrolled between August 10 and August 25, the start of the fall semester. Not quite a month later, the enrollments had more than doubled to 5,000 students. That figure compares to a total enrollment of 1,378 students for the fall of 2019, the last pre-pandemic enrollment period.
Morris believes that students and families were impressed by the flexibility online classes provided last year as well as by the fact that CDLS offers classes in a wide range of subjects not taught in many districts. CDLS offers 200 courses, all taught by licensed teachers, for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
The program serves students at all levels. There are Advanced Placement Classes and the Infusion Project, a series of classes designed for students identified as gifted and talented. There is also a Credit Recovery program that targets students who have failed a class.
“That is more robust than the biggest school district in Colorado,” Morris said of the offerings.
Another factor driving new interest in the CDLS program is the shortage of licensed teachers. Morris said there is a particular need for math and world language teachers. And the issue is not limited to small districts.
“Big districts are struggling with the same thing,” said Morris, adding that Colorado’s biggest school district had enrolled 200 students in CDLS classes this fall, something the district had never done before.
CDLS requires districts to hire a local facilitator who is trained by CDLS. The facilitator keeps in touch with students taking online classes and helps ensure they are able to complete their courses successfully. That sort of local oversight appeals to districts, McCall said.
“Many of the districts like this approach rather than have their students go off to an online school,” he explained. “In an ideal world, we would like to have a qualified teacher in every classroom. At least this gets a qualified teacher in front of these kids.”
Morris believes that while online education will never replace in-person instruction, the pandemic showed educators that there is a place for quality virtual instruction.
“I think in the long term, we have to look at things differently,” Morris said. “Online education is not an alternative to brick and mortar. It’s simply a supplemental strategy that supports the system.”
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