Volcano School to Pilot Blended Learning
The Volcano School of Arts and Sciences, a state public charter school in Hawaii, is piloting a blended learning program in the upcoming school year.
The
program, called the Kula 'Amakihi Community-Based Education Program,
will be open to any student in grade 1-8. However, the
school will limit the program to 30 students for the first year. The
school will also designate one educator as the main teacher and
coordinator of the program, although the teacher will receive support
from the Volcano School's other teachers.
The program will use
both digital and print-based curriculum, as well as project-based
learning. Students will spend at least seven hours a week in
face-to-face instructional time with a licensed teacher and the rest of
their time learning from home. Students will be required to take Smarter Balanced and other statewide assessments, including NWEA, Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) and classroom assessments.
School
representatives said they hope the program will appeal to students who are currently
homeschooled, according to a report in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. "Once
they enroll, they're no longer homeschooled kids but they will be doing
most of their learning at home or in the home environment, just not
physically on campus," Kalima Cayir, education director of the Volcano
School, told the publication.
Based on the results of the pilot
program, the school plans to expand the Kula 'Amakihi Community-Based
Education Program in the 2016-17 school year.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].