Proposed eSATS K-12 eLearning Legislation

As we enter the 2006 legislative session, lets take a look at what we consider the "ultimate eLearning initiative" launch legislation. A few months from now we can look at what we actually got!

I am assuming that you understand the significant benefits that 1:1 student per computer eLearning will bring to Arizona’s K-12 academic performance, dropout rate and 21st Century competitive workforce. This brief is on the details of the proposed bill.

The eSATS bill is based on a design developed from ten years of statewide strategic planning and our legislative success resulting in the $240 million wiring and computers for schools by the School Facilities Board. We ran a very similar bill (SB 1181) last year that became stuck in committee.

A Ten Year Financial Analysis: The system implementation results in a net cost of only 2.1% (of $96 billion total spent on K-12 in Arizona) over the next ten years. The reason is that 1:1 eLearning delivers significant cost savings because of early graduation, teacher efficiency and construction avoidance. These savings also provides for a 20% salary increase over ten years for all eLearning certified teachers. At year ten the initiating expenditures are complete, 1:1 eLearning in every Arizona classroom continuously renews itself, and the productivity and student academic performance continue to grow.

K-12 eLearning Adoption Bill Strategy: Create Arizona public policy that addresses the system and funding aspects for eLearning adoption for every K-12 student within the next ten years. The first three years will be used to build the intellectual infrastructure to bridge from traditional (lecture, recitation, seatwork) education to eLearning. Pilot adoption will grow to embrace 5% to 10% of Arizona students in those three years. The following seven years will be used to transform all self-selected Arizona schools to eLearning Centered Schools.

eLearning Centered Schools: have 1:1 computer system access per student with at least 50% of learning delivered by digital curriculum with formative assessment and technical support. The schools are funded for students upon their mastery of an individualized learning plan (minimums set by Arizona Academic Standards) for a curriculum year.


BUILD INTELLECTUAL INFRASTRUCTURE (First 3 years):
Teacher Education and Professional Development Institute (TEPDI) will create the curriculum framework, locate and determine cost effective sources, and develop the certification system to transform 50,000 growing to 65,000 cadre teachers to teach effectively within an eLearning environment. Arizona’s Colleges of Education will transform to graduate eLearning savvy teachers.

Digital Curriculum Institute (DCI) will create knowledge systems and portal for all available K-12 digital curriculums. Each of the instructional technologist extension agents will work with about seven schools to vector the most effective digital curriculum for each classroom and subject. The DCI will assess the availability gaps and be an advocacy force with providers to develop effective K-12 digital curriculum for all subjects and grade levels.

Broadband Initiative will assure that high speed access is available to every classroom in Arizona. By going from the current 8:1 to 1:1 student per computer ratio, and greatly expanding needs for simulation, graphics and video in ten years bandwidth should grow 100 fold.

Laptops and Essential Software including white boards and projectors for all teachers.

ADE Data and Instructional Support System: Expand the scope to directly serve the student-teacher in the class room with formative assessment and accelerate the complete build out of the SAIS accounting and the IDEAL portal and data warehouse to operational status.

Auditor General develops the rules and accounting system design from Chapter 9.1 to support the funding mastery learning of individual students.

Pilot eLearning Centered Schools: Building on the current 1:1 eLearning success of about 20,000 students in Wilson Elementary District (1992), Empire High School (2005), many Charter and other schools, and 14 Arizona Virtual Schools by implementing addition pilot eLCS’s for 10K students by 2006; 25K by 2007 and 100K by 2008. .

Programmatic implementation of eLearning will address critical areas such as English Language Learners, Gifted, Special Education, etc.



BUILD OUT TO SERVE ALL ARIZONA STUDENTS (7 years)
Deliver $1200/year professional development for all teachers with one mentor teacher per 50 teachers.
Develop access to digital curriculum for every subject and grade level.
Transform most of Arizona Schools to digital learning schools, with 1:1 computing and full technical support.

K-12 ELEARNING ADOPTION BILL TACTICS:
Policy: Stand firm for system launch and rollout. Avoid any more one shot investments without continued support until fully implemented.

Funding Requests are for the next three to four years and will bend to the will of the legislature to assure that the policy aspects of the bill be heard and passed.

Current Results: We are working with Senator Ken Bennett who has opened a folder. We are working with Senator John Huppenthal who is developing legislation for replacing our current 8:1 ratio of obsolete computers and systems and growing to 4:1 over a five year period with long range ongoing renewal. He may also produce a bill for a taskforce based in the Arizona Department of Education to develop a means to assess the situation at each school and manage required eLearning transformation in teacher access to ongoing professional development and digital curriculum.

Arizona Board of Regents
$18M/yr create and operation the DCI with it extension service to 2000 schools.
$5M/yr transform their colleges of education and support the TEPDI Institute.

Arizona Department of Education
$5M/yr to create and operate TEPDI Institute with ABOR.
$30M/yr – 2 years to provide laptops, essential software, etc for every teacher
$5M yr1; $4M yr2 – K-12 education’s support of broadband initiative.
$10/yr – 3 years to implement broad scope SAIS and IDEAL
$10 year one to bring to operation ASP and portal system for 1 million students and 60,000 educators.
$7M yr1; $39M yr2; $160M yr3 and $352M yr 4 to support transformation of eLearning Centered Schools for approximately 5K, 25K, 100K and 200K additional students in each of the respective years.

Government Information and Telecommunications Agency
$200K/yr – 2 years to support management of the broadband initiative to K-12 education.