[0:01] awesome hello everyone welcome [0:05] we are [0:07] streaming for the edina virtual pathway [0:09] my name is willie sanabong i'm the [0:11] moderator here and helping out with the [0:13] stream [0:14] and i'm here to introduce our edina [0:16] virtual pathway coordinator who's also [0:19] essentially the principal stephen [0:20] coulson [0:22] hey everybody thank you so much for [0:24] being here [0:25] uh this is going to be our secondary [0:27] session in which we talk about edina [0:29] virtual pathway at the high school level [0:33] at the outset i wanted to tell you that [0:35] we will be taking questions throughout [0:37] tonight's session [0:39] we're streaming via youtube [0:41] as you probably know here you are [0:42] watching it after all [0:44] but youtube doesn't have an elegant way [0:46] for asking questions live and so we've [0:49] created this url [0:51] bit.ly slash evp dash july [0:55] it's a little bit awkward and it is case [0:58] sensitive so you have to type it in [0:59] pretty exactly for those of you who [1:01] registered in advance essentially [1:03] letting us know that you planned on [1:05] being here i did send this link to you [1:07] as well [1:08] so if you have a question during the [1:10] session send it along [1:12] on the other hand if you have questions [1:14] you can also email them to me or reach [1:16] out to me through the district website [1:18] and i'm happy to follow up with you as [1:20] well [1:22] so [1:22] we're here to talk about why you might [1:24] study online [1:26] so let's talk about why online learning [1:29] in general [1:30] first there's a flexible schedule [1:32] edina virtual pathway at the secondary [1:34] level is asynchronous here's what that [1:37] means [1:37] two students could be in an economics [1:39] class together economics is going to be [1:41] my example because i taught economics at [1:43] the high school for eight years [1:45] one of those students learns and [1:47] completes their work at nine in the [1:48] morning [1:50] the other maybe they have a sport in the [1:52] morning or has some responsibilities to [1:54] look after a younger sibling does their [1:56] work in the evening [1:58] so that flexibility for edina virtual [2:01] pathway is one of the selling points [2:05] next [2:06] individualized pacing which is similar [2:09] but imagine you're in a classroom and [2:11] the teacher is giving a lecture for some [2:13] of the students maybe the teacher is [2:15] going too fast the student can't write [2:17] everything down [2:18] maybe you remember that experience as a [2:20] student if only there was a way to pause [2:23] the teacher [2:24] and i know if you just go oh teacher shh [2:27] i'm not done writing it's not well [2:28] received [2:30] better yet [2:31] what if there's a way to ask the teacher [2:33] to repeat something without worrying [2:34] about what the other students think [2:36] well [2:37] that's very possible with an [2:39] asynchronous class where a teacher has [2:41] recorded a screencast you can pause them [2:43] at any time politely [2:46] or repeat something as many times as you [2:48] like [2:49] meanwhile there are other students for [2:50] whom class moves a little bit too slowly [2:53] maybe you could fast forward through [2:55] something you've already learned before [2:57] so all of this [2:59] pacing that individual power over pacing [3:02] that students benefit from with online [3:04] learning [3:05] is one of the benefits [3:08] and then it's a comfortable environment [3:10] edina public schools takes pride in its [3:13] work to ensure that its buildings are [3:14] welcome and safe environments for [3:17] learners but as much as we try to make [3:19] our school buildings a home away from [3:21] home [3:22] they're not actually our homes for some [3:25] students there are fewer distractions [3:26] and fewer stressors at homes and that [3:29] translates to better learning [3:31] during the pandemic many adults had the [3:33] opportunity to work from home [3:35] maybe some of you are among them and [3:37] some of those adults found that working [3:39] from home was preferable they were more [3:41] productive more comfortable [3:44] some students are the same way for some [3:46] the place where they learn to tie their [3:48] shoes is the best place to learn [3:50] calculus or civics [3:54] um [3:55] further this is a place where we're [3:57] going to learn real world skills all [4:00] edina public school students are growing [4:02] in their literacy but our virtual [4:04] pathway provides an unparalleled [4:06] opportunity to hone many of those skills [4:08] which will serve people well after high [4:10] school whether in college or in the [4:12] workplace our students graduate with [4:14] tech savvy strong communication [4:17] abilities and vital critical thinking [4:19] skills our students will develop their [4:21] capacities to work independently but [4:23] also to collaborate and to self-advocate [4:26] the edina dynavirtual pathway students [4:28] are the definitive 21st century learners [4:32] what you're seeing up on the screen [4:34] right now [4:35] um are some of the reasons that our [4:37] parents and guardians have chosen edina [4:39] virtual pathway in the past this word [4:42] map summarizes their responses [4:45] they seek rigor and flexibility at the [4:48] same time [4:53] so [4:54] let's talk a bit about our program [4:58] the edina virtual pathway program is an [5:00] online experience that utilizes the [5:02] excellence of edina staff [5:04] many of the teachers of our online class [5:07] at the high school level are the exact [5:09] same instructors who are teaching the [5:11] in-person equivalent in the building [5:14] our classes are rigorous standards [5:16] aligned um [5:18] and [5:19] you know the standards aligned and [5:21] rigorous i don't have an ending to that [5:22] sentence [5:24] the classes are asynchronous [5:26] there are a variety of online programs [5:28] and this is one place where we differ [5:30] from many of them [5:32] you may recall learning during the early [5:34] days of pandemic emergency studying from [5:38] home [5:39] in which students were logging in to a [5:41] google meet with their teachers on the [5:43] other side and maybe some students were [5:45] in the building and some were at home it [5:47] could be a little bit chaotic [5:49] it also didn't provide for the [5:50] flexibility that a lot of families are [5:52] looking for [5:53] what asynchronous means is that students [5:56] can study at um [5:58] at any time as i said you can study take [6:01] that economics work you do it at nine in [6:03] the morning or nine at night and as i [6:06] said it is self-paced [6:08] but i should note i'm going to call it [6:10] semi self-paced and by that i mean we're [6:13] not simply going to give them an entire [6:15] semester's worth of work and say have at [6:17] it this isn't an independent study [6:20] instead teachers will lay out each week [6:23] here's what we're doing for the week and [6:25] then each day here's specifically what [6:27] you were to work on today [6:29] and then provide feedback after each day [6:32] on their progress [6:34] i find that this is beneficial for some [6:36] students who maybe procrastinate or [6:38] would be overwhelmed by looking at [6:41] five or six or seven classes worth of an [6:44] entire semester's worth of work [6:46] and then our program has an advisory [6:49] this is that we're going to have an [6:50] advisor assigned to your student [6:53] and this is for comprehensive students [6:55] who are online full-time [6:57] um just as a connection point a human [6:59] connection point to check in with of [7:02] course there's that connection through [7:03] the teachers but having one other person [7:06] someone who's not grading [7:08] your child on anything but is just a [7:10] contact point at the high school uh can [7:13] be very beneficial [7:17] we have a robust ecosystem by partnering [7:20] with the highest quality online tool [7:22] providers we can help ensure [7:25] that the delivery [7:27] of the curriculum is smooth and [7:29] efficient [7:31] so let's talk about a day in the life [7:33] at edina virtual pathway [7:37] describing the typical day is a little [7:39] bit tricky because every student's day [7:41] is difficult as i said that flexibility [7:43] is one of the strengths of our program [7:46] let's imagine a student [7:48] they wake up and they have breakfast [7:50] to take the time that they would [7:51] otherwise use driving or riding to [7:53] school to have a more relaxed version of [7:55] the morning routine [7:57] reading the paper what have you [8:00] my my imaginary students very [8:01] old-fashioned [8:03] eventually the student logs into [8:05] schoology our learning management system [8:07] and the first thing they see is a [8:08] calendar of events including the [8:10] assignments that are due [8:12] that day [8:18] so a student clicks on courses and they [8:20] can see all of the classes that they're [8:22] taking right now a typical course load [8:24] at the high school level is six classes [8:27] though it is a possibility to take as [8:29] many as seven [8:32] students should check their school email [8:33] to see if there are any messages from [8:35] their teacher or advisor [8:37] maybe there's an update about a recent [8:39] assignment or the student's advisor is [8:41] checking in just to see how the semester [8:43] is going [8:44] or maybe the student is collaborating [8:46] with a classmate on a presentation and [8:48] there's an update [8:49] checking school email at least once a [8:51] day is expected and wise i would say [8:55] at least twice once towards the [8:57] beginning once the end [8:59] would be a very good idea [9:02] we ask our teachers to provide a week at [9:05] a glance within each course on schoology [9:08] this is where students will see all of [9:10] the work that they're going to be [9:11] working on for the upcoming week it'll [9:14] have links making it easy to gain access [9:16] to the work and clear instructions about [9:19] which aspects of the day's work are [9:22] needed in order to be marked present for [9:24] the day [9:25] this is what we call an aba or [9:27] attendance-based assignment [9:29] additionally teachers will post [9:31] information about their office hours [9:33] each day that is to say when they're [9:35] most easily found online to ask [9:38] questions [9:39] maybe our imaginary student has a [9:41] question about an upcoming debate video [9:43] that they're to record so they log on to [9:45] a google meet to have some face-to-face [9:47] time with their instructor [9:53] it should be noted that online learning [9:55] isn't inherently faster or slower than [9:57] in-person learning [9:59] most students should expect to spend [10:01] about as much time on their schoolwork [10:03] as they did in person [10:05] perhaps six to seven hours each day but [10:07] when they stop for lunch they can do it [10:09] in their own kitchen perhaps with their [10:11] own family when they take a break [10:13] between classes it can be in their own [10:15] home or outside the yard [10:17] so maybe they do their economics work [10:19] from 9 to 10 a.m but they're on a sports [10:21] team so from 10 to 10 30 a.m um they're [10:24] exercising for a bit to give them a [10:26] natural break before studying math maybe [10:29] it helps them focus [10:30] or maybe studying the same class for an [10:32] hour straight is tough so the student [10:34] switches between classes every half hour [10:37] math and then english and then math [10:40] again [10:41] my imaginary student has to practice for [10:43] a sport and needs to leave at 2 pm so [10:46] they do they leave some of their english [10:48] work for after dinner [10:50] by the way you may see this image and [10:52] think this is an odd choice [10:54] where is the computer isn't this an [10:56] online learning program [10:58] online learning does not mean everything [11:00] is on the computer there will be [11:01] textbooks science labs and maybe even a [11:04] worksheet or two [11:09] sometimes parents ask you know is online [11:11] learning the right fit for my child [11:15] the students who are going to [11:16] be find it most successful are going to [11:19] be self-directed that is these are [11:21] students who maybe need fewer reminders [11:23] to spend time on school work [11:25] they're going to be self-motivated that [11:28] is to say they want to do well [11:31] and they manage their time well [11:33] it should be noted though that [11:34] participation this program could also [11:36] provide students with the practice and [11:38] some aid in developing these skills [11:42] it's helpful students are comfortable [11:44] with technology we certainly offer tech [11:46] support we have an excellent team that [11:49] does this but students who enjoy [11:51] technology or comfortable with it will [11:54] tend to be more successful with online [11:55] learning [11:57] then this is an excellent program for [11:59] students who self-advocate [12:01] teachers will reach out if they notice a [12:03] student falling behind but the most [12:05] successful students will be ones that [12:07] consider initiating contact when they [12:10] have questions they reach out for help [12:13] and then of course access to a [12:14] distraction free workspace is beneficial [12:20] so why edina [12:22] we're not the only online program in the [12:25] state [12:26] one of the reasons to select edina and [12:29] by the way i acknowledge some of you [12:31] have chosen edina because you're edina [12:32] residence and you already know about our [12:35] academic excellence but some of you [12:37] watching this um presentation may be [12:40] attending from elsewhere in the state [12:43] well if you don't know uh edina is [12:46] exceedingly well-regarded academically [12:48] we have rigorous educational programs [12:52] and are cons consistently ranked among [12:53] the top in the state [12:55] edina high school again from which we're [12:57] drawing the majority of our teachers [13:00] has consistently been ranked the top [13:02] college prep school in the state [13:07] i want to speak a little bit about our [13:09] professional excellence and here i'm [13:10] going to be speaking about edina public [13:12] schools in general [13:15] the level of academic achievement and [13:17] the longevity of the educators in our [13:19] district are an indication of the [13:21] dedication that the dynamic schools [13:23] teaching staff has to its students [13:26] 90 percent of edina public school [13:27] teachers have a master's degree or [13:29] higher 58 percent of them have been with [13:32] the district for 10 or more years and 20 [13:35] of all of our staff have national [13:38] certification in their field [13:40] of the 15 minnesota teachers last year [13:43] who became national board certified [13:46] eight of those 15 were from edina public [13:48] schools [13:52] it's a little bit awkward speaking about [13:53] how awesome our teachers were being one [13:55] of them but we're not half bad [13:58] let me talk a little bit of operational [14:00] excellence [14:02] this is to say that the district itself [14:04] is well run we're one of three in the [14:07] states receive the highest credit rating [14:09] granted to school districts which is to [14:11] say that we're financially responsible [14:14] which helps ensure that students have [14:16] access to the resources that they need [14:19] ninety percent of our parents say that [14:21] our schools are as good or better than [14:25] they were three years ago [14:27] and eighty-two percent said they would [14:29] be proud to recommend the edina public [14:31] schools [14:36] let me talk a little bit about equity in [14:38] edina public schools all learners will [14:40] have access to rigorous and challenging [14:42] learning opportunities which lead to [14:44] measured growth and high achievement [14:46] without predictable links to race [14:48] culture or ethnicity [14:50] at edina public schools we believe we [14:51] must promote healthy school environments [14:54] we have to establish high expectations [14:56] for all learners and we have to erase [14:58] any barriers that impede students from [15:00] being successful [15:02] and i should [15:04] note using this same slide [15:08] that another of the strengths of edina [15:09] public schools is its community [15:12] the edina residents have continually [15:14] showed overwhelming support for its [15:17] school [15:18] whether through [15:19] providing resources as voting taxpayers [15:23] or providing their support for the [15:24] district through volunteerism [15:28] i have often said as a teacher [15:31] that when my students are successful i [15:34] often wonder whether i've really done [15:36] anything special it often seems like i [15:38] simply inherit strong students and [15:41] that's a testament to the edina [15:43] community and to those of you who are [15:45] edina residents [15:47] thank you for your support over the [15:49] years and in the present and for those [15:52] who are not edina residents if i may [15:54] speak briefly to what i think is one of [15:56] the [15:56] loveliest parts of edina virtual pathway [15:59] i am an edina graduate [16:02] and i had the good fortune of coming [16:04] through edina public schools which did [16:06] very well by me what i like about edina [16:08] virtual pathway is that it creates an [16:10] opportunity for students all over the [16:12] state to participate in our excellent [16:15] schools [16:16] our in-person school buildings are [16:18] frequently full [16:20] often there's a substantial waiting list [16:22] for non-residents to be able to attend [16:24] with the edina virtual pathway you don't [16:26] need to worry about that waiting list [16:28] our classrooms are as big as we need [16:30] them to be [16:31] i should note the student-to-teacher [16:33] ratio remains favorable when i say the [16:35] classrooms are big i'm speaking somewhat [16:37] figuratively [16:40] so let's talk about some frequently [16:42] asked questions and this is my moment [16:44] where i'll remind you if you have some [16:46] questions contribute if you submit them [16:48] that form i'll answer them at the end of [16:50] this session but we've identified some [16:53] questions that we've been asked in the [16:54] past [16:56] first off is this an independent program [16:58] or will my student interact with their [16:59] teachers on a scheduled basis [17:02] a little bit of each um it is mostly [17:05] independent or as i said asynchronous uh [17:08] students will log in and complete the [17:10] work each day at their pace [17:12] that said it's not an independent study [17:15] teachers will be checking in with them [17:17] providing feedback [17:18] and will be available for to provide [17:20] one-on-one support over google meet as [17:23] needed and of course there'll be that [17:25] advisor checking in as well [17:27] but for those who are seeking that [17:29] flexibility of schedule none of these [17:32] things has to be at a specific set [17:35] time [17:37] what is expected of parents or guardians [17:39] of online students well certainly [17:42] students need a [17:44] distraction free environment in which to [17:46] work [17:47] um and that's the largest bit [17:50] by the time that we're at high school [17:51] the understanding is that students will [17:53] be relatively independent and that where [17:56] they need help with that independence [17:58] the teachers and other edina virtual [18:00] pathways staff will be responsible for [18:02] providing that support [18:04] that said at any school in person or [18:07] online [18:08] occasionally [18:10] educators may reach out to parents with [18:12] questions or you know if there's a [18:14] concern [18:15] so certainly um that relationship [18:17] between the parents and guardians and [18:20] the school is still beneficial [18:23] do we have to live in the state of [18:26] minnesota [18:28] very briefly this program is open to [18:30] people throughout the state and for [18:33] people who are minnesota residents it is [18:35] a free program [18:37] but if any of you are watching from [18:39] another state there is the possibility [18:42] of participating in edina virtual [18:43] pathway but there be tuition associated [18:46] with it [18:47] idaho does not want to pay for you to go [18:49] to school in minnesota if you are [18:51] attending from out of the state [18:54] you would carry some financial [18:55] responsibility i anticipate that's a [18:57] fairly small number of the people in [18:59] this [19:00] session but if you do have a question [19:02] about that please do reach out [19:05] will extracurricular opportunities be [19:06] available for edina virtual pathways [19:08] students [19:09] yes and that is one of the excellent [19:12] things about this anybody who is [19:14] enrolled in edina virtual pathway edina [19:17] resident or not is now a part of the [19:20] dinah community and that means [19:21] eligibility for our athletics for [19:24] example and other activities [19:27] it should be noted however that many of [19:29] these extracurriculars do require [19:32] in-person attendance [19:34] if you want to be on the hockey team you [19:36] can't do that over google me [19:38] when it comes to clubs [19:41] we will partner with edina high school [19:43] to provide some opportunities for [19:45] students to participate in school clubs [19:48] but that will be on a case-by-case basis [19:50] for those to decide um how well-suited [19:54] they are to accommodating students [19:56] joining from throughout the state we're [19:59] also going to explore having our own [20:00] clubs that are entirely made up of edina [20:03] virtual pathways students [20:07] my students currently serve by special [20:09] education how are they going to be [20:11] supported [20:12] for those of you whose children and i [20:15] say children with their high schoolers [20:16] but they're still your children [20:19] for those of you who [20:20] are unfamiliar with special education [20:22] you don't need to worry about this [20:24] but for those of you who have students [20:26] who are on ieps [20:28] of course of course [20:29] we will work with those students on [20:32] providing them the services that they [20:34] need [20:35] one of the core tenets of education in [20:37] general in edina is individualization [20:40] and in special education [20:42] individualization is the name of the [20:44] game every student has their own program [20:48] and so by working with our special [20:50] education case managers we will look at [20:53] each student's individualized education [20:56] program and arrive at a plan to make [20:58] sure that their needs are met [21:01] again this is a case where if you have [21:04] questions [21:05] probably talking about your child with [21:07] me one on one is the best way to proceed [21:11] but i did want to make sure that people [21:12] know that uh ieps [21:15] and 504 plans and again if you don't [21:17] know what one of those is you don't need [21:19] to worry about it that we honor those [21:21] and will work with families to meet [21:23] those students needs [21:26] when can i enroll my student any dinos [21:28] virtual pathway [21:29] well anytime right now would be lovely [21:32] if i've answered all of your questions [21:35] but [21:36] you are free to do so right up to the [21:39] beginning of school [21:41] technically you can even enroll after [21:43] school has started but missing the first [21:45] few days of class will make it harder so [21:47] if you're somebody watching this [21:49] presentation live the first day of [21:51] school at the high school is august 29th [21:54] but by registering earlier that provides [21:56] us time to work with you to arrive at [21:59] the best possible schedule [22:01] so earlier is better than later but we [22:04] certainly won't turn you away later [22:06] registration information can be found at [22:08] the website through edinaschools.org [22:14] hey speaking of enrollment why don't i [22:16] leave that up on the screen [22:19] um willie can you speak to do we have [22:21] some questions on our forum [22:23] yeah so we had two actually one of them [22:26] you answered which was uh is evp [22:29] self-paced and if so can you finish a [22:31] year's worth of class in one semester [22:33] which you already answered it's an [22:35] independent study [22:37] and then there's one more [22:38] where it's more of a hybrid situation [22:41] is it possible to take some classes [22:43] through evp and some in-person classes [22:46] like band or art [22:48] and then is the curriculum exactly the [22:50] same is there perhaps less formative [22:53] work or flexibility in the assignments [22:55] in this epp option [22:57] okay thank you and let me address some [22:59] of those first i do want to go back to [23:00] that question of can a student complete [23:03] a year's worth of work in one semester [23:06] and i just want to clarify um within a [23:09] given class [23:11] no [23:12] that is not accelerated at quite that [23:14] same rate there are some students for [23:17] whom that might be a good fit [23:19] but um there are many more students for [23:21] whom having a little bit clearer pace [23:24] provided by the teacher [23:26] carries benefits as well [23:28] so while there is greater flexibility [23:31] around pacing than most in-person [23:33] programs it is not that level of [23:36] flexibility where you could front load [23:38] it to that degree [23:40] um regarding to [23:42] what might be described as sort of a [23:43] hybrid can i take some classes in person [23:46] and some classes online [23:49] if you are enrolled at edina high school [23:52] as an in-person student you can take [23:55] some classes online [23:57] however if you are [24:00] someone from outside of the city of [24:02] edina enrolling at edina virtual pathway [24:06] we do not offer any in-person classes if [24:09] that makes sense and again i'm happy to [24:13] go into that in more detail [24:15] with a family if they'd like to ask [24:17] about that [24:19] i see now and i gained access to the [24:21] document [24:23] when it comes to [24:25] the curriculum and the level of stress [24:28] the curriculum is not exactly the same [24:31] we do make some adjustments to make the [24:34] online learning to take full advantage [24:37] of the opportunities in online learning [24:40] which is to say [24:42] an english class may read the same books [24:45] as the in-person students [24:48] at edina high school but maybe the [24:50] assignment around those books is the [24:51] same [24:52] or maybe sometimes because in some cases [24:55] they are different teachers maybe [24:57] sometimes all the books won't be exactly [25:00] the same [25:01] however we are dedicated to maintaining [25:04] the same um workload and rigor we don't [25:07] want to create a program where someone [25:09] says oh this one is easier or this one [25:11] is inherently [25:13] easier [25:14] instead for some individuals they will [25:17] find online learning less stressful and [25:21] easier because it is self-paced because [25:25] they find it less stressful than being [25:27] in a crowded room [25:29] but our online program is not [25:32] it does not have an inherently lighter [25:34] workload if somebody was looking for [25:37] that [25:39] i do want to note one more thing before [25:40] we go as i've been speaking about edina [25:43] virtual pathway most of it has spoken as [25:46] though our students are going to what is [25:47] called comprehensive [25:49] and by comprehensive i mean students who [25:51] are enrolled full time in edina virtual [25:54] pathway but we do also offer [25:56] supplementary classes that is students [25:59] could enroll and just take one or two [26:02] classes online [26:04] while taking the remainder in person [26:06] i alluded to that for our own edina high [26:08] school students but students throughout [26:11] the state attending their own in-person [26:14] schools elsewhere [26:15] can sign up for online classes through [26:18] edina virtual pathway [26:20] maybe our program is more robust than [26:23] any online program offered in their own [26:25] district or maybe they're looking for a [26:27] more challenging course [26:29] that is offered in their own district so [26:31] there are opportunities to take [26:33] individual courses [26:35] in the edina virtual pathway at the [26:37] secondary level without being enrolled [26:40] full-time in our program and again if [26:43] any of you are watching this from edina [26:44] high school if you were interested in [26:46] simply taking one or two classes you [26:49] would talk to your guidance counselor [26:51] about that [26:53] it doesn't look to me as though any [26:54] further questions have come in but of [26:56] course of course for anybody watching if [26:58] you have questions going forward reach [27:01] out to me and let's talk [27:03] i want to thank all of you for joining [27:05] us for this session and i look forward [27:07] to meeting with some of you and meeting [27:09] some of the students who are going to be [27:12] joining edina virtual pathway [27:14] this um session is going to be posted [27:17] and can be rewatched later on youtube [27:19] and thank you again to you willy for [27:21] moderating tonight's session [27:23] yeah no problem it was a pleasure [27:26] all right thank you everybody for [27:27] watching i will end the stream now [27:29] bye-bye have a good night