Hello,
I am emailing to discuss the changes coming to the “Online School” programs in BC. Formerly known as DL. I am deeply disheartened to find more changes coming on the tail of drastic funding cuts in the spring of 2020 that personally cost us thousands of dollars and hurt us deeply in an already vulnerable year.
My kids have been home learning since their kindergarten years. My daughter is in grade 11 and my son is in grade 9. We have had the opportunity to work with 4 Independent DL’s. This has been a wonderful opportunity for my children and each and every DL has afforded learning that my kids needed at different stages of their growth. To have that choice taken away and dictated to us would be devastating. These schools have all provided quality care and received glowing reviews in their audits. I know this as we get updates and I am also friends with many teachers that work in the DL/OL world.
In the high school years, cross enrollment has been a necessary option for my kids as they pursue different studies that suit their grad plan because different courses are offered by different schools. It would be unrealistic to expect one school to offer all possible options in every subject. Cross enrollment allows kids to take courses in their interests and work toward their careers of choice, or explore options. That would be taken away if you limit the schools the children have access to.
Why the Ministry of Education feels the need to mess with something that is working well is beyond me. I have looked at the government website with the explanation of what they are proposing. To be honest – we already receive wonderful care from these schools and it would be best to let them do what they do best. Meet the needs of the kids. Having a variety of schools around the province to take care of niche learning needs like, Christian studies, Special Needs, Muslim studies, Environment focuses, etc. is important to maintaining the integrity of a diverse population. The idea that we cannot enrol with a school outside of our district is inconsistent with how things are done, even in the public system. If my kids want to do a sports academy at a school outside of their catchment – they can. If I want my child to attend an independent brick and mortar school outside of our city, they can. Why should different rules be applied to the “Online Schools”, when by even the name given, they could serve someone located anywhere in the world if need be.
Below are just a few (but not all) items of feedback from me as there is so much to address on your website, we don’t have time here to do so:
On your website you state “The new model will provide”:
“Equal access for students, including personal connections with educators” – we already have this!
“Flexibility for all students that helps meet their personal learning needs” – we already have this!
“Quality learning experiences and outcomes” – we already have this!
“Support for educators across the province” – we already have this!
The website also states:
“The new model is all about the students. The goal of the new model is to increase access and flexibility, support quality programs and provide greater equity for all students.” – we already have this!
The website also states:
“Educators and students will be able to access one interactive and student-centered provincial learning management system.” Having been with numerous schools over the years I can tell you having diversity in options is key. Not everyone learns in the same way and this can include parents. Each of us has our own style and strengths of what learning, reporting, teacher interaction, etc can look like. To pigeon hole us all in to the same platform could drastically alter the success of some families. Some love Study Forge, others hate it. Some love Canvas, others hate it, etc.
The website also states:
“Students will be able to take courses available province-wide, regardless of their school, district, authority or location.”
“School boards and independent school authorities can only offer online learning to students in their district or authority. A special agreement with the minister is required to cross-enroll students from another district or authority.”
Don’t these two statements contradict each other? In one you say students can take courses anywhere, in the other you say the schools can’t serve students not in their district. So I ask you – which is it?
If you take away the option for my kids to attend their current schools, TLA and HCOS, neither of them will be able to continue studies with friends that they have, with teachers they have formed trust with, or pursue the courses they need for grad. The public DL school in our district is lacking to say the least and is highly avoided by homeschoolers in our thriving community. If these proposed changes are about improving DL/Online options, then a better approach would be to focus on the schools that need help and have failed audits, as opposed to punishing all of them in a sweeping bill.
Further to my point, the change to the name Online raises concerns as many schools offer wonderful programs in; face to face classrooms, co-ops, field trips, sports clubs, theatre clubs and more. Please don’t inhibit the schools from continuing to offer these great communities for our children. A focus for online would be detrimental when we are already fighting rising screen time issues.
In conclusion, I am requesting that:
You continue to allow students to enrol or register outside of their district like they do now,
You continue to allow schools to offer the variety of choices they offer now – ex. in person, online, asynchronous, synchronous, clubs, etc.,
You continue to allow cross enrolment so that children in their grad years can create the transcripts they need for university entrance,
You continue to allow schools to handle the registration/enrolment, reporting, teacher interactions, course options as they see fit, to best serve the diverse population of BC and meet the needs of the niche groups we have,
You protect the educational options needed for those in special needs programs and maintain the integrity of the funding offered by Online schools to those children by pairing the funding with the child set to receive said funding,
You respond to me with in a week as to how you are going to maintain the integrity of Independent Education in BC.
Sincerely,
Leah Pillet.
Thank you.
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