A task force charged with improving distance education in Wyoming held its first of six meetings in Casper last week. The 14-member group will present findings to lawmakers in October.
“It went exceptionally well,” says Brent Bacon, chief academic officer at the Wyoming Department of Education. “We all worked together, did a lot of brainstorming, and came up with some great next steps.”
Those next steps include coming up with a clear definition of online learning, taking a closer look at student-to-teacher ratios at the state’s virtual schools and fixing problems with accountability and assessment.
“Assessment is a big—here’s an official term—bugaboo,” says Bacon. “Because, how do you assess a student with the ACT in Jackson when they’re taking distance education through Niobrara County? You know? So there’s just some logistics there.”
Another top priority from the task force is figuring out how Wyoming can provide equal access to distance education to students around the state.
“Not every kid has access to the online learning,” says Bacon. “Can a student take online classes for Advanced Placement courses? Can they take them for credit recovery? And if so, how does that fit into their day?”
About 1 percent of Wyoming student are full-time virtual learners, according the the Wyoming Department of Education. Bacon says just over half of Wyoming’s school districts offer some type of online learning options.
The distance education task force was required by a bill passed by lawmakers in this year’s session. It is State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow’s first task force since taking office in January.
