APS eCADEMY, finally

APS' Policy and Instruction Committee will meet tomorrow night.  On the agenda, link,

Proposed Virtual High School (Discussion)
Presenter: Shelly Green, Dave Wells

• Disc brief Virtual HS.pdf, (link)

• eCADEMY Board Presentation 2013-04 Short.pptx, (link)

Presenters Wells and Green are looking for approval of their proposal; offering a full time online high school with face to face support for students.

Currently, they accept only students who are retaking classes.
They propose accepting 150 full time students next year.
They will grow to 350 students over the following two.

eCADEMY argues, they will have a "positive financial result" over three years.

They will offer;

• Asynchronous online classwork, but paced by teacher

I confess, I looked up "asynchronous" just to make sure.  Asynchronous means they won't all be on the the same page, in the same book, and the same time.  Students apparently, won't have to join a "thought choir", sitting in five rows of six, thinking and learning in unison.  I hope the flexibility applies to the content as well; subject of course to the myriad of applicable standards. regulations, policies and who know what else.

What a great idea!  I suspect they will be overwhelmed by students.

Which brings us to the threat e-schooling poses to brick and mortar education; the bread and butter (quite literally), of institutions like the APS.  When eCADEMY talks about "positive financial results", they're talking about the not-spending of millions and millions of dollars.  Spending to which the leadership of the APS and their friends in local industry, have grown quite accustomed.

It will be amusing trying to watch them stuff this genie back in the bottle.

As is their want and custom, the meeting will not be videotaped.
There will be an audiotape made, but they don't post it on their award-winning website; you have to file a request for public records with APS' Custodian of Public Records.  If there's nothing too damning on the tape, you should be able to buy a copy within the fifteen days allowed under the law.

Else, expect that it might take considerably longer.