A Policy Focus at the Final '12 Blended Learning Gathering

The 3rd Colorado Summit on Blended Learning (CSBL) spanned 3 days this year; the third and final day focused on policy in support of blended learning, happening in states across the country. Check out our lineup of speakers, their credentials, presentations and what their states are up to.

Utah State Senator Howard Stephenson

Senator Stephenson ushered in Utah's Statewide Online Education Program when the state legislature passed SB65 in 2011. The law was the first to implement Digital Learning Now's 10 Elements of Quality Online Learning as a comprehensive statewide policy. At the CSBL, Stephenson spoke to a crowd of Colorado policymakers about the legislation and barriers to implementation. Utah is still tweaking its law, and as Stephenson said Thursday, there is still a lot of work needed to encourage technology to be used at its utmost in the classroom.

Download Senator Stephenson's CSBL Presentation

New Hampshire Deputy Commissioner of Education Paul Leather

Leather started working on the state's competency-based learning model almost 15 years ago. His years of commitment resulted in the development and implementation of the New Hampshire Competency Based Assessment System and ultimately to the student mastery model now in place as part of NH’s school approval standards. NH is the only state to implement such a comprehensive system, though others are trying to move away from seat time requirements and towards competecy-based assessments, too.

Download Leather's CSBL presentation, which includes examples of schools working within this new model.

iNACOL Policy Director David Teeter

Teeter offered a nationwide perspective on trends and policies in blended learning. His group iNACOL tracks states pushing for digital learning policies. One example: Teeter says Michigan is a lightning rod for online learning. The state legislature passed a law this year that allows for more virtual charter school options.

Download Teeter's CSBL presentation.

Here's video of former president of the Colorado State Senate Peter Groff testifying in favor of SB 619, Michigan's cyber schools bill.

We'll provide our own video from these speakers next week, directly from the live CSBL webinar feed.