Milton schools consider making virtual option permanent

Benjamin Pierce, The Janesville Gazette, Wis.
·4 min read

Mar. 3—MILTON — The Milton School District decided to try something new for the 2020-21 school year after it became clear that the uncertainty of COVID-19 and in-person learning presented a challenge for some families.

The district already was offering virtual learning through JEDI, a contracted, asynchronous virtual school with its own curriculum.

Now, some students are learning district curriculum fully virtually for the first time, and early results and feedback have been positive, district officials say.

"There is a place for virtual learning. There is good there," said Ryan Ruggles, district director of curriculum and instruction.

JEDI is fully asynchronous—it provides non-live instruction—and is used mostly at the high school so students can complete individual classes that don't fit into their in-person schedules. Ten students are using JEDI full time this year, Ruggles said.

"They love that ... and it really works for that population of students. It doesn't work for all kids," he said. "So as we plan the potential of virtual learning in the future, we want to make sure that we have both synchronous and asynchronous options for kids. One size doesn't fit all."

The new option fits other students better.

At each age level, a "good percentage" of students are learning district curriculum virtually through a mix of asynchronous and synchronous lessons, Ruggles said.

At the middle, intermediate and elementary schools, some teachers are designated as virtual teachers. They often hold class meetings in the morning and then students work on their own before returning for small-group work or discussion with a teacher.

K-6 students have a set schedule to give them structure, Ruggles said.

"It's a mix of work on their own and coming together as a full group. I think we found a good balance," he said. "It took awhile to get there, especially for the younger ages as they're developing learning habits."

At the middle school level, some classes are fully virtual, but some classes are a mixture of students learning in person at school with others learning and tuning in from home.

"We looked at some data. ... on what is the right amount of online engaged time for kids," he said. "We tried to really look at that and not go beyond that. Knowing that a kid being on a computer for seven hours a day is just not good for them—we didn't want that."

According to district numbers, 105 high school students switched to virtual learning in January, and 21 switched back to in person. The middle school saw 17 students opt for virtual learning and 22 switch back to in-person learning. Elementary students overwhelmingly preferred in-person learning, as 95 students returned to schools and nine switched to virtual learning.

"It doesn't surprise me," Ruggles said of the numbers.

"I think it's a little bit easier at the upper level for virtual learning. Students are a little more self-sufficient, and there's a lot of teaching of habits that has to go into successfully teaching elementary students virtually."

The future of virtual learning in the district will be something to watch, Ruggles said. A survey recently was sent to families to gauge long-term interest in the district's virtual model, and district officials have talked about it with the state Department of Public Instruction.

If virtual learning does stick around, Ruggles said the district model will continue to focus on a blend of live and static instruction.

"I would be committed to having it be a good mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning. I wouldn't want it to be too far to one side," Ruggles said. "I would want to make sure that we're having some good synchronous options for students to make some connections and connect with peers."

He said the future of education will be increasingly student-based.

"I'm excited for it. It's not perfect, and we learned a lot," he said of the district's introduction to virtual learning over the last year.

"I think the hard part this year is everyone was forced to do it," Ruggles said. "And, yes, there was a choice for some whether they wanted to go full time or not. But at the upper level, we had some kids that had to do it in a hybrid model.

"I'm a big believer in student voice and choice, and I feel like the more that we can personalize learning, the better. And I hope that's a lesson that overall in education we do better at personalized learning for our students."