Sullivan County board hears that online students are performing on par with classroom peers; raises accountability questions
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Summary
Board members reviewed the district online program’s operations, enrollment and accountability trade-offs, including whether assigning a separate school number (and separate state score) would help or harm students and staff. Enrollment was reported around 170 locally.
Speaker 5, an online-program representative, told the Sullivan County School Board the district’s online program is intentionally selective and that its students are performing as well as classroom peers. "Overall, our, our numbers, in many cases, for those students who are in this online program, are scoring just as well as the students that are sitting in front of [a] teacher," Speaker 5 said.
Board members asked for data to determine whether specialist and non-classroom positions supporting the program are effective. Speaker 2 urged the board "to look at the data and let the data show whether or not they're being effective," framing the review as a budget and performance issue.
The board discussed whether the online program should be assigned a separate school number, which would produce a distinct state report card and accountability score for the program. Speaker 5 said the upside would be separate reporting and distinct school-level metrics, but warned of downsides: "If you do set aside a separate school, kids don't have an attachment or have a place to belong," and it could become a "dumping ground" for students who struggle.
Enrollment figures were described as fluid: Speaker 5 said "We're around 170 right now" for the local online program and noted larger, harder-to-track populations in the region (including homeschool and umbrella-school students) that may number in the hundreds. Speaker 5 said the district is trying to recruit more in-district students and improve marketing and outreach.
Board members also discussed program offerings and supports: Speaker 5 emphasized career and technical education (CTE) strengths and the availability of advanced courses online (including AP Calculus BC). The board did not take a formal vote; members asked for further analysis of program outcomes and the budget implications of retaining specialist positions.
The next step on this item is for staff to provide the requested data so the board can evaluate whether specialist positions and the program’s accountability structure should change.