The New Hampshire State Board of Education (SBOE) will soon receive a top national academic honor for its eLearning development in high school education systems.
A prestigious honor
The Frank Newman Award for State Innovation is awarded by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) to the state or territory that has shown dedication to education reform above and beyond the norm. It also requires that breakthroughs be replicable so other schools and educational institutions can gain from these models. Frank Newman Award recipients are characterized by large-scale and groundbreaking advances in education, and the inclusion of eLearning development in the New Hampshire charter environment enhanced the state recognition as a leader in this area.
“We know students learn in different ways and at different rates,” said ECS president Roger Sampson regarding the award. “New Hampshire has boldly faced the challenge of individualizing education for students and is showing the rest of the country it can be done.”
Work and perseverance
The school system pioneers a competency system, meaning students must show they’ve mastered the core curriculum to pass and progress to the next course, grade or graduation landmark. This new tactic, combined with mobile learning solutions, has fostered a statewide graduation rate of 86.6 percent, according to a press release.
“It ensures every student has the skills they need to be successful for their future plans,” said social studies teacher Justin Ballou to the Nashua Telegraph. “We can’t bank on a 75 average [meaning] they’re educated. We want to assess those separate skills.”
Driven by eLearning
One of the first New Hampshire educational institutions to truly enforce this policy was the Great Bay eLearning Charter School. Founded in 2005, the eLearning development practiced here has allowed high school students accessing classes in a remote capacity to build a successful educational model based on consistent research and personalized student needs, according to the Foster’s Daily Democrat. As a bold educational innovator, the school has embraced both online learning initiatives and the new benchmarks to ensure students’ long-term success.
As this year’s leader in revolutionary teaching practices, the incorporation of eLearning development here has proven crucial in implementing these guidelines. It serves as a model for other school systems to use in the future, having mobile training development at the onset ensures the flexibility and customization of ongoing education.
Contact Stacey Burris at sburris@csesoftware.com or 1.309.670.7595 and ask for an eLearning demo today!
