Keeping Students in School With Blended Learning

An important aspect of implementing a virtual learning program into a school system is providing a clear understanding to all key stakeholders as to what the program is and what it will offer students, especially if there are similar virtual programs available to students in the district.

In CMCSS’s district, a virtual high school was established before the Connections Learning program, and there was some confusion in the school district in regards to the difference between the two programs.

“You don’t want a lot of misinformation out there especially if you have multiple options. Making sure you have a strong plan in place of what your message is and how you’re going to deliver the message consistently to all of the stakeholders involved is key,” says Combs.

Furthermore, Combs suggests districts start small with their implementations.

“Making sure you have a strong plan in place of what your message is and how you’re going to deliver the message consistently to all of the stakeholders involved is key.”—Julie Combs, at-risk coordinator for CMCSS.

“You’re going to make mistakes and there are going to be bumps and if you start small then the bumps don’t affect as many people and it’s much easier to adjust things if you do that.”

Blended learning opportunities such as the Connections Learning program at CMCSS enables students to benefit from a personalized, online learning experience, and allows them to still have access to traditional courses and school resources.

“[Connections Learning students] are our students, they belong to our school system whether they’re taking one class online or all of their classes online,” says Combs. “They’re our responsibility and every available resource that we have we are going to use to support them.”

By providing students with a virtual learning option such as Connections Learning, CMCSS hopes to find a solution for each every students’ learning challenges and reach its goal of a 100% graduation rate.

“This is an option that gives students who have very unique situations and might otherwise drop out of school or withdraw from this school system the ability to remain attached and still have all the supports of the school system. They have the flexibility of being able to do their work online at home,” says Combs.