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Data & Information

Arizona

There are 66 school districts and 21 charter schools authorized to provide both fully online and supplemental online options through the Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) program in SY 2014-15, making Arizona a course choice state. Online learning policy can be found in Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 15-808. What started as the Technology Assisted Project-Based Instruction (TAPBI) pilot program evolved into the Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) program in 2009.  As of 2010, any district or charter school in the state can apply to start an online program, and all approved programs can serve any student in the state. Any student can apply to any approved provider in the state (and to multiple providers) for individual courses or whole programs, as long as the provider has capacity to serve that student. There are 66 school districts and 21 charter schools providing both fully online and supplemental online options authorized through the Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) program in SY 2014-15. According to the state Superintendent’s 2013 Annual Report, in SY 2012-13, 74 programs served at least an estimated 48,357 students in full- and part-time programs (state reporting identifies unique students enrolled in any distance learning program, but does not distinguish between students enrolled full or part time). This is a 14% increase over the previous year.

Fully online schools

In order to be authorized through AOI, charter schools apply to the Arizona State Board of Charter Schools (ASBCS).  There are 66 school districts and 21 charter schools providing both fully online and supplemental online options authorized through the Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) program.The 74 programs authorized to serve students in SY 2012-13 reported 48,357 unique students in full- and part-time programs in that year, the most recent year for which data are available.

Governance, tracking, and accountability

  • Schools participating in AOI must provide an annual report describing the program and how student achievement is measured. Schools also must survey students annually and include survey information in their reports. The SBE and ASBCS deliver individual reports to the ADE for review; a compilation of all reports is then presented to the governor and legislature annually on November 15.
  • Students must participate in state assessments. If a student does not take the state assessment and the school has less than 95% participation in the assessments, the student may not continue in the online program.

State virtual school

Arizona does not have a state virtual school, but some programs provide a fully online option and supplemental courses (including teachers), primarily to students in other districts in Arizona. Primavera Online High School is the largest AOI program, serving 19,718 unique students in SY 2012-13. It offers 6-week intensive courses in a year-round format, and served about 6,000 students in summer 2014. Mesa Distance Learning Program was one of the first online programs in the state. It served 975 full-time and 15,233 part-time students for a total of 16,208 unique students in SY 2013-14, an annual increase of 9%. Of these, 63% were from outside the Mesa district boundaries, while less than 1% were from out-of-state.

District programs

Public school districts apply to the State Board of Education (SBE). As of fall 2012, 52 public school districts were approved to offer online courses. Courses offered are primarily supplemental and use a mix of existing online providers and in-house course development.  Students may take up to three courses from supplemental providers at any given time; a full-time online school provides four or more courses to a student at a given time. Students are funded to one FTE.

Mesa Distance Learning Program was one of the first online programs in the state and is by far one of the largest. It served 975 full-time and 15,233 part-time students for a total of 16,208 unique students in SY 2013-14, an annual increase of 9%. Of these, 63% were from outside the Mesa district boundaries, while less than 1% were from out-of-state. .

AOI Unique Student Count (Full and Part-Time Students)

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Enrollment Total 10,814 15,189 24,113 31,571 30,076 30,338 36,814 42,423  48,357
Growth 40% 59% 31% -5% 1% 21% 15%  14%

Online learning policy history

2009:Legislation in 2009 (SB1196, Arizona revised statutes 15-808) removed Technology Assisted Project-Based Instruction (TAPBI) from “pilot” status, changed the program name to Arizona Online Instruction (AOI ), eliminated the cap on the number of districts and charter schools that can operate AOI programs, and changed funding. SB1039 (2010) requires the ASBCS to charge a processing fee to charters wishing to change their contracts in order to start an online program. HB2129 (2010) changes the definitions of full- and part-time students.

  • Average daily membership (ADM) of a pupil in an AOI program cannot exceed 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE). Online schools receive funding at 85% of the normal base support level for part-time students and 95% of the normal base support level for full-time students.
  • FTE funding follows the student and may be split between an AOI school and another charter school or district based on the attendance data that determines the percentage of ADM the student spends in each school.
  • Pupils may generate ADA during any hour and any day of the week. Programs must maintain a daily student log describing the amount of time spent by each pupil on academic tasks.
  • Virtual charter schools receive funding based on current-year enrollments (ARS 15-185-B-2), whereas virtual public schools receive funding based on prior-year enrollments (ARS 15-901-A-13).
  • As of July 1, 2010, schools participating in AOI must provide an annual report describing the program and how student achievement will be measured. Schools also must survey students annually and include survey information in their reports. The SBE and ASBCS will deliver individual reports to the ADE for review; a compilation of all reports will then be presented to the governor and legislature on November 15 of each year.
  • Students must participate in state assessments. If a student does not take the state assessment and the school has less than 95% participation in the assessments, the student may not continue in the online program.

The state superintendent’s office is leading a Transformative Schools Initiative that partners with districts throughout the state to help them create dynamic models of blended learning to solve educational challenges. As of 2012, the office was reviewing digital content and working with pilot programs in Yuma, Tucson, and Phoenix.

A major online learning bill that passed the legislature was vetoed by the governor in May 2012. SB1259 would have made it easier for students to take online courses, instructed the state department of education to create a master list of approved courses, and required students to have all online class final exams proctored.

2013: SB1293 (2013) created an outcome-based pilot program to identify innovative ways to fund students based on school performance and improvement other than pupil enrollment. The pilot funding was to be awarded to 10 programs, two of which offered an online option, each year for four years. According to the SBE, “all vendors applying for the pilot were unable to provide assessments sufficiently aligned to all skills and outcomes established by the joint legislative committee on outcome-based funding. Due to the unavailability of sufficiently aligned assessments, the SBE was unable to fulfill the remaining requirements of the law and cannot begin implementation of the simulated pilot program.

2014: SB1488 (2014) allots $546,800 to launch a two-year pilot program for a K-6 technology-based language development and literacy intervention program. The SBE is directed to select one educational technology provider that meets the requirements laid out in the legislation, including the ability to differentiate and individualize instruction.

Blended learning

One of the pioneering blended learning charter schools originated in Arizona.  Carpe Diem manages a blended school that serves grades 6-12 in Yuma, Arizona, and an online school with four support centers in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Students attend a brick-and-mortar campus four days each week. In 2012, it received approval from the Indiana Charter Schools Board to open six schools in Indiana. The first two opened for school year 2012-13: the Carpe Diem Meridian Campus in Indianapolis, with on-site teacher-facilitators and a web-based learning and management system, and Carpe Diem Online. Both schools are for grades 6-12.

last updated October 9, 2014

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