Differentiate. Engage. Motivate.

Join us for this exciting professional learning opportunity.  In addition to attending four session topics of your choice, you will hear from teachers and administrators who are implementing blended learning programs to increase student achievment. Discover best practices and innovative ways to personalize learning for all students.

Agenda

Attend four sessions of your choice from the course catalog in addition to the keynote presentation.

Breakfast and lunch are included.
 

Key Note

Harnessing the power of online learning: Changing the graduation rate through credit recovery

Presenter: Cyndi Wellner
District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

With online learning still in its infancy, schools may feel as though they are embarking on a program at their own peril the first time they consider offering online learning to their students. Data is scarce, experience scarcer. And furthermore, while most programs may be eager to share success stories, few are as eager to share experiences that did not work leading observers to conclude that such programs are foolproof and failures are due to poor execution.  The credit recovery program at Independence provides a plethora of information as to what has worked, what hasn't and what still needs improvement. The sharing of this information should provide attendees with enough foundational knowledge to begin formulating decisions regarding their use of online learning.

Peer Presentations

Learn and share with your peers!   Attend peer presentations from Anderson County School District Four, Dorchester School District Two, and Lexington/Richland Five School District.

Implementation and Management Skills of Online Courses in an Alternative Classroom Setting

Presenter: Sandra Day  
District: Richland Lexington Five

Participants will learn various methods for classroom set-up and procedures that can be implemented to meet the unique academic needs of their students and manage their classrooms efficiently. Discover how to identify each student’s need proficiently and maintain a productive and organized learning environment.

Moving Students at all levels to SUCCESS through Blended Learning!

Presenter: Gwen Massey
District: Anderson County School District 4

The addition of Apex as part of our curriculum has afforded us the opportunity to personalize learning through a digital curriculum.  Apex allows us the flexibility to customize instruction to meet the demands of the 21st Century learner from a blended learning perspective.  We have been able to accelerate our AP students’ performance in AP courses, remediate students in Math for High School Assessment Program (HSAP), address IEP needs by subject, meet credit recovery needs, expanded our initial credit opportunities, connect with non-traditional off-site programs, and build our blended learning approach in the classroom.  At Pendleton High School, we increased our AP Calculus performance by 18 percentage points and our overall on grade level performance as a result of 74 students recovering course credit and 16 were able to graduate in 2011-12 as a result.  Apex became our provider for Online Learning in 2010 and it is currently serving around 400 hundred students at Pendleton High School.  We are very excited about moving students to the ultimate goal….Graduation!

Credit Recovery: Implementing a Program with Integrity and Fidelity

Presenter: Julie Travis and Jennifer Roberts
District: Dorchester District Two

The process of running a credit recovery program will be described and demonstrated.  Teachers and admin will learn tips and tricks about running an efficient credit recovery program at the high school level from the perspective of a teacher and instructional technology specialist.

Professional Development Sessions

Attend your choice of four sessions with an Apex Learning Education Consultant!  Our sessions align to and instruct educators in the iNACOL Standards for Quality Online Teaching.

Administrative Best Practices Roundtable

Presenter: Celia Smith, Education Consultant

In this session, administrators and site coordinators will have the opportunity to collaborate and discuss common pain points and share strategies for planning, funding, program monitoring, evaluation and communication with district and community stakeholders.

Best Practices for NCAA Eligibility

Presenter: Douglas Fisher, Education Consultant

Districts serving student-athletes who wish to attend an NCAA Division I or II college or university must ensure courses offered using a digital curriculum for original credit and credit recovery meet NCAA guidelines. In this session, participants will discuss NCAA eligibility requirements for students completing non-traditional courses. During this session participants will explore the NCAA website, Apex Learning NCAA Best Practice, and the NCAA non-traditional coursework questionnaire.

Building Relationships in an Online Learning Environment

Presenter: Richard Nangle, Education Consultant

Fostering positive teacher-student relationships leads to greater student achievement and a more satisfying learning experience for both teachers and students. Teachers facilitating online courses deliberately create opportunities for students to interact with each other and with the teacher. This session prepares educators with specific strategies for facilitating strong relationships in an online learning environment. Participants will learn to conduct a proper student orientation, use online communication tools, explore student motivation techniques, active learning strategies, and develop a positive learning environment.

Ensuring Academic Integrity

Presenter: Douglas Fisher, Education Consultant

The advent of digital curriculum has enabled new models of classroom instruction that offer a higher degree of individualization to better meet the needs of each student. However, an unintended consequence of this integration of technology is that students may have access to information that provides them with an inappropriate advantage when completing their coursework. Concerns about academic integrity — such as ensuring that the work a student submits is his or her own and that the Final grade awarded to a student is based on that student’s completion of the required course material — are not new, nor are such concerns unique to online learning. In this session, participants will discuss strategies and best practices for maintaining academic integrity in digital curriculum programs.

Effective Teaching with a Digital Curriculum

Presenter: Richard Nangle, Education Consultant

Using a digital curriculum for primary instruction rather than delivering direct instruction to the whole group changes the role of the teacher and the structure of lesson plans. Because students engage with course material directly, teachers have time to facilitate and individualize instruction, to utilize reporting tools to identify areas of student weakness, and to develop instructional interventions including small group and individual direct instruction.

This session describes the changing role of the teacher and prepares educators with strategies for teaching in a blended learning classroom. Participants will receive sample lesson plans, a National Standards for Quality Online Teaching Self-Assessment Rubric, and an Apex Learning Teacher Competencies Rubric.

Helping Struggling Students Succeed

Presenter: Celia Smith, Education Consultant

Students who struggle in a digital curriculum course can be identified quickly allowing teachers to employ intervention strategies to help them meet with success. In this session, participants will discover effective intervention strategies used by teachers and administrators to identify struggling students, communicate with parents and/or guardians, and to provide assistance for students struggling with time management, motivation, and skill mastery. 

Instructional Best Practices Roundtable

Presenter: Celia Smith, Education Consultant

In this session, teachers will have the opportunity to collaborate and discuss common pain points and share strategies for instruction, progress monitoring, student motivation, and communication.

Motivating Students for On-time Course Completion

Presenter: Celia Smith, Education Consultant

Teachers facilitating digital curriculum courses employ a wide range of supports to assist and motivate students toward on-time completion. In this session, participants will discuss strategies for maintaining student motivation, communicating with parents and helping students set their own learning goals and monitor progress.

FAQs

What is the refund policy?

Cancellations received after 5:00pm Pacific Daylight Time on Friday, March 1, 2013, will be charged 50% of the tuition cost. No refunds will be issued for no-shows. If you need to cancel your registration, please email michelle.rutherford@apexlearning.com as soon as possible.