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Rocky View Schools refining online learning options

“I realize this online option was a response to the pandemic, but I have to say, it was incredibly well done and I hear incredibly positive remarks from parents,” Baziuk said. “I like that Rocky View offers parents this type of choice."
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ROCKY VIEW COUNTY— Rocky View Schools is crafting a plan to ensure online learning will remain available to interested students for many years to come.

Rocky View Schools has been exploring what online school will look like for the 2021-22 school year and are “keen to continue the program” for next year and beyond, said superintendent Greg Luterbach.

“We think that it can meet a need for students and families. We think we have amazing staff that support students in an online format— We believe the online programs from Grades 1 to 12 should continue,” Luterbach said.

Rocky View Schools is developing what online programming will look like in the future and are hoping to move away from being a, “Pandemic response to a proud and strong offering for Rocky View Schools that we offer to our families for our students and make this go on and be sustainable in the future."

Rocky View Schools has launched a task force to aid in the development of online programming. The task force includes teachers, principals and vice-principals with a mandate to go out and speak directly with families to receive feedback.

The Task Force launched a survey for families or students targeted at those who have been engaged in online learning. 

“We will want to grow this program strategically and our focus in this first year will be on Rocky View Schools,” Luterbach said.

The district will receive funding for students regardless of if they are engaging in online or in-person learning, however, it could prove challenging to build the budget for the upcoming school year as it is unclear how many students will choose online classes.

Luterbach expects school boards will likely be able to apply for provincial government funding that goes above and beyond what is in the funding formula for districts to support online learning.

Rocky View Schools will adopt its budget when the number of students logging in online has been finalized.

“There’s going to be lots of logistical challenges on the funding side,” Luterbach said. 

He noted Rocky View Schools' online learning dates back to the early 2000s with Rocky View Online School which offered virtual learning for Kindergarten to Grade 12 students.

Over the years enrolment in younger grades has been lighter and the program morphed to become a high school program that served students for a variety of reasons— This includes those where a traditional timetable was unable to meet their needs for a course, others who were fully online and programs through alternative schools.

This changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a program that had a handful of students in it suddenly saw more than 3,000 students login online.

“We made that happen in a matter of weeks,” Luterbach said.

Board chair Fiona Gilbert said the funding profile from the provincial government for Rocky View Schools has been received and funds have been flagged to support the online school.

The district will be able to intentionally grow and refine online programming, Gilbert said, to create a robust response to those seeking virtual classrooms. These decisions will be informed through conversations with staff and parents to create the best program possible.

Ward Three Trustee Melyssa Bowen said online learning has been recognized as having value for students and she hopes to see it continue.

“This aligns without budget priorities to recognize those growth opportunities from the pandemic and then to direct funding to classrooms both in school and online,” Bowen said. “I’m just excited and confident about what’s to come.

Ward One Trustee Shali Baziuk supported the motion because it offered an alternative learning option for families, many of whom were nervous about in-person schooling during COVID-19. 

“I realize this online option was a response to the pandemic, but I have to say, it was incredibly well done and I hear incredibly positive remarks from parents,” Baziuk said. “I like that Rocky View offers parents this type of choice."

 

 
 
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