CONTACT: JIM MORRIS |
Vol. 42, No. 83
December 23, 2008
DESE and University of Missouri Forge Partnership
To Provide Virtual Learning for K-12 Students
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education today announced that it has signed an agreement with the University of Missouri’s eMINTS National Center in Columbia to manage the state’s virtual school. The contract to operate the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MoVIP) will begin with 2009-10 school year.
Established in Missouri public schools in 1999, eMINTS (enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies) is a nonprofit unit within the University of Missouri System that uses instructional strategies powered by technology to enrich teaching and improve learning outcomes.
The MoVIP program was authorized by the Missouri Legislature in 2006 and has a current state budget of $5.8 million. It is administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
MoVIP now serves about 2,500 students in grades K-12. Students have access to a wide array of academic courses which are developed and provided online by private vendors. Students are supervised by Missouri-certified teachers.
“We are excited about the great promise of this partnership,” said Stan Johnson, assistant commissioner for the state education agency. “MoVIP has demonstrated that it can serve a range of unique needs for students and schools in our state. We are confident this partnership with the University of Missouri System will make MoVIP stronger, more efficient and better able to serve a growing clientele over the next decade.”
“The University of Missouri is pleased to join forces with DESE to provide higher levels of quality courses to more Missouri students,” said Steve Graham, interim vice president- academic affairs for the University of Missouri System. “This is in line with our strategic goals in several areas, including distance education and making quality education accessible and affordable for the citizens of our state. Furthermore, improving K-12 education across the state is an important investment in the future of Missouri.”
Curt Fuchs, DESE’s coordinator of educational support services, added: “We see this agreement as a natural marriage that will assure a stable, high-quality online educational program in the years ahead.”
DESE has worked with the eMINTS National Center for nearly a decade, establishing a highly respected instructional program that focuses on the use of classroom technology and helping teachers use technology most effectively.
Under the new contract, the eMINTS Center will be the operational hub of MoVIP. It will register students, employ teachers and secure online content for MoVIP classes. It will subcontract with multiple content providers, develop unique course offerings, and partner with other entities to create innovative learning options.
“The eMINTS Center has an outstanding national reputation for providing both the instructional and technical expertise that can position MoVIP to become one of the country’s premier virtual learning programs,” said Fuchs.
“We are honored to join DESE in the administration of MoVIP and look forward to enhancing all aspects of the program so that students are provided with even better educational experiences,” said Monica Beglau, executive director of the eMINTS National Center.
Students and families that are planning to be involved in MoVIP during the spring 2009 semester will not be affected by this agreement. All current offerings and registration options will be maintained. The eMINTS Center will take over the operations of MoVIP beginning July 1.
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Facts about MoVIP and the eMINTS National Center
- Authorized by state law in 2006 to deliver courses online for any Missouri student in grades K-12, MoVIP began operations in August 2007. The program is open to students in public, private and home schools.
- MoVIP expects a total of about 16,000 “enrollments” (courses) to be provided this year. The state pays for the program on a per-course basis.
- By law, the courses must be supervised by Missouri-certified teachers. Teachers are now employed by two private companies that are providing MoVIP courses.
- MoVIP serves students ranging from elementary home-schooled children to high school students taking Advanced Placement classes that are not available in their schools. MoVIP serves medically fragile children and those who are homebound for other reasons.
- Nearly every county in Missouri has at least one student taking a MoVIP class. A student may take a MoVIP class at the same time that he or she is enrolled in a traditional public or private school.
- eMINTS stands for “enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies.” Established in Missouri public schools in 1999, eMINTS is a collaborative education program sponsored by DESE and the University of Missouri System Office of Academic Affairs.
- eMINTS offers a research-based approach to organizing instruction which can be implemented in any subject or grade level. Its goal is to promote “high-quality teaching powered by technology.”
- eMINTS programs are now operating in schools in 11 states and in New South Wales, Australia.