State's Course Choice program to give students option to take ...

Despite the fact that the financing plan has been rejected by the courts, the state education department is plowing ahead with its new Course Choice program, a first-of-its-kind effort that if funded, would allow every public school student in Louisiana to take up to five courses offered by private providers outside their home school.

Though the program's mission and scope have expanded from the original concept passed last spring by the Legislature, state Superintendent John White is working to winnow down the courses offered by the 45 providers the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education authorized in December, seeking to avoid questions about quality similar to those that arose when the voucher program was launched.

"The intent of it is to create experiences for students that the traditional system wouldn't be able to create," White said -- everything from robotics to EMT certification to AP physics. Administrators initially envisioned the program as one for high school students only, but after course providers submitted applications, the state decided to open the program to all students in K-12.

Course Choice is part of Act 2, the same law that authorized Louisiana's voucher program, which allows children in failing schools to attend private and parochial schools at taxpayer expense. In November, a Baton Rouge district court judge ruled that the state could not constitutionally finance either program by taking money out of the per-pupil allotment given to schools, as it had planned. The state is appealing the decision to the Louisiana Supreme Court.

The only comparable project to Course Choice is in Utah, where the Statewide Online Education Program is in its second year. About 200 high school students participated in year one, and more than 500 signed up last fall, said Judi Clark, executive director of Utah's Parents for Choice in Education. Utah's program only offers online courses, but Louisiana plans to offer some courses online, some in classroom settings, and some that will combine online and in-person teaching.

How the program works

Students from any public school, whether traditional or charter, can participate in Course Choice, as can students attending private or parochial schools on vouchers. Homeschoolers are not eligible because students must take at least one class at a school.

However, public funding doesn't cover all students in all circumstances. Students at schools that scored C, D or F on the state's measures of academic performance can take any class in Course Choice at public expense, even if their own school offers a class in that subject -- algebra, for example. Public funding also covers students at A and B schools if the class they want isn't available at their home school -- say, AP physics. Those students also may participate at their own expense if they want to take a class that duplicates offerings at their own school.

Most of the courses will take place during the school day. The law requires a student's home school to provide a computer and Internet connection for students to take online courses, and a space for the student to use the computer. The school's counselor or other staff person would be responsible for creating the student's schedule incorporating the Course Choice classes.?

In the few cases where a course requires transportation, it will be set up by the Course Choice provider, White said. According to program materials, children who receive special education services also are entitled to the same services from private providers that they receive at their home schools.

To help families navigate the program, the state is hiring five Course Choice counselors through 8(g) state education grant funds. They will earn up to $48,500 as contractors and will work with school counselors or other designated staff to figure out whether a given course is logistically feasible for a student or eligible for public funding.

Starting Mar. 7, students will be able to log into louisianacoursechoice.net, browse an online catalog and indicate their desire to register for a class, White's office said. The request will go to their school staff contact. The state counselors will automatically review all local decisions denying a student's request. If the state counselor rejects the registration, parents can appeal.

The legislation set a date of Jan. 1 to publish the Course Choice catalog. But White's office says that deadline was for a preliminary catalog only, which is currently incomplete but expanding as the department finalizes contracts with providers.

Course providers are allowed to market directly to families as long as they don't disparage other providers, lie about their results or promise financial incentives, White's office said. That could give national providers an edge over smaller, local groups.

Financing uncertain

As passed by the Legislature, Course Choice is financed with money from each participating student's per-pupil allocation -- called the Minimum Foundation Program, or the MFP. The maximum a Course Choice provider can charge is one sixth of 90 percent of a student's MFP. That estimates the cost of providing a single course in an ordinary school, with 10 percent given to overhead. Within that margin, Course Choice providers set their own prices.

If a course is cheaper than the maximum, the remaining funds are split between the state and the district.

To ensure accountability, the state pays course providers 50 percent of the tuition when a student enrolls and the rest when the student completes the course. If the student finishes late, the provider is docked 10 percent of the total. Payment comes directly from the state, not a school or district.

This method means there's no enrollment cap or budget for the program. Any number of students could participate.

However, teachers unions have challenged the constitutionality of using the MFP to fund both Course Choice and vouchers. The Baton Rouge district court ruled in November that the funding method unconstitutionally diverts public funds to private enterprises. The case is being appealed to the Louisiana Supreme Court and it's not clear when it will be heard.

The Department of Education has refused to give a potential budget or alternate funding source for Course Choice should the district court ruling stand. Staff said simply that the funding method would be determined through the spring budget process.

BESE member Lottie Beebe, a frequent administration critic, questioned in December why the board was approving a slate of providers without a guaranteed funding source for Course Choice. She was told that the legislation, with its Jan. 1 deadline, left no time for delay.

The Utah program also uses per-pupil funding but is structured so that the state pays districts, not individual course providers. Judi Clark of Parents for Choice said that sidestepped possible constitutional challenges in that state.

Robert Scott, president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, thinks the program "could offer a lot of really great opportunities" - but implementation and evaluation, he said, will make all the difference.

Providers offer a slate of options

Course Choice providers are a mixed bag of national online schools, colleges, Louisiana school districts, industry groups and entrepreneurs offering a mishmash of options.

The review process was fast - applications were due in October - but thorough, White's office said, citing the interview each provider was required to have with a state panel. The process weeded out over half the applicants, including a Shreveport faith-based group that listed the director's son as a reference.

Still, questions remain.

The largest category of Course Choice providers are national online schools -- many of which are for-profits -- offering a long list of classes at widely varying rates and specifying, in their applications, the details of their online platform but not their results data. Advanced Academics, part of DeVry, charges $350 for a high school American government course. ATS Project Success charges $900 for the same subject.

White says having different groups offering the same basic courses at different prices is in fact what "choice" is all about.

Despite thoughts that Course Choice could serve as a gateway for vocational and technical training options, the list is relatively short on vocational programs, and some of the approved groups aren't offering much. The Alliance Safety Council offers workplace training on a wide range of specific industrial competencies, but for Course Choice it will pilot just one class, on career success skills.

White said industry groups don't traditionally offer courses to high school students. "We need to provide them some know-how, some consulting" to develop courses, he said, adding that private philanthropists were talking about how to do that.

A handful of approved providers are single teachers offering a single class; others have a long list and propose to hire additional staff.

However, what BESE authorized isn't necessarily what will be offered in the fall. As they draw up contracts, department staff are cutting offerings based on logistical feasibility and the ability to assess students' performance in the course. For example, a five-person consortium called 1 Mind was approved to offer classes in barbering, cosmetology and oil and gas production in 15 parishes, but the state narrowed that down to barbering and cosmetology classes only in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. "We didn't accept course applications where we felt it just couldn't be measured," White said.

Each provider's contract will state the evaluation terms and define acceptable performance. Though the law authorizes providers for three years, BESE is allowing the department to terminate contracts after a year for unsatisfactory performance, White said.

At BESE's December meeting, board member Lottie Beebe pointed out that several providers contributed to the campaigns of several other board members. Reporter Tom Aswell of LouisianaVoice identified the contributors as including the Pelican Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, which gave money to four board members. One of them, Holly Boffy, reacted angrily at the meeting to the suggestion that campaign contributions influenced her vote.

Impact on schools

Course Choice credits count toward the student's high school diploma and their assessment results are counted in their home institution's school performance score -- scores that determine whether charter schools stay open.

That's unsettling to some, said Veronica Brooks, policy director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, though she said the state's accountability measures seemed strong. Rose Drill-Peterson, director of the Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools, said she'd heard similar concerns.

The MFP funding formula also, by design, takes money out of the school, which Brooks said could become an issue if large number of students eventually participate.

White defended the decision to have scores redound to the home institution. If that doesn't happen, the school has no incentive to support those students, he said. In fact, the school could potentially pressure its lowest-performing students to take core subjects through Course Choice so their grades wouldn't count in the school's evaluation.

As for funding, White pointed out that Course Choice lets schools and districts create programs and offer them outside their area, a move that could bring in new revenue. Bossier, Caddo and St. James parishes are among the 45 authorized providers.

When it comes to educational offerings, "Up to now we've tended to err on the side of the cookie cutter," White said. "Given the plurality of needs in our society it's very hard to justify."

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Source: http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/01/states_course_choice_program_m.html

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