{"id":1451,"date":"2015-05-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-11T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/title-inacol-policy-update-ups-and-downs-for-course-access-legislation-in-missouri-illinois-and-texas\/"},"modified":"2022-11-04T17:26:04","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T21:26:04","slug":"title-inacol-policy-update-ups-and-downs-for-course-access-legislation-in-missouri-illinois-and-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/title-inacol-policy-update-ups-and-downs-for-course-access-legislation-in-missouri-illinois-and-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Course Access Bills Advance: Equitable Access to Opportunities at Risk in Illinois; Sustainable Funding Model Debated in Missouri"},"content":{"rendered":"
Course Access has been the topic of much discussion this week because Course Access bills in Missouri, Illinois, and Texas are being amended as they progress through the legislative process. The important provisions of the Texas bill seem to remain intact as the bill moves forward. Unfortunately, the bills in Missouri and Illinois have been amended to such a degree that in their current forms, they can no longer be called Course Access.<\/p>\n
Course Access provides public school students with expanded course offerings across learning environments from diverse, accountable providers. It is a mechanism by which students can gain equitable access to a variety of courses in a programmatic effort to increase access, quality, and equity in public education.<\/p>\n
One key aspect of Course Access is that funding for the program is performance-based and follows the student in a sustainable way. The bill in Missouri has been amended to make the program reliant on state appropriations. An appropriation-based funding model for supplemental online courses is not sustainable because (1) it makes the program reliant on the willingness of the state legislature to appropriate the funds each and every year; and (2) it limits student access to the program by limiting the amount of funding available.<\/p>\n
Another key aspect of Course Access is that all students can ultimately participate in the program. The Illinois bill gives school districts the choice on whether or not to opt into the program. This means that only a subset of Illinois high school students would be able to access supplemental courses. In a true course access program, all students in a state can benefit from supplemental course opportunities. iNACOL is providing technical assistance to the Illinois House of Representatives to underline the importance of ensuring all public high school students can participate.<\/p>\n
A summary is below; a more detailed version with additional legislative information is available in the members-only\u00a0iNACOL Member Forums<\/a>. We track policy priorities and issues related to the field\u2019s needs as outlined annually in the iNACOL State Policy Frameworks<\/a>. This report provides background information and recommendations for issues on the critical policy shifts needed to transform K-12 education.<\/p>\n The iNACOL Blended and Online Learning Symposium will be held November 8-11, 2015 in Orlando, Florida. Registration<\/a>\u00a0opened Tuesday, March 31.<\/p>\n Already a member? Access the more detailed legislative highlights through the Membership Forum<\/a>.<\/p>\nState Policy Highlights<\/h4>\n
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Legislative Calendars<\/h4>\n
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Bills on the move<\/h4>\n
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Federal Policy Highlights<\/h4>\n
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iNACOL 2015 Blended and Online Learning Symposium<\/h4>\n