New Report Lauds IE Charter Schools' Distance Learning Efforts

Springs Charter Schools, with programs in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, has been highlighted as exemplar schools in the realm of distance learning in a series of reports released this month by the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA).

Springs Charter Schools was named as a bright spot in CCSA's report – How California Charter Schools Mitigated Learning Loss – for its ability to quickly pivot and implement remote instruction after the statewide shelter-in-place order went into the effect in spring 2020.

The study is part of CCSA's Portrait of the Movement 2020 which explores how charter schools in California responded to challenges brought on by the pandemic.

"The ability of charter public schools to quickly pivot resulted in more underserved students staying on track academically last year, and being more prepared heading into the 2020-21 academic year," said Myrna Castrejón, CCSA president and CEO. "Free from bureaucracy, California charter schools are uniquely positioned to deliver high-quality learning opportunities to teach students and support families in this unprecedented time of crisis."

Springs Charter Schools: A Bright Spot in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties

Springs is a network of six nonclassroom-based charter schools that serve students in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. With more than 10,000 students attending mostly independent study programs, Springs knows how to provide quality remote instruction at scale.

How California's Charter Schools Mitigated Learning Loss outlines research-based best practices and strategies utilized by Springs which CCSA believes can be beneficial for all schools to consider and learn from, including:

• Assistant Classroom Educators (ACEs) – Online teacher assistants who attend live classes and set-up meetings with individual students or small groups for more personalized online instruction.
• Open Classroom – An online public portal offering free daily online lessons, parent guides and resources aligned to Common Core State Standards. At Springs, over 6,000 people from across the country, and around the world (including as far away as France, Australia, India, Poland, Japan, and Afghanistan) signed up for this resource.
• Flipped online classrooms – In this model, a teacher shares recorded lectures ahead of time, and students use online classroom time for conversation, small group discussion, and other engaging activities.

Springs' Superintendent Kathleen Hermsmeyer explains why she believes the "flipped online classroom" is critical to any distance learning program in this video clip:

Throughout the state, California charter public schools are leveraging their independence and flexibility to launch distance learning programs quicker than traditional district public schools after the statewide stay-at-home order went into effect in March 2020.

The most striking finding in How California's Charter Schools Mitigated Learning Loss is that on average, surveyed charter schools transitioned to distance learning in just four days, allowing for more underserved students to stay on track academically.

In stark contrast, traditional district schools rolled out similar programs on average of two weeks after the statewide stay-at-home order in March 2020.

To read CCSA's full report, How California's Charter Schools Mitigated Learning Loss, and additional reports on actions taken by California’s charter schools to adapt to the pandemic, click here.