At an Amarillo ISD meeting Monday night, Feb. 9, Jennifer Wilkerson, the district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, revealed that more than 700 AISD students seeking more virtual options have found other options at other locations.
“Families are looking for more flexibility,” she told the school board.
Wilkerson said the world is changing and they need to address the challenges they face. Virtual education is also available for accelerated learning and for full-time students. Wilkerson said they applied for a grant after meeting in August to discuss the challenges and received a two-year, $226,000 grant from the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
Jennifer Wilkinson, Amarillo Independent School District’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, spoke at the district’s Feb. 9 board meeting, where she explained recommendations for adding virtual learning sessions to help meet student needs.
While virtual education has been deemed unsuccessful during the coronavirus pandemic, Wilkerson said they’ve discovered some “secret lessons” — periods of time when virtual learning is going well.
“This is an opportunity to expand our goals, conduct more research, and provide excellence in student profiling and instructional design,” she said.
Wilkerson expects the program to launch in the 2027-28 school year.
When Board President Doyle Corder asked her what type of students the program would be suitable for, she said it would be for accelerated learning and entry-level instruction, possibly a hybrid in some cases.
Once completed, the curriculum will be for grades 6-12, limited to art and physical education, and will eventually cover 100% of the curriculum. When Cord asked her if she would need to add coaches, she said it might, depending on the results.
Wilkerson emphasized that virtual learning is not about graduating early, but about providing greater flexibility for students who also want to work or have other exceptions. It has also been suggested that some schools, like Ascension College, are already offering virtual classes. She also stressed there will be accountability when filling out applications.
Students can attend classes when they want, rather than at a set time.
Board member Don Powell said he preferred a traditional education with classroom instruction, and Wilkerson responded that that was a stretch for her as well.
“I’m not a spokesperson for virtual education, never have been,” Wilkerson said. Advertisement
Wilkerson concluded: “We cannot exempt accountability measures. Everything students and schools have to do to meet accountability, those students and schools must do (virtually) as well.”
This article originally appeared in the Amarillo Global News: Amarillo students seek flexibility in virtual learning leading to change