![]() The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) yesterday released the 19th edition of its annual Report Card on American Education, where it ranks states’ education policy based on six areas: state academic standards, charter school laws, home-school regulations, private school choice programs, overall teacher quality and policies, and digital learning opportunities. It is only the fourth annual scorecard to include digital learning opportunities as a performance metric. Drawing on data from the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s Digital Learning Now initiative, the report found 17 states reached a perfect “A” grade for digital learning performance compared to seven states receiving an “F.” The Digital Learning Now report graded K-12 schools on ten elements. Those elements included whether schools provided access to students to online learning opportunities; whether schools could restrict students’ eligibility to participate in them; whether school districts could impose restrictions to prevent students from participating; and whether students were given enough resources to participate in high quality opportunities. Florida and Utah placed first in the report, scoring 92 percent overall. Connecticut placed last with a score of 41 percent. Among Connecticut’s shortcomings were a failure to provide all students with equal access to digital opportunities, and a refusal to accept credits from providers based in other school districts or states. Overall, most states are expanding digital learning opportunities with the hope of creating a more innovative approach to learning. This trend will continue in the coming years. |