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Student enrollment in online courses has increased in the past 15 years and continues to grow. However, little is known about students' education experiences or online course outcomes. These are areas of particular interest to the Midwest Virtual Education Research Alliance, whose goal is to understand how to support student success in online courses. Members of the alliance partnered with Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest to develop and conduct this study on how students engage in online learning and how student engagement patterns are associated with online course outcomes. Findings from this study may help inform policymakers, state and local education agencies, and online learning providers as they seek ways to support student success in online courses. This study analyzed learning management system data and student information system data for all core, elective, and Advanced Placement online high school course enrollments during the fall 2014 semester. The data were collected by Wisconsin Virtual School, a state-level online learning program that partnered with 194 Wisconsin districts to serve 5,511 student enrollments in 256 supplemental online courses during the 2014/15 school year. Analyses looked for student engagement patterns in online courses and the percentage of student enrollments that followed each pattern; differences among student engagement groups (groups of student enrollments that followed a given pattern) in course type taken, gender, or grade level; and associations between student engagement in online learning and online course outcomes. Engagement refers to behavioral engagement and was defined as the amount of time a student was logged in to the online course each week. Course outcomes were measured by the percentage of possible points earned in the course (which students' home schools use to assign a letter grade based on the local grading scale) and the percentage of course activities completed. Key findings include: (1) Student enrollments in online courses followed one of six engagement patterns, with average engagement ranging from 1.5 hours to 6 or more hours per week; (2) Most students (77 percent) steadily engaged in their online course for 1.5 or 2.5 hours per week; (3) Students who engaged in their online course for at least 1.5 hours per week typically earned a high enough percentage of possible points to pass the course; and (4) Students who engaged in their online course for two or more hours per week had better course outcomes than students who engaged for fewer than two hours per week. The following are appended: (1) Study methodology; and (2) Supplemental findings. [For the summary companion report, "An Analysis of Student Engagement Patterns and Online Course Outcomes in Wisconsin. Stated Briefly. REL 2016-157," see ED566959.]

This study used administrative data from Wisconsin Virtual School to identify patterns of student engagement in online courses (defined as the amount of time students were logged in to their course each week and how this varied over time). The study also examined whether the patterns were associated with course outcomes (defined as the percentage of possible points earned and the percentage of course activities completed). Six patterns of engagement were identified, and most students in five of the six engagement groups earned a high enough percentage of possible points to pass their online course. Students with low but steady engagement in their online course had better outcomes than students with low initial engagement that diminished throughout their course. Students who engaged in their online course for two or more hours per week had better outcomes than students who engaged for fewer than two hours per week. [For the full report, "An Analysis of Student Engagement Patterns and Online Course Outcomes in Wisconsin. REL 2016-147," see ED566960.]

Wisconsin Virtual School, a state online learning program that offers supplemental online courses to partner districts in Wisconsin, administered a survey to its teachers in fall 2014 to learn more about their training experiences and challenges. More Wisconsin Virtual School teachers reported participating in training or professional development related to online instruction while teaching online than before teaching online or during preservice education. The most frequently reported professional challenges concerned student engagement with and perseverance in online courses. Wisconsin Virtual School teachers indicated that they preferred unstructured professional development to structured professional development for addressing challenges related to students' perseverance and engagement. [For the full report, see ED561235.]

REL Midwest, in partnership with the Midwest Virtual Education Research Alliance, analyzed the results of a survey administered to Wisconsin Virtual School teachers about the training in which they participated related to online instruction, the challenges they encounter while teaching online, and the type of training they thought would help them address those challenges. REL Midwest researchers and Virtual Education Research Alliance members collaborated to develop the survey based on items from the Going Virtual! survey (Dawley et al., 2010; Rice & Dawley, 2007; Rice et al., 2008). Wisconsin Virtual School administered the survey to its 54 teachers, and 49 (91 percent) responded to the survey. The responses of the 48 teachers who indicated that they taught an online course during the 2013/14 or 2014/15 school year were analyzed for the report. Results indicate that all Wisconsin Virtual School teachers reported participating in training or professional development related to online instruction and that more teachers reported participating in training that occurred while teaching online than prior to teaching online or during preservice education. The teachers most frequently reported challenges related to students' perseverance and engagement and indicated that they preferred unstructured professional development to structured professional development to help them address those challenges. Further research is needed to determine what types of professional development and training are most effective in improving teaching practice, especially related to student engagement and perseverance. The following are appended: (1) Survey on online teacher training and challenges; (2) Data and methodology; and (3) Supplementary tables.

This "Stated Briefly" report is a companion piece that summarizes the results of another report of the same name. The purpose of the study conducted by REL Midwest in partnership with the Midwest Virtual Education Research Alliance was to develop and administer a survey to describe online course use in Iowa and Wisconsin brick-and-mortar public high schools during the 2012-13 school year. The Iowa Department of Education and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction administered the survey to representative random samples of 168 public high schools in each state at the start of the 2013-14 school year. Researchers analyzed survey data collected from 117 schools in Iowa and 96 schools in Wisconsin to produce statewide estimates of online course use. Results indicate that the primary uses of online courses in both states were to provide students with opportunities for credit recovery and opportunities to complete core requirements for courses covering the primary academic subjects. Schools cited concerns about the educational experiences of students taking online courses, including the lack of teacher training in Iowa and online course quality in Wisconsin. Further research is needed to examine the short-term and long-term academic outcomes for students enrolled in online courses. [To see the full report see ED553644.]

This "Stated Briefly" report is a companion piece that summarizes the results of another report of the same name. The goal of the study conducted by the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands' Northeast Rural Districts Research Alliance (NRDRA) was to provide information about how and why high schools in the Greater Capital Region of the state used online courses for their students in 2012/13. Researchers analyzed survey data collected from 59 responding schools to produce estimates of online course use. Results indicate that 59 percent of respondent high schools in the New York Greater Capital Region enrolled students in online courses in the 2012/13 school year. Schools offered online courses primarily to provide students with opportunities for credit recovery. School officials expressed concern about course quality and academic integrity. [This brief was written in collaboration with the Northeast Rural Districts Research Alliance. For the full report, see ED555633.]

As the use of online courses in high schools increases rapidly across the United States, schools are using courses from a multitude of sources to achieve a variety of educational goals. Policies and practices for monitoring student progress and success in online courses are also diverse. Yet few states formally track or report student participation in online learning. Iowa and Wisconsin are among the states that do not track such information. This study analyzed data from a survey developed to describe how and why brick-and-mortar public high schools in Iowa and Wisconsin use online learning for their students. The survey, developed by Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest in collaboration with members of its Virtual Education Research Alliance, reflects the need for better information about the basic characteristics of online course use across the country. To identify the types of programs and policies needed to support the effective use of online learning, state administrators and policymakers need accurate information about how and why schools are turning to online learning. Recognizing the potential value of this type of information, the Iowa Department of Education and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction administered the survey to a representative sample of public high schools in each state to gather information about online course use during the 2012/13 school year. This report presents the findings of school practices in the two states but does not directly compare them. Among the key findings were: (1) Recovering course credit for classes that students had failed and completing core requirements were among the top academic objectives of online course enrollment in both Iowa and Wisconsin. Most of the online courses were in the primary academic subjects: English language arts, social studies, math, and science; (2) Three other commonly cited reasons why schools enrolled students in online courses were to offer courses that were not otherwise available, to provide an alternative learning environment, and to personalize learning; (3) In Iowa the primary challenge schools faced in providing online learning was the lack of online teacher training. In Wisconsin it was the concern about course quality; and (4) Most schools in both states reported that some or all of the students enrolled in online courses had the opportunity to communicate directly with an online teacher. The following appendices are included: (1) Data and methodology; (2) Example survey instrument; (3) Iowa supplemental statistical tables; and (4) Wisconsin supplemental statistical tables.

"Research Findings: Big Math for Little Kids" ("BMLK") is a mathematics curriculum designed for 4- and 5-year-old children. In this study, the curriculum was evaluated for effectiveness over two years, using a cluster-randomized controlled study. Over 750 children participated in the study and experienced either the "BMLK" curriculum or business-as-usual instruction. Students' mathematics knowledge was assessed using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) Direct Mathematics Assessment, an independent outcome measure not tied to the curriculum materials. The "BMLK" children significantly outperformed the business-as-usual control group, a difference that represents the equivalent of 1.6 months of additional instruction, with a medium effect size ("Cohen's d"=0.40). "BMLK" children also showed indications of improved mathematical language on piloted language tasks. "Policy or Practice": These results suggest that the inclusion of thoughtful, developmentally appropriate mathematics curriculum can positively impact young students' achievement. Tables are appended. (Contains 7 tables and 1 footnote.)

The Personal Learning Planning (PLP) model focuses on the needs and ongoing development of the individual, links career guidance to the learning process, and links learning to work. It identifies ways in which the Careers Service (CS) in Britain can work in partnership with other professionals and provides consistent and continuing support for the individual's career development on a lifelong basis. Individuals need to be encouraged to engage in a regular process of reviewing, recording, and planning in relation to their learning and work throughout their lives with the progress file as the reference point. Foundations for the process should be laid in schools and individuals encouraged to manage the process themselves with access to ongoing support. A key worker should be responsible to provide support, including access to specialist guidance for those who need it. Guidance provision should be available at three levels: core service for all; filtered service for those who need specialist help; and intensive service for those in particular need of ongoing specialist help. CS's role is to secure the agreement of the partner organization/professionals to support the model; offer key worker training and support; and provide core, filtered, and intensive services. (Examples of the model are attached for six target groups within CS's statutory client group: year 9 pupils; key stage 4 pupils; full-time post-16 students; work-based trainees; unemployed young people; and employed young people. A transparency master of the PLP process is provided.) (YLB)

A study examined the implementation of the Indiana Early Literacy Intervention Grant Program during the 1997-98 school year, when the program funded a total of 133 projects and served 9,685 students in its first year. The study incorporated an analysis of existing databases, a systematic review of the research literature on reading interventions, and the analysis of a survey of funded projects (Reading Recovery (tm), Early Literacy Learning Initiative, full-day kindergarten, and other early literacy interventions). Four research questions were addressed: What is the early literacy challenge in Indiana? Did the funded school corporations implement interventions with a high probability of success? What is the most appropriate way to evaluate the impact of the program? and How can the administration of the Early Literacy Intervention Grant Program be enhanced to further improve program impact? Key findings indicated that: (1) the program reached school corporations that were in need of supplemental services; (2) the funded projects used intervention methods that have inherently high probability of increasing the number of Hoosier children who read on grade level by the end of third grade; and (3) the costs of these interventions were reasonable, relative to their anticipated effects. (Contains 83 references, and 6 figures and 29 tables of data; appendixes contain a list and description of program features by category, the review format, a list of funded projects, survey methods and responses, and the survey instrument.) (RS)