In September 2002 the North Carolina General Assembly enacted a general statute to create BETA, the Business Education Technology Alliance. This alliance, chaired by Governor Bev Perdue, contains key leaders including business, local and state policy makers, and educators who were charged with ensuring that the effective use of technology be built into the North Carolina School System for the purpose of preparing a globally competitive workforce and citizenry for the 21st century. North Carolina must be prepared to provide on-line courses to its students anytime and anywhere using a variety of instructional approaches to accommodate individual and schedule differences. The BETA Commission, under the leadership of Governor Bev Perdue, established the E-Learning Commission and charged it with establishing the North Carolina Virtual Public School.
The purpose of the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) is to provide courses that students are unable to take at their local schools. In other words NCVPS will provide courses that augment a student’s local school’s program of study. For example a student may wish to take an AP course the local school does not offer. Another student may want to complete the remaining requirement for graduation this semester yet the course needed at the student’s school is already full this semester. Another student may be home bound or hospital bound due to illness or injury and wish to remain on schedule to graduate on time. Yet another student may wish to graduate from high school in three years. All courses will be taught by a certified teacher in the subject certified to teach in North Carolina. Once the on-line course is completed the student receives credit on his or her school transcript from the student’s participating school.
The initial course offerings were for high school students. In subsequent years course offerings were made available for middle school students. The authorizing legislation for NCVPS states: “NCVPS shall be available at no cost to all students in North Carolina who are enrolled in North Carolina’s public schools, Department of Defense schools, and schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.”
E-Learning Legislation
Today’s students must learn to be critical thinkers, problem solvers and effective communicators. They must be proficient in 21st century content areas, such as global awareness, financial literacy, and civic literacy. For students to develop the necessary skills to succeed in higher education, join the work force, and become effective citizens, they must have access to the state curriculum and supplemental content enhanced by information and communications technology. Students and teachers must be skilled in using technology to take advantage of, and thrive in, the technology-intensive 21st century.
A superior technology network with reliability, security, scalability and massive bandwidth is critical to the success of both business and educational endeavors. Such a network provides a platform for multiple populations to communicate with each other, generating opportunities for problem solving, creativity and team-building. More importantly, it provides access to digital resources that allow teachers to provide students with current, relevant learning experiences. Providing schools with access to information, resources and learning opportunities makes a connection between Rocky Mount and London, England as simple as a connection between Rocky Mount and Roanoke Rapids.
This report outlines recommendations made jointly by the Business Education Technology Alliance, the School Technology Commission and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee for Information Technology. These recommendations are based on implementing the four essential elements, which are explained on pages 16-43 of this report, to fully incorporate technology into the Public Schools of North Carolina:
- Delivery of 21st Century Curriculum, Instruction, Assessments and Accountability
- Presence of Technology Tools in the Classrooms
- Existence of widely accessible and relevant Personnel and Professional Development
- Pervasive existence of high bandwidth connectivity and scalable networks
A Joint Report on Information Technology
(pdf, 3.5mb)