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Ohio’s Credit Flexibility Plan

Plan and related documents

Summary               

Senate Bill 311 (the Ohio Core legislation) raised the graduation requirements for high school students, with the goal of increasing the number of students who are ready to meet the demands of our global and technological age. It included among its several provisions a requirement that by March 31, 2009, the State Board of Education adopt a plan that enables “students to earn units of high school credit based on a demonstration of subject area competency, instead of or in combination with completing hours of classroom instruction.” School districts, community schools and chartered nonpublic schools “shall comply” with the provisions of the plan, phasing in its provisions during the 2009 -10 school year.

Ohio's plan for credit flexibility is designed to broaden the scope of curricular options available to students, increase the depth of study possible for a particular subject, and allow tailoring of learning time and/or conditions. These are ways in which aspects of learning can be customized around more of students' interests and needs.

Students may earn credits by:

  • Completing coursework;
  • Testing out of or demonstrating mastery of course content; or
  • Pursuing one or more “educational options” (e.g., distance learning, educational travel, independent study, an internship, music, arts, after-school/tutorial program, community service or other engagement projects and sports).

Credit flexibility is intended to motivate and increase student learning by allowing:

  • Access to more learning resources, especially real-world experiences
  • Customization around individual student needs
  • Use of multiple measures of learning, especially those where students demonstrate what they know and can do, apply the learning, or document performance  
Documents related to the plan development process 
Implementation guidance (updated as new information becomes available)
Video examples of what learning can look like using the increased flexibility of this provision 

Most of these are national examples, but we want to populate this space with Ohio examples. Write us about the educational options and credit flexibility happening in your school or district: EarlyAdoptionInterest@ode.state.oh.us

  • A Community’s Youths Express Their Voice through Multimedia – This video (below) demonstrates use of technology as the medium that engages students, while raising the bar in all subjects. It connects community and classroom academics to develop skills needed in an increasingly global and technological age (courtesy of Edutopia).
  • Urban Academy: An Innovative and Effective Education – Teamwork, as well as content taken from real life, demonstrated in this Edutopia video (below), create depth and offer the opportunity to apply information or practice what’s been learned.

 
  • New Kinds of Assessment – Assessing individual learning requires a variety of strategies to find out what students know and can do. The video below explains why it’s important for students to have the chance to demonstrate and apply what they’ve learned in multiple way (courtesy of Edutopia).

 

Also from Edutopia...

  • Conquering Technophobia: A Classroom Veteran Warms to Digital Tools 
    In rural Freedom, Pennsylvania, a once-hesitant instructor is proving that even the old school can learn to use and love computers. Click here to view the video
  • Transformed by Technology: High Tech High Overview
    A network of K-12 public charter schools uses rigorous projects and portfolio assessments to revolutionize learning. Click here to view the video
Contact Information
  • Call toll-free (877) 644-6338 and ask to speak to someone about high school credit flexibility.

What do you think about the plan? Take the survey.
 
Last Modified Nov 02, 2009 08:22 AM