WINONA, Minn. – An online learning alternative is being launched by Winona Schools this fall at a time when many parents are concerned about exposing their kids to a Covid environment. The tuition-free program, called the WAPS Online Academy, is based on Edgenuity educational software. Although Edgenuity has critics, the Winona School District expects “a rigorous learning experiences that leads to high levels of student success.” The program has provisional approval from the state Education Department for fall. It’s available at all K-12 levels. In announcing the program, Winona Schools said that the program fits different learning styles. Local teachers and parents will be able to interface with the program to track student progress, the announcement said. Students will be provided with a home computer. Meanwhile, Winona Schools plans to keep bricks-and-mortar schools open and respond to vacillating Covid infections through masking and other protocols.
Edgenuity. Formerly Education 2000, sometime abbreviated as E2000. Founded in 1998 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The investment company Weld North, which specializes jn education products, acquired Edgenuity in 2014 for $50 million. Edgenuity is known for its My Path alternative for grades 6-12 reading and math.
How Edgenuity works
The Edgenuity program employs certified teachers with at least a bachelor’s degree in education or a related field. Both Edgenuity teachers and Winona staff deliver instruction and support students. The program is based on pre-recorded videos that pace learning. Assistance is offered students who need extra support. Most of the pass/fail grades are based on quizzes at the end of each lesson.
Edgenuity critics
Like all teaching methods, online and otherwise, Edgenuity has critics. Complaints include difficulties in loading Edgnuity software and understanding concepts. There also are complaints that students can shortchange themselves by memorizing rather than learning. Standardized test questions make it is easy for students to find test answers online while taking a test. A study published by the online magazine Slate found that students using Edgenuity receive on average 37 out of 50 identical questions during their second attempt to pass a test. Another study, from Verge, discovered short-answer questions are graded through Artificial Intelligence, which lends itself to cheating: Students can use keywords that the AI is looking for to grade even if they’re jumbled and incomprehensible.