Access to EdTech Is a Great Starting Point; Implementation Is What Shapes Its Impact

“I think it felt good for everyone to be able to say we have a program,” said Jennifer Verleger, superintendent of Michigan’s Mount Pleasant Public Schools (MPPS). A school in her district had moved from a traditional alternative education model to virtual coursework without sufficient support, and leaders began to see the limits of simply shifting platforms. MPPS eventually built a more intentional virtual program around EdOptions Academy, combining digital coursework with in-person or virtual teachers, mentors, and support staff.

A little over 35 miles away in Lakeview School District, Prairieview Elementary principal Amber Miller came to a similar realization. The school had been using Edmentum’s Exact Path for years and was seeing some growth, but she knew they weren’t using it to its full advantage. They tightened up the implementation and the share of students meeting the rate-of-proficiency goal rose from 36% to 53% in reading and from 34% to 53% in math. 

Access to a program is only the starting point. In the webinar Building Flexible, Effective Virtual & Intervention Programs That Meet Students Where They Are, leaders from these  districts discussed what helped them get more from the tools they already had in place. Here’s a bit of what we learned.

Build Student Support Into Virtual Learning Programs

Oasis High School has long served students who need an alternative to MPPS’s traditional high school model. Around 2012, the district began moving toward virtual learning, eventually adopting EdOptions Academy as part of a hybrid model designed to give students more flexibility without removing the academic and personal support many still needed.

“Our students really need that personal connection,” Verleger explained. “They need to be with our staff members. They need to be able to connect and have assistance when they need it.” So Oasis evolved into a hybrid program where students can learn virtually, attend in person, or combine the two modes. 

• Edmentum provides the online teacher of record
• MPPS staffs teachers, mentors, and others
• Mentors help students set goals and monitor progress
• Teachers step in when students need in-person help

Oasis successfully created an environment where students felt welcomed and emotionally supported, reflected Principal Emily Shiner. The next challenge was making sure they were also developing the academic skills they’d need after they left.

Set Clear Expectations for Academic Rigor

The current model at Oasis gives students room to work differently without having to navigate school independently. A student struggling with Algebra 2 can reach out to the virtual teacher and sit down with a math teacher in the building. Students who begin falling behind have several adults watching their progress. Those who need special education services can receive support without leaving the Oasis environment.

Families clearly value the flexible, supportive learning environment the school has created. Verleger said there’s a waiting list for Oasis enrollment every year. But that was only part of what MPPS wanted to build. 

“We noticed that our academic rigor wasn’t really what we wanted it to be,” Verleger said, adding that students were coming to Oasis feeling welcome and safe, but they still needed academic support.

Provide Structure for EdTech Implementation

Prairieview was facing a different kind of challenge. The school had been using Exact Path for individualized reading and math instruction for years, and teachers had received some coaching. But Miller said the approach was managed too loosely. At first the priority was simply to make sure students had time to use the program; over time, the school realized it needed to be more intentional about how that use connected to instruction.

After conducting a comprehensive needs assessment, Prairieview began putting more structure around the program. Expectations became clearer, teachers reviewed data more regularly, and Exact Path became more closely connected to the school’s MTSS process. The focus then shifted from whether students were logging in to whether the work was helping educators understand and respond to their needs.

Use Intervention Data to Guide Classroom Instruction

Prairieview is also changing how teachers use Exact Path during instruction. When data from Exact Path Insights reveals that several students are struggling with the same skill, teachers can use related lessons for small-group instruction. Rather than waiting for each student to encounter the concept independently, a teacher can pull the group together and address the shared need. As Miller put it, “It’s taking some of the guesswork out of instruction for kids.”

The school is also working to make students more active participants in the learning process. Third- and fourth-grade students use notebooks alongside their NWEA and Exact Path work, recording problems, showing their thinking, and returning to earlier learning when they need it.

Miller is now looking more critically at Prairieview’s other edtech tools. Rather than adding more applications, she wants to identify which ones teachers are using effectively, which are backed by evidence, and which may no longer be necessary. “Less is more,” she said.

Evaluate Whether EdTech Is Delivering What Students Need

MPPS and Prairieview serve different students, but both moved beyond a basic question — Do we have a program? — toward a harder one: Is the program doing what students need it to do? Their experiences point to several questions district leaders should ask about their existing technology:

• Does the program connect to the rest of the instructional model? A virtual course or intervention pathway is more useful when teachers know where it fits and what should happen next.
• Does the data lead to action? Information should be able to guide instruction, student support, or other concrete decisions.
• Are students surrounded by the right adult support? Technology can extend learning, but both districts found that educators still play a central role.
• Has implementation evolved since launch? Student needs, staffing, and district priorities change. Programs may need to change with them.
• Could better use of an existing tool solve the problem before another one is added? Prairieview’s experience suggests the answer may sometimes be yes.

Involve Teachers in EdTech Implementation

Miller describes Prairieview’s approach as “not doing things to people, but doing things with people.” Teachers are expected to work within clearer processes, but they’re also involved in shaping the work and understanding the “what, the how, the why” behind it.

That team-based approach has helped Prairieview build buy-in while keeping their expectations clear. Teachers know what the school is asking of them, and they know they’ll have support as the work continues to evolve. In other words, the school has made implementation a key part of everyday practice.

Design Virtual Programs Around Student Needs

For both of these districts, the real work began after the technology was already in place. MPPS reshaped its virtual model around the support students needed, while Prairieview became much more intentional about how teachers used their data. And both of them show us the difference between having a program in place and ensuring it delivers.

To learn more about how these districts improved learning experiences with better technology implementation, see the full conversation.