Pennsylvania Hybrid School Pilot Shows Academic Gains

Did you know that there’s a middle ground between online and brick-and-mortar schools? It’s called blended or hybrid learning. With this model, students have regular face-to-face time with teachers but also utilize technology-based learning tools for much of the time. They may meet in person once a week and do the rest of their learning online at home.

Pennsylvania recently completed its first year of a hybrid learning initiative with 15 schools across the state. The results have been quite positive. Getting Smart tells us:

“Among the pilot districts, 88 percent of schools achieved higher academic performance in their hybrid classes compared to non-hybrid (traditional) classes in the same district or statewide benchmarks. Overall, 75 percent of pilot districts realized higher academic achievement in their hybrid classes and all hybrid learning pilot schools met or exceeded state standards for academic growth.”

K¹² has some of their own hybrid schools, including San Francisco Flex Academy, the Arizona Virtual Academy YMCA program, and Youth Connection Charter School (YCCS) Virtual High School.

Learn about K¹²’s Chicago Virtual Charter School’s hybrid learning model in this CNN report:

Find a school in your state that offers a K¹² program.