Region 4 Educational Service Center has been selected to serve as the TxVSN partner to conduct the review of electronic courses to be offered through the network. TxVSN Central Operations, in conjunction with Region 4, will solicit courses from eligible provider districts for review. Provider districts are defined as a school district, open-enrollment charter school, public or private institution of higher education, or Education Service Center. Region 4 will provide training to qualified online course reviewers who will in turn conduct reviews and determine if an online course(s) submitted for offering through the TxVSN meets the quality standards established by the state.

�30A.102 requires the administering authority to evaluate electronic courses submitted by a provider school district or school to be offered through the network.

�30A.103 requires the State Board of Education (SBOE) to establish objective criteria for an electronic course to ensure alignment with the essential knowledge and skills and authorizes the Commissioner to establish additional quality-related criteria for electronic courses.

The SBOE has rules in place in TAC �74.23 that require all distance learning courses to meet 100% of the essential knowledge and skills for that course. Commissioner rules are in development that proposes adoption of the National Standards of Quality for Online Courses endorsed by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) available at www.inacol.org.

Proposed TxVSN Course Review Timeline

During the summer of 2008, the first round of online courses for grades nine through twelve were reviewed for inclusion in the network. Reviewers were evaluate for 100% alignment with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and for meeting the criteria set forth in the National Standards for Quality of Online Courses endorsed by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (www.inacol.org).

A list of the initial approved course offerings will be made available via the TxVSN Course Catalog in fall of the 2008-2009 school year. The network shall begin providing approved electronic courses for grades nine through twelve in the spring semester of the 2008-2009 school year.

TxVSN will continue to conduct course reviews of high school online course content throughout the 2008-2009 school year. As courses are reviewed and approved, they will systematically be added to the TxVSN course catalog. Further information about course offerings, approved professional development providers, and participation in the TxVSN will be posted online when it becomes available.