Online Education Performance Audit

On Monday the Office of the State Auditor released an audit report on online education in Colorado. The findings do not look good — auditors found that online students performed poorly on the CSAP exams and were more likely to repeat grades, or drop out . The report states that the Department of Education has not be using the accreditation process effectively to improve the quality of education in online programs, and that there has been insufficient assessment of teacher qualifications and instruction practices. The document details several significant problems with the Hope Online Learning Academy Co-Op and illustrates the risks of having insufficient oversight and standards for online schools. The audit report is available online on the Office of the State Auditor’s web site. Paper copies should arrive at the State Publications Library in a few days.

You may also be interested in the School Accountability Reports. Issued early last week, the reports include information on individual school’s academic performance, CSAP scores, teacher qualifications and more.