Advanced Course Access Grant Program Overview: St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES

The St. Lawrence-Lewis (SLL) Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Expanded Course Opportunities for All Students (ECOAS) program will increase equity in access to advanced courses, including online dual-cred it courses for high school students who currently have very limited or no access to advanced courses. Through the ECOAS program, SLL BOCES will seed a new advanced course access program via the delivery of engaging online dual-credit courses in an asynchronous manner in partnership with the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam. The ECOAS program will target students who are traditionally under-represented in advanced coursework and provide students with a robust system of support to successfully complete ECOAS courses while building the skills and habits of mind necessary for online learning experiences.

 

The St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES serves 18component school districts across 2,586 miles in rural northeastern New York. The ECOAS program will reach students across 14of the 18SLL BOCES component school districts. These 14 partnering districts consist of 10 Rural High Needs schools, with 9 of the districts documenting more than 50% of their students as economically disadvantaged. Currently, students across the partnering districts have very limited access to advanced course offerings. The ECOAS program will increase equity for all students across the participating districts - regard less of socio-economic status or geographic location - by providing advanced course access to engaging online dual-credit courses. Thus, the ECOAS program will provide these students with learning experiences that otherwise would not be available. In providing this program, SLL BOCES will decrease the financial and administrative burden on schools and districts by providing access to advanced coursework. Finally, the ECOAS program will provide high quality, targeted support for students and New York State certified teachers and will utilize effective practices for increasing student access and success in advanced coursework.

 

SLL BOCES ECOAS courses will be designed through a partnership between SLL BOCES and SUNY Potsdam. Each course will be developed by a team of instructional designers and content area specialists under the leadership of Johnathan Hirschey, SLL BOCES Supervisor of Instructional Technology working in collaboration with Dr. Allen Grant, Dean of SUNY Potsdam's School of Education and Professional Studies - both of whom have extensive knowledge and experience across the virtual learning landscape.

 

Throughout the two years of the Advanced Course Access Program grant, SLL BOCES will plan for program sustainability beyond the grant -building the ECOAS program in the future to include partnerships with additional institutions of higher education and additional advanced course access courses for asynchronous delivery to students across SLL BOCES component school districts. SLL BOCES will continue to target under-represented students, while allowing all students to participate - such that all students are provided with opportunities to enroll, and successfully complete, advanced coursework across SLL BOCES.