Welcome to the azelearning website. We invite you to also visit the New eSATSi [0] Web Site at http://esats.org/ [1].

Participate with us in eSATS ten year K-12 education advocacy experience. We hope both websites will bring you up to speed on eSATS and that you will decide to particate in this grand initiative. Click here [1] to see how to get started using this site.

eSATS uses the most comprehensive definition of eLearningi [1]: Any learning that is supported by digital means.

eSATS is a systems design, a task team and a ten year advocacy initiative:

1. eSATS created a system design in 2003-2004 to transform Arizona K-12 education from the legacy model we have all experenced to an eLearning model. Teacher-student interaction is the design nexis that focuses on digital curriculum and teacher education and professional development. The transformational unit is the school. The state provides the one-time funding of approximately $2000 per student plus the intellectual infrastructure to each school. The state funding shifts from seat time to mastery learning of an academic year within a personal learning plan. Early graduation and other eLearning delivered cost savings cover the ongoing eLearning costs while also delivering a 20% increase in teacher salaries.
2. eSATS is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation with a board/task team and a magnificant network of advocates. This volunteer group is lightly organized and is focuse on action. It is designed as an advocacy organization expects to leverage momentous accomplishments with itsi [1] meager resources. Its source of power is its vision, its expertise, its persistance and its luck.
3. eSATS systems design and proforma financial analysis has taken into account the lags of needing 4 years to bring a novice teacher to mastery of eLearning skills and practice. The innovation cycle requires eight years from first elearning schools to full implementation within Arizona's 1500 going on 2000 schools by 2017. Critical intellectual infrastructure represented by Arizona's Broadbandi [1] Initiative to rural communities, a Digital Curriculum Institure with an extension service to all schools, and a massive increase/transformationi [1] in delivery system for education and professional development for Arizona's 50,000 going on 65,000 teachers. The ongoing cost for Arizona's K-12 legacy education is about $100 billion for the next ten years for 1 million going on 1.4 million students. The cost of transforming both the current and new schools to elearning centered school is a one time cost of about $3 billion.

If eSATS design is aggressively adopted then the academic outcomes can be magnificant. Dropouts could plummet to under 4 percent; ELL students will learn English quicker, academic performancei [1] would increase an average of one letter grade. Arizona would soar past Massachusetts on the NEAP scores.

But after 15 years of floating this vision and seven years of engaging our legislature, results have lagged. School wiring and an initial infusion of one computer per eight students for about $300 million in 2000 has faltered. Last year (2006) SB1512i [1] inserted eSATS policy into a ten year task force adminstered by the Arizona Department of Education. This bill also provided $3 million for a three year middle school math pilot project. This year HB2742 provides the policy for transforming schools to eLearning schools and $1 million is provided in the House budget. Budget negotiations with the Senate and the Governor continue.

eSATS 2008. With the $1 billion budget crisis there will be no significant legislative funding available for the next two sessionsi [1]. Our legislative action in 2008 will be to support a House Bill by Representative Mark Anderson which requests the Arizona eLearning Task Force study, plan and report back to the legislature in eight critical areas of the eSATS system design.

For the next two years eSATS will refocus it primary efforts in supporting the implemention of eLearning within schools. THis requires enhancing statewide eLearning support systems both in the public and private sectors. We expect both K-12 transformations and a focus on science, math, engineering and technology in middle and high schools.

By 2010 a comprehense Arizona policy and a set of next generation eLearning implementations will be in place to launch the roll out of eLearning to the rest of Arizona K-12 education.

Ted Kraver

Team Leader