Feb 2, 2018, 5:24 PM
(from EdSurge) After abruptly announcing the closure of two lab schools last November, AltSchool — the San Francisco-based software developer and micro-schools operator — is moving forward with plans to get its platform into public schools. Its first two public school partnerships are with the Arcadia Unified School District located in Los Angeles County and Menlo Park City School District in the San Francisco Bay Area. Arcadia, which has a three-year contract with the platform, will be paying approximately $5,000 per teacher in exchange for the use of AltSchool’s personalized learning platform, class coaching, IT support and professional development opportunities. After the first year, the price is around $2,500 for the use of the platform and ongoing support from the company. The partner districts will only be piloting the program in a few classrooms for the first year.
The software allows educators to build curriculum, tailor assignments, set goals, offer feedback, and track a host of metrics from learners. Students using the platform can create customized “playlist” of assignments and monitor their progress with the hope that their learning will become self-directed. It has proponents and critics among faculty that have worked with the platform.
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