Transformational Learning Opportunities:

Virtual & Online Schooling:

• Ohio does not have a statewide virtual school, but it does have multi- and single-district online schools, which are called e-schools. 18 e-schools currently exist across the state.
• In 2019, Ohio approved the Ohio Digital Learning School to begin accepting students for the 2020-2021 school year. ODLS is authorized by the Ohio Council of Community Schools, and is a free online public charter school. ODLS offers credit recovery courses, uses Individualized Career Plans, and allows high school students to take college credit through the College Credit Plus Program.
• Impressively, Ohio is home to 9 school districts that are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools. The League of Innovative Schools is a national network of school leaders in 150 districts in 38 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.

Digital Learning Resources:

• Ohio’s Department of Education provides remote and blended learning resources for schools, educators, and parents.
• INFOhio is the states’ Digital Learning Library that provides robust digital tools, resources and training. Educators can take professional development training and gain certifications through INFOhio, or receive credit through Ashland University.
• Curious about your district’s internet access? ConnectK-12 provides state- and district-specific information on access to the recommended bandwidth speeds and monthly internet costs.

Career & Technical and/or Work-based Education:

• In 2023, the budget allocated $300 million for state career-technical school facility expansion. Of this, $100 million is available for all schools, including Community and STEM, for career-tech equipment and supplies.
• Ohio’s Department of Education & Workforce Office of Improvement and Innovation provides grants for school improvement and out-of-school learning opportunities.
• The national initiative LAUNCH Pathways has collaborated with the Ohio Department of Education, Ohio Excels, and the Ohio Department of Higher Education, offering over $50 million in funding. This financial support aims to assist traditional districts, joint vocational school districts, community schools, and STEM schools in acquiring necessary equipment for the development or expansion of their career and technical education (CTE) programs. Additionally, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission has allocated a budget of $200 million in 2024 to fund construction projects that establish and expand CTE programs.
• Ohio's College Credit Plus (CCP) program, authorized by law, allows students in grades 7-12 to earn college and high school credit simultaneously by taking courses at accredited institutions.
• Ohio offers a CTE Honors diploma alongside the traditional high school diploma. This diploma signifies a student's completion of a rigorous CTE program of study.

Personalized, Competency- and/or Mastery-based Learning:

• In 2009, Ohio also adopted a policy that mandates every school district to create a credit flexibility policy, encompassing a plan to demonstrate mastery of a subject through tests, projects, demonstrations, or a combination of various assessment measures, as outlined by the Ohio Department of Education.
• Ohio law establishes multiple pathways to demonstrate competency beyond Ohio’s state test to meet graduation requirements.
• Personalized learning (PL) is happening at the district level, in the Forest Hills School District and Mason City School District. Forest Hills School District has PL instructional coaches working with teachers across the district to implement blended learning, problem based learning, flipped classrooms, and balanced assessment models. Mason City School District incorporates Personalized Learning Days into their calendar, allowing students to engage in projects based on their interests and career aspirations.

Innovation Schools, Zones, and/or Districts:

• In 2011, HB153 was established to create designations of Innovation Schools, which have the authority to request exemptions from specific education laws or administrative rules to execute groundbreaking educational programs. Since the law's enactment, only one school district - Noble Local School District - submitted an application and obtained a waiver in 2023. The law was revised in 2023 to ensure annual reports are published reviewing the initiative.
• During 2020, Rule 3301-46-01, recognized as the Innovation Education Pilot Program, was introduced. This rule aimed to grant any school district, educational service center or chartered nonpublic school the freedom to innovate. According to the rule, innovation is described as "a new, experimental, or disruptive educational approach developed in response to an identified need, striving for continuous improvement in student achievement or growth." It is unclear how many schools participate in the program.