Commissioner Dwight Jones today announced the appointment of Pamela Hoppe Ice as Director of On-Line Learning.

Ice is currently the Coordinator of the West Virginia Virtual School with the West Virginia Department of Education.

In that capacity, Ice supervises on-line teachers and adjuncts, administers an E-Learning Management System, and provides insight for the registration, enrollment and day-to-day program administration for 1,600 students in 200 course offerings. In addition, she has reviewed on-line courses to make determinations and recommendations relative to costs, quality and alignment with the content standards and objectives of the West Virginia Board of Education.

"Mrs. Ice's expertise in the field, along with her calm demeanor, makes her an ideal candidate for bringing accountability to such a high-profile program here in Colorado," said Commissioner Jones. "I believe all of Colorado will appreciate the experience and insight she brings to the table."

Ice has also worked as a consultant and course developer with the West Virginia Virtual School, as a Director of Distance Learning for the June Harless Center for Rural Education at Marshall University, and as a foreign language teacher and distance learning teacher in Kanawha and Wood counties in West Virginia.

The Director of On-Line Learning position was created by the passage of SB-215 during the legislative session earlier this year. That bill was an outgrowth of an analysis by the state auditor and an independent commission that studied means to improve oversight of on-line education.

Under the new state law, the Division of On-Line Learning will consult with the state Board of Education in its creation of quality standards for authorizers (school districts or charters) for preparing and submitting annual reports for on-line schools, will evaluate applications for certification of multi-district programs using criteria adopted by the state, and recommend that the state Board of Education grant or deny certification based on that criteria.

The Division of On-Line Learning will also establish a process and timeline for reviewing multi-district programs two years after initial certification, will establish annual reporting requirements for on-line programs, and will recommend by Sept. 1, 2007 a standard "memorandum of understanding" form for use by multi-district programs and school districts in crafting formal relationships with on-line schools.

Ice's official start date with the Colorado Department of Education is Oct. 1, 2007 but she is already working with CDE to meet the Sept. 1  deadline.

For more information, contact Mark Stevens, 303-866-3898, or Tanya Price, 303-866-6397, in the CDE Office of Communications.

# # #

<< back