Hybrid Learning Delivers Academic Gains at Spring City Elementary

Spring City Elementary exceeded state standards for academic growth in math and reading thanks to a hybrid-learning program, according to a new report from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

“This promising report provides evidence that our approach is working,” said Dr. Keith Floyd, Director of Curriculum & Instruction for the Spring-Ford Area School District, home of the Spring City Hybrid Elementary School. “The state’s analysis validates our decision to continue with the hybrid learning model throughout the 2013-14 academic year.”

Hybrid learning combines digital resources, such as laptops and the Internet, with proven teaching techniques to form an innovative instructional model; Spring City is the first school in Pennsylvania to adopt this as its core instructional model, and among the first in the country.

“Spring City chose hybrid learning because it allows us to provide a more personalized experience for our students,” said David Goodin, Superintendent of the Spring-Ford Area School District. “It lets our teachers provide better differentiated instruction in a more dynamic classroom environment.”

The results were released in Spring City’s School Performance Profile, a new report card for Pennsylvania schools.

The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit and the Pennsylvania Hybrid Learning Institute helped to support the Spring City effort; of the eight pilot districts with the program, seven achieved higher scores in the hybrid classes.

“We are always looking for innovative ways to improve the learning experience for our students,” said Spring-Ford Area School Board President Tom DiBello.

The hybrid learning pilot program was made possible in part by Governor Corbett’s allocation of federal financing.  Title 2A funds helped pay for a rigorous professional development program to help educators transform the culture and infrastructure to accommodate student personalized learning.