The Online Learning Consortium Quality Scorecard for K12 Blended Learning

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

As K12 blended learning continues to expand, a K12-specific framework for evaluating program quality was not found. While rubrics such as Quality Matters and iNACOL address course-level design, no comprehensive scorecard exists for the broader design, leadership, implementation, and administration of K12 blended programs. This study used a four-round Delphi methodology to build expert consensus for adapting the Online Learning Consortium's 2023 Quality Scorecard for Blended Programs, originally developed for higher education, for use in K12 settings. A panel of 20 U.S.-based experts in K12 blended teaching, administration, and research evaluated 65 quality indicators across nine categories, voting on relevance, proposing new indicators, and refining language for a K12 audience using a 6-point Likert scale with consensus defined as M ≥ 5.0 and 70% panel agreement. The resulting OLC K12 Blended Learning Scorecard organizes quality indicators into eight categories: School District Support, Technology Support, Course Development and Instructional Design, Course Structure, Teaching and Learning, Teacher Support, Student Support, and Evaluation and Assessment. Findings show quality blended learning in K12 settings depends on the combination of organizational leadership, infrastructure, instructional design, pedagogy, and ongoing evaluation, rather than an isolated intervention. This study contributes a practical, research-informed tool to guide K12 educators, administrators, and policymakers in designing, implementing, and evaluating blended learning programs, and offers a foundation for future research on scorecard implementation, blended teacher training, and blended learning program evaluation.