FE News | x2VOL receives approved provider status from New York Department of Education for on-duty tracking and work-based learning

x2VOL is the only approved provider for New York City schools to track and verify students' service and work-related learning hours, eliminating the outdated paper-based system many schools use.

x2VOL has been approved by the New York City Public Schools Department of Education as an approved provider to manage, track, and verify student service hours toward the 100-hour requirement for the Chancellor's Service Endorsement (also called the Seal of Recognition for Service). x2VOL is the leading and longest-running service tracking and management system in K-12 schools nationwide.

Schools rely on x2VOL to make the service-learning and community service hours students complete through formalized national school initiatives like the National Scholarship Federation and state or regional initiatives like the NYC Chancellor's Service Endorsement safer and easier to manage. x2VOL also includes a verification process to securely approve student hours, which is important for programs like the Chancellor's Service Endorsement. Given the competition in college and job applications, verification means that each hour has been reviewed and approved by the school's service director and the organization where the service was performed.

Jaime Byrne Baranoff, a social studies teacher and student activities coordinator at Townsend Harris High School in New York City, said x2VOL is a simple and flexible solution for her service program. “We have 1,400 students at Townsend Harris High School, most of whom put in a lot of hours each year. x2VOL makes it easy for them to enter their hours and then have them reviewed and approved,” Baranoff said. “From an administrative perspective, x2VOL streamlines what could be an overly cumbersome process into one that is very manageable.”

“We have worked with several NYC DOE schools for many years and now, as an approved provider, it is much easier for more schools to use x2VOL to simplify the tracking and reporting process,” said Michele Pitman, founder and CEO of intelliVOL, the maker of x2VOL. “High school is a crucial time for students as they make connections between service and potential careers. In x2VOL, educators can see that connection and also have evidence of applied learning and skills development.”

With x2VOL's management features, school counselors and administrators can quickly identify which students are on track to meet their goals, which students need hour approval, and which organizations are best utilized, among other metrics. Student “reflections” on their service make the service much more meaningful, increase engagement, and help students choose their future college and career.

Further facts:

• New York-specific information for schools here at x2VOL.
• New York City public schools offer their students a 100-hour service seal to add to their diploma and transcript.
• The goal of the New York City DOE’s Service in Schools initiative is to provide students with meaningful and transformative service experiences.
• Since 2009, schools have relied on x2VOL to manage, track, and verify student volunteer hours, including service-learning and work-based learning, providing a system to manage, track, and verify the hours a student has completed.