Semester Ends on Thursday the 28th

I hope you have all had an enjoyable and peaceful long Memorial Day weekend.

I just wanted to remind everyone that my grades are due the morning of Thursday the 28^th this week. That means that online work will need to be completed by Wednesday evening. I will check Edgenuity on Thursday morning to make sure I have the latest and most up to date grade for each student before I upload grades.

A reminder of how this is going to work. The students all completed three full nine weeks grading periods prior to Spring Break. Those three report card grades are set in stone and will not be changed. The fourth nine weeks grade will be either the Edgenuity online learning average OR the third nine weeks average (used again), whichever is higher.

If your student did not do well on the third nine weeks, it is imperative they complete and do well on the online lessons. Otherwise, I will have to use that poor third nine weeks grade again. 

The clock is ticking and time is running out. I would really like it if none of my students had to attend summer school (by the way, summer school will be conducted virtually and online). 

I will be monitoring Edgenuity more often over these last few days (I usually check it three times per day). I will check twice in the morning hours, twice in the afternoon, and once in the evening (likely around 7:00-7:30). I want there to be as short a delay as possible should a student need me to unlock a quiz or have a question. Should anyone have a question, emailing me via Edgenuity is going to be the fastest way to get a hold of me.

Stay well,

Coach

Weekly Update: Grade Calculation and Summer School

Hello, I hope everyone out there is doing well and staying healthy. I hope you have not been bothered by my lack of updates over the past couple of weeks. The fact of the matter is there simply has not been much of anything new to pass along to you. Having said that, I will try to do better and at least reach out and touch base once a week.

Two things to discuss today:

I would like to make absolutely sure that everyone is clear as to how the end of the year grades will be calculated. It will work like this: the first three report card grades (unaffected by the Covid-19 closures) will be used. For the fourth nine-weeks grade, I will use the online Edgenuity average IF it is higher than the third nine-weeks grade. If the online Edgenuity grade is lower than the third nine-weeks grade, I will count the third nine-weeks grade again (as the fourth nine-weeks grade. Here are a couple of examples that I hope will make this clear.

Student #1

1^st Nine weeks grade:     76                            In this case, I would throw out the 55 and use

2^nd Nine weeks grade:     80                           the 74 from the 3^rd nine weeks again. I would

3^rd Nine weeks grade:      74                           average these four grades and the final grade

Online Edgenuity grade:  55                           for the year would be a 76.

Student #2

1^st Nine weeks grade:        70                         In this case, I would use the online/Edgenuity

2^nd Nine weeks grade:       72                         grade of 75 as it is higher than the 3^rd 

3^rd Nine weeks grade:        65                         nine weeks average. I would then average those 

Online/Edgenuity grade:   75                           four grades and the student would finish the 

                                                                         year with a: 71.

On a different note, there is a rumor swirling about that there will be no summer school this year. I have been told there WILL be summer school. The summer session will be conducted virtually and students will have to complete online lessons in order to receive credit. The bottom line is that a program similar to Edgenuity will be used for the summer school curriculum and students will have to complete the work from home. At this time, I do not know any details regarding what students without access to technology will do. I assume that a check-out of laptops or tablets will be available similar to what was done for the current grading period, but I do not know that for sure. I just need to make sure everyone understands that there WILL be summer school for students who failed for the year AND that it WILL be conducted via an online curriculum.

I will update again next week or sooner, if something should come up. Until then, stay well.

Coach

                                                                        

Latest Update: End of the Year, Grades, Etc.

Welcome to yet another week of online learning. I hope things are going well for each of you and you are all well.

The big news from this past week, of course, is that the Governor has declared all Texas schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year. This means we will not be meeting again in the school building and that the online work will be the curriculum for the rest of the year.

There are many questions that remain unanswered at this time (at least to my knowledge they remain unanswered): Will school start on time in the Fall? What about summer school? Etc. I simply do not know…

What I can tell you is how the online work will figure into your student’s final grade for the year. The fourth nine-weeks average can only help a student. For example, if a student made a 75 on their third nine-weeks report card and make a 65 for the fourth nine-weeks (the online work), the 75 will be entered again. If a student makes a 75 on the third nine-weeks and then an 85 on the fourth nine-weeks, the student will get the higher grade. 

I can also tell you that the report card grades for the first, second, and third nine-weeks grading periods will not be changing and will be used to figure the end of year average. The rumor that a student cannot be failed for the year due to the Covid-19 closures is incorrect. The school closures would have had absolutely no effect on these first three grading periods.

Some students are going to read this and think, “Why should I do this online work?” The possible reasons are simple. If the student needed to pass this nine-weeks to pass for the year, then they need to do the work. Another big reason is that they are going to take a Social Studies STAAR Test next year in the 8^th grade. The material covered in these online lessons will be on that exam and will not necessarily be covered in the 8^thgrade History course.

I hope that provides some clarity. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Stay well,

Coach

Monday Update

 I hope everyone had a great long Easter weekend. Certainly, this year was different than Easters past, but it’s my hope you had a good time with your families.

Students should have been back at their online lessons today. I realize the novelty of online school has worn off by now and your student may be wishing for “the good ol’ days” of regular classes. This is just the way it has to be for now and we must all do the best we can under the circumstances. 

Many students are not logging on because they find the lessons too difficult. Please help get the message across to them that they are going to have to deal with this sort of module-based learning from here on out. I am willing to bet that many of you have had to complete similar type activities for training purposes at your jobs. This is also the way online college courses are done, credit recovery programs in high schools are completed, etc. The students are simply going to have to get where they are not intimidated by these module-based lessons. Even when all the virus stuff is over, these types of lessons are not going to go away completely.

I realize many of your students are having to take on more responsibilities than usual. There may be multiple students in the house and only one computer, making keeping up with the lessons difficult. I totally get it. I really don’t mind a student who is a bit behind as long as when they do the work, they do the best they can. I have far too many students who are taking far too little time on the work and who are typing in answers that ridiculous, make no sense, and, at times, inappropriate. Students need to understand that when they choose to answer questions in this way, I will not allow a retake. They will be stuck with the grade they earn.

I have been asked whether or not we will be returning to school at all this year. The answer is, I don’t know. I do know the Governor has extended the disaster executive order an additional 30 days. Personally, I think it is more likely than not that we will not be going back this year. Understand, that is just my best guess; but, in the case that I am right, it makes the online work that much more important. I hope I am wrong and that we do get back.

I will update again when if I hear anything new. Until then, stay well.

Coach

Too Many Not Working

Welcome to a new week. I hope this message finds you all healthy and in good spirits. 

I need to ask all the parents reading this to make sure and check on your student’s progress in Edgenuity. There has been a steady decline in the number of students getting their assignments done or, in many cases, even logging on to the program. In order to be up to date on their Texas History assignments, students should be finishing up the third module in the “Texas in the 20^th Century” unit titled “Civil Rights and Equal Rights Movements.” By the end of the day tomorrow they should be starting the second unit titled “Contemporary Texas.” The first module in this second unit is called “Texas Leaders in Politics.” If you do not know how to get into the program have your student show you exactly where they are. Far too many students have gotten behind on things.

There is a rumor circulating that may be contributing to the lack of participation on the part of many students. The rumor being, “They are going to pass everyone no matter what.” While it is true a LOT of leniency is going to be shown regarding averages when it comes to whether or not a student is promoted, this rumor is not true. A student who does little to nothing online and who has not contacted school officials regarding a lack of technology in the home, could end up failing the fourth nine weeks. Something else students need to be taking into consideration is whether or not they had failed previous nine weeks. This nine weeks there is going to be a LOT of latitude given. It is a great opportunity to make a decent grade to balance out a rough previous grading period. If a student was already failing when the school closure took place and does little to nothing in the way of work during this time they could be held back. 

Some students have said to me, “I’ll just go to summer school.” There is a VERY real possibility that there will be no summer school this year. Students really need to take that into consideration when they are deciding whether or not to log on and do these online assignments.

Finally, as this is a problem not unique to KISD, the TEA is considering requiring students to have "made some progress" before allowing them to promote to the next grade. This is a very vague statement, but I do not see how a student who does not log on and attempt to complete their assignments could be thought to have "made progress." Do not allow your student to put their fate in the hands of TEA or district administrators. Please, encourage them strongly to do their work.

I know this is a strange time and we all have other worries and matters on our mind. These school assignments should not be #1 on your family’s list of concerns; however, they should at least be ON the list. Again, please have your student show you their progress. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Stay well,

Coach

4/2/20 Update: Some Concerns

There is not much in the way of news today, but there are a couple of concerns I have that I would like to share with parents and students.

First, students are really struggling with the 2-3 essay questions that are included in each learning module. It is true that the computer grades based on a pretty tough algorithm; however, far too many students are exhibiting too little effort in attempting to answer these questions. The bottom line is that if a student answers these questions using sentence fragments or by writing only one line, they will not get credit. Also, students are writing in answers that have nothing at all to do with the question being asked. This is simply a matter of paying a attention. You will not get credit unless you answer the question that was actually asked.

Second, I am starting to see students copy and paste answers to these essays from other internet sites. Wikipedia seems to be a popular source. Plain and simple, this is called plagiarism and is illegal; it is also blatant cheating. I will not give credit on these questions who have obviously plagiarized another source online. Students need to use their own brains and come up with their own answers. Period.

Third, I have students who are not trying to answer the questions at all. They are writing “IDK,” or worse, “IDFK’ in place of answers (if you don’t know what these acronyms stand for, ask your student). This lack of effort is totally unacceptable and I will not give credit for the questions to any student who answers in this way. If students believed I would not monitor their answers, they were mistaken. The bottom line: if you don’t try, you don’t pass.

I know we are in unusual circumstances, but we all must do what we have to do. That is just the way it is. We are all a bit like sponges. Outsiders cannot see what is inside of us; however, when we find ourselves in crisis – when, in other words, we get squeezed – whatever is inside  us is going to come oozing out for the whole world to see. I am beginning to see some concerning things coming out of too many students during this time when they are  feeling squeezed. Fix the effort problem.

Having said all of that, I know many students are having to balance different roles right now: babysitting, cooking/cleaning, etc. I get it. The truth is that I would rather see a student who is a day or two behind, but doing good work when they can versus a student who is simply rushing through their work and putting forth little to no effort. 

Many of you are working hard and doing your best. I appreciate each of you very much and I know who you are. For those who are coasting, I hope I do not have to address these particular issues again.

Stay safe.

Coach

3/31/20 Update: Day 5 of Online Learning

Hello, everyone. I hope this finds you all well.

Important news out of Austin today. Governor Abbott has extended social distancing protocols and mandated that all schools remain closed until at least May 4^th. A letter from Dr. Craft will be coming to your email inbox soon. In it, several subjects are touched upon that could affect your student (prom, graduation, lunch and breakfast availability, etc.). I have attached the letter below just in case you missed it in your inbox.

For EHMS students and parents, this means that you are going to have to get comfortable with the online learning platforms (Edgenuity and Schoology) as they are not going anywhere anytime soon. Everyone must realize that this time out of the building is not the start of an extended summer break. School is in session and, just like when they are in the building, students are expected to do their work in a timely fashion to the best of their abilities. If you have questions about how to log on to the learning platforms, about accomodations, what to do if you have no technology access in the home, etc. please let me know. Remember, unless you contact me, a student who is unable to log on to their lessons due to having no technology in their home looks just like a student with online access who has simply decided not to do their work. Please communicate effectively. Learning packets are available from the school; we just need to know you need them.

Back to accommodations… Ms. Stall, one of our counselors, sent this out to teachers today. I now pass it along to each of you. I hope this helps.

“I have had many parents reach out to me about how to access accommodations on Edgenuity. Please share this information to parents who have students receiving accommodations under 504 or Special Education.

CC (closed caption)- can be found at the bottom right of screen

Headphones- allows the text to be read aloud (has speeds of normal, fast, slow)

Stop button- allows the video to stop

II button- allows video to be paused

Highlighter- allows you to highlight text

Abc- allows access to online dictionary”

Finally, I have been getting a lot of email from students and parents who are very concerned about the grade showing up in Edgenuity. I felt like it would be easier for me to talk to you directly (rather than try to type it out), so I made a couple of short videos you can view. If you still have questions after viewing them, please let me know.

More tomorrow and/or as needed. Stay well.

Coach