This update is going to be a bit longer than usual, but I think it will cover some ground that many of you have questions about. I’ll take things one at a time.
First, a ConnectEd phone call was scheduled to go out today which was intended to cover a lot of the questions I know many of you have. That being said, several communities in our vicinity have now gone to a “Shelter in Place” order. This is going to force the district to change up some of the information that was going to be in that call. Hopefully, they will still be able to make a call today, but it could be tomorrow. As you’ve heard many times by now, things are extremely fluid and are sometimes changing hour to hour.
On Wednesday, information regarding what to do if you do not have adequate technology in the home to complete online work is scheduled to be released. I know the district is putting together packets for students in this situation but do not know how they will be distributed. The possibility of a “Shelter in Place” order could complicate this aspect of things quite a bit. Hopefully, the Wednesday communication will address all of this. Be looking for it. One thing I did learn today is that your student’s ELA teacher will be your point of contact regarding any technology issues going forward (passwords, no device, no wi-fi, etc.).
Some have asked about accomodations for students who have an IEP or a 504 plan. The accomodations are built into Edgenuity. For example, the course is self-paced, reading passages and questions are read to the student, the student will have multiple opportunities to take and pass tests, etc. I really believe most students will be getting the support they need directly from the program. If your student is struggling, I will figure out a way to tutor and help them get where they need to be. Yet another email is supposed to be going out soon that should address many of the questions in this area.
Some have asked if the students have to work during regular school hours. That would be preferable as that will be when I am online and available to help the most. That being said, I know there are families that have multiple children who will need to share one device. I get it and it is no big deal. The main thing is that the student keeps up and gets the work done. Whether they do it at 8:00 a.m. or 8:00 p.m. doesn’t really matter all that much. I will be checking in during the evenings as well should you run into any problems. You can also send me your questions via Remind, via the comments section on the blog, or via school email (Michael.mayes@killeenisd.org).
Another question was how long does the online work take? I set myself up as a student and completed the entire first unit (3 days of scheduled work in the system) in 41 minutes. The daily expectation will be no more than 15-20 minutes for Texas History. I am assuming the other core subjects will be set up in a similar manner. The time it takes to complete a day’s work will vary student to student, obviously, but most will be able to do everything required in a day in 90 minutes to 2 hours. That makes the necessary sharing of devices less of a problem. Maybe schedule Sibling 1 for morning hours and Sibling 2 for the afternoon. A third and fourth session could be added in the evening hours for additional siblings. The schedule could be flipped daily so no one student always has to be the early bird or night owl.
Attendance is another concern I have been asked about. Basically, attendance will be based upon log-ins. If your child fails to log-in to their course on a particular day, they will be considered absent. I would caution that just logging in, staying for 60 seconds, and logging out will not be sufficient to earn credit for attendance that day. The exception will be once a student completely finishes their coursework. At that point, there really is no point in logging in to the system. We have a way to go before we get there, though. The bottom line is that attendance requirements are going to be greatly relaxed during this time. I don't think your student is going to have any issues with the district even if they log-in only once a week IF they are up date on their work.
TAG students, you will not be required to turn in your projects this year. This is the big TAG project you were dealing with Ms. Wooden and Ms. Ortiz about, not a regular class project. You are officially off the hook, lol.
There are rumors that students will pass the 4th nine weeks whether they do the work online or not. I have been told that is not the case. Understand, the grading policy will be loosened up a bit out of necessity, but a student who fails to log-in and do any work can and will fail the 4th nine weeks which could affect whether or not they pass for the year and earn promotion to the next grade. That is why it is so very important for families without adequate technology to contact your student’s ELA teachers and let them know your situation. If you are communicating with the district about technology matters, you WILL be okay. The district is preparing alternate assignments for you that will take the place of the online work. You just have to make your situation known for that to happen. Again, the ELA teacher will be your point of contact for this particular issue.
It is my understanding that both Spectrum and CenturyLink are providing internet free of charge to students without wi-fi in the home for up to 60 days. I realize that internet without a device doesn’t help much, but if you were thinking of not asking for a school loaner laptop or tablet because of lack of internet at the house, this could solve that problem.
Another question I am getting a lot is whether or not we will be physically meeting in school again this year. The official (as of now) answer is we are planning on returning to school on Monday 4/6. That has not changed as of the time I am writing this. Personally, I do not feel like the district would have gone to the expense and trouble of setting up this online learning for only 8 school days. I have no inside knowledge; I have not been told anything other than 4/6 as a return to school date; however, I strongly suspect this is going to last longer, possibly all the way to the end of the year. I suppose it might be best to expect that and be pleasantly surprised if things get back to normal sooner. Certainly, I will keep you up on the latest updates regarding returning to school.
Again, please do not stress over any of this. If you have any trouble in any area you simply need to communicate it to the proper district person. If you don’t know who that is, let me know and I will either relay your message or direct you to the correct person. We are all doing this online thing for the first time. There WILL be hiccups; it is unavoidable. Understand, as long as you are making the effort your student will be just fine. We will get through all of this and, hopefully, be back to normal soon.
I will provide new updates as information is made available to me. In the meantime, be good to each other and stay well.
Coach
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