Updates: New Remote Learning Plans, Student/Family Support, Resources, Student Meals

April 2, 2020

Dear District Families,

Administrators, faculty, tech support, and other staff are working hard to build a new plane while we fly it. I am hoping that by Wednesday April 8th we will be operationalizing a new remote learning plan across the district. I will explain what needs changing and why and then follow up with some related updates.

State-Level News

As you know, Governor Baker has closed schools until, at least, May 4. The district is planning for a return to school on this date, but also we are keeping in mind that this closure could last through the end of the school year. The state will not require that schools be in session past what would have been their 185th day, in our case this will be June 18.

Remote Learning Guidance

The announcement of a prolonged school closure by Governor Baker was followed by the publication of a set of remote learning guidelines from the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. These guidelines indicate that public schools are now expected to go beyond providing students with optional learning opportunities to providing more substantial and required student learning during the closure period. We are providing excerpts from the guiding principles here because they will be informing what we set out to accomplish in the weeks ahead:

Guiding Principles: Supporting Student Learning and Holistic Needs

Districts and schools must continue to focus on the holistic needs of the educational community:

• The safety and well-being of students, families, and staff has been and must continue to be our top priority as an educational community. We are focused not only on physical health, safety and nutrition, but also on social-emotional and mental health needs, which could intensify during this time.
• This crisis disproportionately affects our most vulnerable students in terms of their physical and mental health and also academically. Equity needs to be a top consideration in local planning efforts, especially as districts and schools make plans to manage an extended closure. To support these efforts, DESE will issue further guidance on how best to support special populations, including students with disabilities and English learners.
• Maintaining connections between school staff and students is paramount, particularly for the most vulnerable members of our school communities. These connections will provide natural conduits to guide districts and schools in addressing students’ specific needs.

At this time, districts and schools must also work to adopt a remote learning model:

• Nothing can replace the in-person schooling experience, and we should not expect that remote learning can replicate the traditional school day.
• At the same time, with school closures now extended, districts, schools, and communities have an obligation to engage students in meaningful and productive learning opportunities through an appropriately structured educational program.
• Remote learning is not synonymous with online learning. Remote learning can take place in a multitude of ways, including helping students engage with resources in their everyday lives and in the natural world around them. Remote learning also provides unique opportunities to further engage students in the arts or interdisciplinary work. Finally, we must be conscious of the effects of increased screen time and seek balance between learning through technology and remote learning that happens offline to support students’ curiosity and understanding.

Recommended remote learning model:

• We recommend that districts support students to engage in meaningful and productive learning for approximately half the length of a regular school day. We expect this learning to take place via a combination of educator directed learning and student self-directed learning.
• We strongly recommend that districts and schools focus on reinforcing skills already taught this school year and applying and deepening these skills. We recognize that in some cases, teachers and students may wish to continue with new material, particularly at the high school level. In these cases, districts should consider equity of access and support for all students.
• The individual student experience will vary depending on student age, individual and family needs, access and capacity for remote learning (including access to technology and internet), and the ongoing health of students, families, and staff.

Student work and grading:

• To the extent practicable, teachers should provide feedback on student work completed at home. That said, if districts and schools have not already implemented policies regarding credit-bearing courses (determining credit for academic work at home), we strongly recommend that academic content be graded as “credit/no credit” so as to incentivize continuous learning while acknowledging the challenging situation we face. Non-credit bearing courses, such as those for elementary and middle school students, could incorporate other incentives to keep students motivated to continue their learning.
• Before moving forward with any determinations of “no credit,” we strongly urge districts and schools to consider whether the students have had equitable access to learning opportunities during this closure, keeping in mind the variety of technology, health, disability and language challenges that could occur.

GMRSD Remote Learning: The district has drafted a learning plan that meets these guidelines and we are currently refining it with teachers and staff. We are also acquiring computers to be loaned to students who need them and setting up the electronic platforms that will allow teachers to interact with students. Until next week, teachers will continue to provide students with remote learning opportunities.

We do want to add a bit of perspective taking with you, in advance of rolling out these plans. We promise to keep the following in mind as we attempt to do school differently during the emergency closure period:

• Students will be participating in self-directed learning in alternative educational settings with less structure and lots of other things happening in their lives.
• Parents/guardians are not expected to take the place of teachers as they may not be familiar with subject area content and/or the manner of teaching it.
• Parents/guardians also may be juggling work or working from home, taking care of younger children or family members, or dealing with illnesses. It is a very trying time.
• Learning time will be significantly shorter, and we can expect that it will be reduced by at least half each day and week. Educators will be working together, being mindful of the amount of work that is given to students and families.
• As educators plan and navigate the new learning environment themselves, we have stressed how critical it is that they keep in mind our students facing extra challenges. Teachers will keep in mind the needs of our students with disabilities, students for whom English is a second language, students who live outside of Montague and Gill, students in families where parents work outside the home, families with multiple siblings and limited devices, families with limited resources, etc.

We will provide you with our learning plan details by early next week.

Here are some other updates

Report Cards: At the elementary level, second trimester grades closed on March 6. cards from the second trimester will be mailed home as soon as we are able to staff school offices and complete this task. At the secondary level, we will combine the third and fourth marking periods and students will receive a combined second and third quarter grade for each course. Course grades are likely to be credit/no credit only, however, this decision has not been finalized. There will be no midterm or final exams at the secondary level.

High School Seniors at Risk of Not Graduating

High school seniors at risk of not graduating is a concern for all public schools, and DESE is aware of the issue, and more guidance is forthcoming. The global pandemic presents challenges for us all, and now more than ever we need to provide additional opportunities for students to succeed. We hope to develop methods for high school seniors in danger of not passing to make up any failing grades.

MCAS Testing

On March 20, 2020, U.S. Secretary of Education announced that students impacted by school closures due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can bypass standardized testing for the 2019-2020 school year. Upon a proper request, the Department will grant a waiver to any state that is unable to assess its students due to the ongoing national emergency. A formal request by the Commissioner of Education and action by the state legislature will be required to take advantage of this waiver. It now seems likely that MCAS assessments will be cancelled for this spring.

Advanced Placements from College Board

There has been a great deal of uncertainty regarding what will happen with Advanced Placement (AP) tests. The College Board has provided the following update:

• Traditional face-to-face exam administrations will not take place. Students will take a

45-minute online free-response exam at home.

• Some students may want to take the exam sooner rather than later, while the content is still fresh. Other students may want more time to practice. For each AP subject, there will be 2 different testing dates. As of today, the College Board has not released the dates.
• AP curricula are locally developed, and we defer to local decisions on how best to help students complete coursework. To be fair to all students, some of whom have lost more instructional time than others, the exam will only include topics and skills most AP teachers and students have already covered in class by early March.
• The College Board will allow any student already registered for an exam to cancel.

Student Meals Program

The district continues to provide meals to all children, age 18 and under, at eleven distribution sites in the school community. However, to limit exposure of our staff, volunteers, and the children and families coming out to pick up the meals, we reduced the number of days of meal distribution. Beginning Monday, March 30, meals are now distributed mid-day, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

• On Mondays, lunch for Monday and Tuesday will be distributed as will breakfast for

Tuesday and Wednesday.

• On Wednesday, lunch for Wednesday and Thursday will be distributed as will

breakfast for Thursday and Friday.

• On Fridays, lunch and breakfast through the weekend will be provided. Details about

the locations and daily menus may be found on the district’s website, gmrsd.org.

Student and Family Supports

We want our students and families to know that we are here to provide support as we can. Our family engagement coordinator, student services staff, and teachers have been reaching out to our students and their families to check-in. We are available by phone and email and want to do what we can to ensure that your children are given the best opportunity to continue their education during these challenging times.

For families in need of additional food, we have the Survival Center at 96 4th Street in Turners Falls, open 10-1:30 Monday-Friday, and the Center for Self-Reliance in Greenfield, now working out of the Federal Street School at 125 Federal Street and open every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 11-4pm.

A list of other local resources is found at the end of this document. In addition, if you are in need of other basic needs of any variety, please feel free to contact our Family Engagement Coordinator, Stacey Langknecht, at 413-863-7210 or stacey.langknecht@gmrsd.org.

We all have to do our parts, so please make sure you and your family are practicing physical distancing, washing your hands often and thoroughly, and following the other advice from the Centers for Disease Control (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html).

Access to School Buildings

On March 23, Governor Baked issued an Essential Services and Revised Gatherings Order stating that all non-essential businesses cease in-person operation and that a stay-at-home advisory take effect. While this declaration bars most people from going to work, it spells out the essential services that may continue operations in a list of COVID-19 Essential Services. School personnel who qualify as providing essential services are explained as follows: “Educators and staff supporting public and private emergency childcare programs, residential schools for students with disabilities, K-12 schools, colleges, and universities for purposes of facilitating distance learning, provision of school meals, or performing other essential student support functions, if operating under rules for social distancing.”

Since this order took effect, all district schools and offices have remained closed with the exception of the high school kitchen area being open for the preparation of meals for students and the central office being open intermittently to complete time sensitive required tasks such as payroll.

Sincerely Yours in Flattening the Curve,

Michael Sullivan, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Local Resources for Local Families

Updated March 31, 2020

***IMPORTANT: WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT ANY OF THESE LOCATIONS, PLEASE STAY AT LEAST 6 FEET AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE WHILE WAITING YOUR TURN. THIS IS CRUCIAL FOR ORGANIZATIONS TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE TO OUR COMMUNITY***

For school updates and for online educational resources, please check out our district website at www.gmrsd.org.