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Scrambling For Answers – Online Schooling

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A much larger problem that school systems do not have an answer for is that some students are not even logging in. As opposed to doing incomplete work or work that is of poor quality, these students are literally not signing in to their online classes or assignments. In fact at least 10,000 Boston Public School students have not signed into their classes in the month of May. In a sense, these students could be considered virtual dropouts whose education was paused three months ago when schools closed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

More than 20% of Boston’s students have not logged on to any of the main academic platforms since May 4, 2020. This means thousands of these students have not attended online classes or picked up any homework assignments.  22% of students never logged into Google Classroom. There is a large gap between the number of students who teachers are marking “present” each day for engaging in “some or all remote learning opportunities” (an average of 84%) and the smaller number of students who have logged into Google Classroom even once.

School systems don’t know how to solve this problem. Do you?

Incomplete – Online Schooling

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School districts throughout the United States are dealing with two online schooling problems that have them frustrated.  The first problem involves students not completing their work.  They either don’t take their online assignments seriously, don’t have the one-on-one support at home to help them, or find independent computer lessons distracting.  One fix to this problem some schools have been doing is to consider the March – June 2020 semester to be graded as pass/fail only. That way report cards won’t show a major drop in grades from third term to fourth term.  What do you think about this solution?

Check back here for the much larger problem that has school systems scrambling for answers.

 

Online Schooling

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With the school year coming to an end, it is a good time to look back and reflect.  Students nationwide have transitioned from pre-COVID-19 school classrooms to online classes.  As the virus is nowhere near being cured, it appears this coming fall will have some form of online schooling as well.  How did online schooling work for your student this year?

Check back here next time for a disturbing online schooling problem that has school systems in a state of panic.

Summer Camp in the Middle of COVID-19 Pandemic

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently released summer camp guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Besides good hygiene and testing for COVID -19 symptoms each day, they offer suggestions to camps for how the camp day should be structured. The CDC says that camps should encourage social distancing through increased spacing, maintain small groups, and limited mixing between groups. They also recommend staggered scheduling, arrival, and drop off. Summer camps are to also adjust activities and procedures to limit sharing of items such as toys, belongings, supplies, and equipment. Do you think camps should be open this summer using these guidelines?  Will they be successful in stopping the spread of COVID-19 or do you think it is too risky to send children to summer camp this year?

New CDC Summer Camp Guidelines

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have just released their new guidelines for camp directors pertaining to children attending summer camp during the COVID-19 pandemic. These guidelines are to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  The camps are to be responsible for germ prevention. They are to promote healthy hygiene practices such as hand washing and employees are to wear a face mask. Summer camps are to intensify cleaning, disinfection, and ventilation of facilities and buses. Additionally, summer camps are to take temperatures of staff and campers and follow state and local orders.

What will the camp day be like for children during the COVID-19 pandemic? What strategies will they use to keep everyone safe throughout the day? Check back here for the new CDC summer camp guidelines to be followed during the camp day.

A Sign of What’s to Come?

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Schools are opening up again to administer Advanced Placement exams for selected students according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  They put in place the following rules to allow them to have the testing administered in the school buildings, yet not infect everyone with COVID-19.

According to their plan, following rules are supposed to be observed:

  • No congregating outside school.
  • Ordered/staggered entrance and exit of students into and out of the building and classrooms.
  • No more than a total of 10 students and staff in any single classroom.
  • Adequate spacing of desks to ensure social distancing in each classroom.
  • Students must return home immediately following the test.

Are these safety rules a sign of what is to come in education?  When schools are re-opened for both students and staff, is this how schools will conducted?  It will be interesting to see what happens this coming September.

Advanced Placement Exams and COVID-19

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Advanced Placement exams are still going to be conducted in school buildings for certain students according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. They have released their plan as to how to issue the AP exams, yet not spread COVID-19 infection. It is up to local schools to make sure the rules are followed.

According to their plan, students and staff will be required to wear face coverings at all times. All students and staff must apply hand sanitizer upon entering the building. Students will be monitored by staff while in the building while still maintaining social distance. Social distancing standards of at least 6 feet will be maintained before, during, and after test administration.

How will they protect students and staff from contracting COVID-19 from the beginning of the AP exams to end?  Check back here as we will list how they plan on achieving this goal.  Their AP testing plan may be a sign of what is to come for everyone once they decide to open up schools again for all students.

Breaking News: In-Person Advanced Placement Testing

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Advanced Placement exams for 2020 will still be conducted in-person at local schools on a limited basis, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The option to test at a school will only be made to a restricted number of students. Only those students who do not have adequate access to a computer and internet connectivity at home will be allowed to take an AP exam in a school building. This shocking news is according to a newly released memo from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. They published guidance for Advanced Placement testing for school districts.

Check back here as we will post their plan as to exactly how they will be allowing students and staff into school buildings to conduct these tests, while keeping everyone safe from COVID-19.

Executive Function and COVID-19

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There is a special part of our brain that is responsible for executive function skills.  These skills include our ability to organize, plan ahead, and especially important in this day and age of COVID-19 . . . our ability to sense danger.  The problem is that this all takes place in the prefrontal cortex and this area of the brain does not fully develop until we are well into our 20’s.

Therefore children and teens may not sense COVID-19 danger and choose not to social distance.  It is up to us as responsible parents to monitor and keep our kids safe.  We need to make sure our teens are following social distancing. It is your responsibility as a parent to make sure they follow the rules even when they are out in public places like a field, playground, or hanging out with their friends.

RIP SAT?

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The coronavirus caused school closures which forced the cancellation of spring SAT testing for about 1 million first-time test-takers, planning to enter college in 2021. The June 6, 2020 test session is the latest to be canceled. Just when you thought the SAT and all the stress and undue pressure it causes students was put to an end, the SAT people have come up with a way to stay alive.

The company that runs the SAT is working on a back up plan for future testing dates. A home version of the SAT college entrance exam is being prepared in case schools remain closed into the fall. Instead of a paper and pencil test given under proctors’ supervision, the home version would be digital and rely on “remote proctoring.” That could include using the computer’s camera and microphone to monitor movement or talking.  It will remain to be seen if this method could work without the possibility of mass cheating.

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