Instruction Committee

  • Instruction Committee Progress Report, July 28, 2020

     

    • Overview of evolving guidance, developments around the country and among other Westchester districts, issues that are being raised in the other working committees

     

    • We won’t know until next week, at the earliest, whether Governor Cuomo will allow any in-person instruction in New York schools
      • In the meantime, districts are required to post plans for reopening -- including for 100% in-person, 100% remote, and hybrid instruction models -- on July 31.
      • We could do 100% in-person only if all of the current health guidelines -- social distancing, etc. -- were rescinded.
      • Therefore, the focus of this committee has been planning for 100% remote and hybrid models.

     

     

    • 100% Remote Model

     

      • Each school would follow a regular school day (Wednesday schedule)
      • 60 minutes at the end of each day for teachers to
        • meet with students individually
        • work with small groups of students
        • work on planning and collaboration
        • respond to parent inquiries
      • One day per week will be “flexible teaching day”, to be used for:
        • small group instruction
        • T-periods
        • related services
        • SEL initiatives
        • limited in-person meetings if allowed by state guidance
      • We must be ready to switch to 100% remote model even if we start the year in another model
        • This would not be surprising given current trends
        • This must be taken into account when we think about hybrid options -- which hybrid models will facilitate a seamless switch to 100% remote if and when we must do that.
      • Remote model would look very different than what was used last spring
        • Teachers have had time to plan, participate in professional development
        • Much more time devoted to direct live interaction between teachers and students
          • MS/HS: follow current Wednesday bell schedule
          • Springhurst: roughly 180 minutes of daily learning facilitated by a teacher or staff member

     

     

    • Hybrid Models

     

      • After taking into account the unique academic, social emotional, facilities, health, safety and other needs of all of our students and staff, the committee concluded that each building should have its own differentiated hybrid model

     

     

    • High School Student Choice Hybrid Model

     

          • HS building will be open to students 5 days per week
          • HS teachers will be in the building 5 days per week
          • Students will meet in person with their teachers either one-on-one or in small groups throughout each week.
          • Majority of core instruction takes place off site 4 days per week
            • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
            • Students follow regular Wednesday bell schedule
          • Phased-in approach in which all students will meet in person with all of their teachers during the first several weeks of school to launch the school year prior to transitioning to off-site.

     

    • In-person transitioning program for all 9th grade students

     

        • Students choose when and how often to come to the HS building for in-person experiences (with numbers being controlled by online sign-up applications), such as:
          • Attending some core academic classes in person
          • Small-group or individual T-periods
          • Small-group or individual meetings with counselors
          • “Hands-on” electives, including Science Research, Yearbook, Computer Science, Film, Theory of Knowledge, IB Personal Project
          • Arts and music
          • Science labs
          • Co-curricular club meetings
          • “Floating flex day” -- daily department in-person support
          • Special Ed and Related Services
          • ENL support
          • Science labs
          • Lunchtime speaker series
        • Wednesday is “flex day” for activities such as Phys Ed/Fitness, SEL activities, counseling groups, T-periods
        • Student participation in on-campus activities will be monitored by the Assistant Principal, the Dean of Students, the counseling team, and teachers to ensure equity of access across the student body
        • Benefits of this hybrid schedule for high school students:
          • Provides adequate synchronous instructional time to handle the curriculum of high school courses
          • Prioritizes student choice and student agency, allowing students to decide what they want to come to school for and whom they want to see
          • Creates flexibility for teachers and counselors so that blend of in-person and remote experiences can be customized based on student need

     

     

    • Middle School A/B/A/B Hybrid Model

     

          • All students will be at school for in-person learning two days per week
          • Students will be divided into 2 groups:  
            • Group 1 attends on Monday/Thursday
            • Group 2 attends on Tuesday/Friday.
          • On in-person days, students follow regular Wednesday bell schedule 
          • To allow for cleaning of classrooms, students will be cohorted for several classes and will remain in the same room while teachers rotate to them  
          • When a change of classrooms is required for students, students will move to an empty room that has already been cleaned and the room they leave will remain empty and be cleaned.
          • When not on campus, students will complete individual assignments and learning opportunities posted to Google Classroom
          • Additional AIS/Related Services for off-campus days as necessary
          • Wednesdays will be designated as a “Flex” day and students will not be in the building, providing opportunities for teachers to:
            • provide related and academic intervention services
            • meet with students individually and/or in small groups
            • collaborate with colleagues and plan instruction
            • respond to parent inquiries

     

    • Benefits of this hybrid schedule for middle school students:

     

          • Provides a regular and easily understandable structured schedule, with all students following a fully-scheduled day 2 days per week
          • No more than 3 days in a row between in-person days for students
          • Allows ample time for counseling, small-group work, and individual attention based on student need 

     

     

    • Springhurst AM/PM Hybrid Model

     

          • All students will be at school for in-person learning 4 days per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday)
            • Group A: mornings in person for 2 ¼ hours
            • Group B: afternoons in person for 2 ¼ hours
          • Instruction during in-person hours will cover the following, every day: ELA, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and SEL
          • Instruction during remote hours will cover at least one of the following subjects each day: Phys Ed, Art, Music, Technology, Library and/or FLES (grades 2-5) and band or orchestra (if applicable)
          • Wednesdays will be designated as a “Flex” day and students will not be in the building, providing opportunities for teachers to:
            • provide related and academic intervention services
            • meet with students individually and/or in small groups
            • collaborate with colleagues and plan instruction
            • respond to parent inquiries
          • Bus transportation provided for students attending both AM and PM 
          • AIS/Related Services will be provided during the off-campus portion of the student day
          • ENL Services will be in-person push-in and/or virtual as scheduling allows
          • OT/PT will be in-person push-in and/or virtual as scheduling allows
          • Speech/Counseling will be in-person push-in and/or virtual as scheduling allows

     

    • Benefits of this hybrid schedule for Springhurst students:

     

          • Allows our youngest students to see their teachers in person for as many days per week as possible
          • Provides a predictable and easily understandable routine for our youngest students
          • Uses remote instruction for activities that are often more engaging and accessible, while using in-person instruction for core academic areas  



      • For students in all 3 schools, in all 3 hybrid models, breakfast and lunch will be available for all students

     

    • Issues that remain unresolved at this point:
      • Whether all districts will be required to offer a fully remote option for all students who choose that, regardless of whether they are medically vulnerable; as of the last parent survey, roughly 20% of our parents indicated they would choose this if it were an option
      • How many of our teachers will be asking to not teach in person because they are medically vulnerable
      • Whether Governor Cuomo will direct school districts as to which scenario (remote, hybrid, or in-person) they must choose or leave that decision to individual districts
      • When Governor Cuomo will announce his decision on reopening schools

     

    • Each school team will continue to develop details related to all of their plans
    • School-specific parent forums will be scheduled to explain details and address parent questions

     
    Comments (-1)

  • Instruction Committee Progress Report, July 21, 2020 

     

    • Focus of today’s meeting: narrowing down the 4 potential hybrid models to 2 preferred choices.

     

      • 2 choices will be sent to the Operations Committee to determine feasibility of each one from an operational perspective.
      • D. Berry reported that most districts in Westchester/Putnam are leaning toward alternating-day model and most are considering a “flex day”.
      • Consistency with our neighboring districts would be beneficial.

     

     

    • Things to consider in making this decision (“We are in uncharted territory.”):

     

      • In any of these models, teaching will be very challenging.
      • Every model presents major challenges.
      • Every model will include synchronous and asynchronous teaching.
      • Focus should be on which model makes the most sense for children and is most feasible to handle operationally.
      • Goal is to use the same hybrid model across all 3 buildings.

     

     

    • Committee Chooses (1) Alternating Days or (2) 2 Days On/2 Days Off

     

      • After much discussion, the alternating days option is chosen as best from an instructional point of view.
      • Second choice:  2 days on/2 days off model.
      • Next step is for the Operations Committee to determine feasibility (cleaning, transportation, screening, food service, etc.) 

     

     

    • Other issues raised when considering hybrid options:

     

      • AM/PM model:
        • too difficult to clean and sanitize the buildings between shifts
        • would limit access to specials and services
      • Week on/week off model: discounted because too much time out of school 
      • Can we extend the school day to allow more time to clean?
        • would have to be approved by the teachers union
      • Can schools provide all of the curriculum that would normally be covered in a hybrid model?
        • most of curriculum could be covered if done correctly
      • Idea -- remote only teachers to teach on days kids are home?
      • Regular day schedule (until 3:20 in MS/HS), if we go forward with the flex day?   

     

     

    • Discussion of 100% Remote Learning Scenario -- Principals reporting back after meeting with team leaders:
    • Middle School/High School:

     

          • Teams ok with a 9-period Wednesday schedule. 
          • May need more than 3 minutes of “passing” time.
          • They learned a lot about remote learning from the spring and are already working hard to expand and make it better.
          • Both teams will be meeting with their staff in the next weeks to flesh out more details. 

     

    • Springhurst:

     

        • More challenges because Springhurst doesn't operate on a period schedule.
        • Age of the children makes full day online very difficult.
        • Parents should plan on having children available from 8:30 to 2. 
        • They will follow a “typical day”  but not every minute of that time will be live instruction. (In a normal school day, kids have recess, lunch, etc.)
          • More breaks will be scheduled
          • built-in time for small group work
          • time for SEL will be built in.
        • Teachers are concerned about the attention spans of children.
        • Live instruction is going to look a lot different than it did in the spring.
        • Springhurst has already started to work up mock schedules and will be continuing that work.
        • They know it is important to provide parents with specifics when the plans are final. 

     

     

    • Final Thoughts

     

      • School will look very different in September.
      • We need to communicate with students in an age-appropriate way so they know what to expect.

     
    Comments (-1)

  • Instruction Committee Progress Report, July 16, 2020

     

    • Focus of the meeting was consideration of the various hybrid model options. Committee split into 4 smaller groups to discuss each option:

     

    • Option 1: AM/PM Split
      • Cohorts of students attend in person for only a portion of each school day, either AM or PM, and work remotely/independently at other times

     

    • Option 2: Alternating Days
      • Students attend in person every other day and work remotely/independently when not in attendance

     

    • Option 3: 2 Days On/2 Days Off
      • Students attend in person for two full days in a row, followed by two days of working remotely/independently 

     

    • Option 4: One Week In/One Week Out
      • Students attend in person for a full week at a time and work from home remotely/independently on the off week.  

     

    • For all of these options the biggest pro is that kids are in school, the schedules provide continuity and predictability. 

     

    • Issues that need to be addressed concerning all options: 
      • do all schools need to follow the same model; MS/HS have to be on the same schedule because they share teachers; 
      • can siblings all be on the same schedule; 
      • cleaning the buildings; 
      • what would school look like for the kids who are at home? Is live-streaming an option? Can staff be divided into LIVE and REMOTE teachers? How might we re-deploy staff?  How do we change the way we teach to support these models? Concerns that the in-school time will be used just for assessments;
      • Social emotional well-being of the students; 
      • How would services be given? 

     

    • It was discussed that the District needs guidance from Regents and IB before they can make major changes. 

     

    • A survey will be going out to parents soon to seek their input on what kind of hybrid model would be most favorable. 

     
    Comments (-1)

  • Instruction Committee Progress Report, July 14, 2020

     

    • Review of Guidance Received and Expected: 
      • SED issued “framework” on July 13th
      • NYS Health Dept. issued interim guidance on July 13th
        • Heavy burden on schools for in-person instruction
      • SED expected to issue guidance on July 15th 

     

    • Remote Learning Subgroup of this Committee Met on July 13th 
      • Focus of this subgroup is to establish priorities and make plans if 100% remote schedule is scenario being used

      • “Big picture” goals if 100% remote instruction is in place:
        • more opportunities for interaction between students and teachers
        • increased opportunities for small groups
        • flexibility in use of time based on student needs
        • consistency with scheduling, predictability
           
      • Potential schedules for each building were discussed
        • Goal is to approximate a regular daily in-person class schedule to the extent possible
        • MS/HS considerations:
          • Allow time for T-periods, small group work
          • Time for teacher planning and collaboration
          • Time for ENL/AIS/related services
        • Springhurst considerations:
          • Prioritize live interaction between students & teachers
          • Include FLES, specials
          • Allow time for teacher planning and collaboration
          • Households with multiple children -- does each child have access to their own device?

      • Building leadership teams will continue to work on logistics of various schedule options for 100% remote and report back at 7/20 meeting
         
    • Doug Berry and Lisa Brady are regularly meeting with their counterparts in surrounding districts
      • Goal is to get everyone to follow similar approaches to the extent possible 

     

    • Next Meeting, Thursday, July 16, 2020 
      • Focus will be Hybrid Scenario planning

     
    Comments (-1)

  • Instruction Committee Progress Report, July 9, 2020

     

    • Priorities Topics for this Committee to Consider:
      • Students with unique needs: what considerations can we make; how can their needs be met in each model being considered
      • Curriculum pacing: what can we do to lessen the impact on curriculum pacing; what will be the impact on identified goals in ELA and Math
      • Remote learning: review survey feedback from parents and students to identify areas for improvement and professional development; what are expectations for students, staff, families?
      • Hybrid Model & Schedules: what are the options; can we use different models at different schools

     

    • Review of Survey Data from Families & Students:
      • Committee discussed reported positives and negatives from remote learning
      • Main areas that require attention: technology challenges, student motivation and engagement, limited amount of live teaching time
      • Identified goals:
        • more live time between teachers and students
        • more support structures for students, teachers and families
          • SEL
          • Technology
          • Academic
        • Schedule consistency

     

    • Ideas to Consider:
      • Parent choice (allowing parents to opt for remote learning if district is in 100% in person scenario, for example); this is more challenging in a small district with more limited staff and resources
      • Teachers presenting live from their classrooms for students who are at home; do we have the capacity? Would that be engaging for kids at home?

     

    • Three smaller subcommittees were created for each building, consisting of administrator, parent and teacher;
      • These groups will meet separately to focus on building-specific challenges and priorities
    Comments (-1)