Remote Learning—What?
Above is the latest letter from the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. While I'm not a lawyer, this still brings up many questions.
Schools are being asked to provide approximately half a days worth of learning activities each day to students. At the same time, schools are not being asked to teach new concepts, but provide review and greater depth. In addition, districts are not being asked to provide grades for elementary and middle school students. Instead, they are being asked to provide incentives for work completion. Teachers are being asked to provide a combination of activities including ways of checking in with students. Unfortunately, there are loopholes in this that allow for the gap to widen between students who have support and families that are able to provide help and those who are not.
Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). The key word in this is individualized....
A plan should be individualized whether the student is in school or a district is providing remote learning. The other day, I saw a post on a group by a Special Education Attorney on the idea of including "Distance Learning Plans" as part of an IEP. This got me thinking. Not every child responds to zoom lessons or paper pencil packets. At the same time, is this an excuse for not providing services usually provided during the school year when school is closed for extended period of time.
As a parent, what are you doing? What is your school district doing? Is it individualized and working to support you and your child? or is it whatever programming they are providing for every child?
The Galini group has created several videos on this subject. Here is the first one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2OkiJtwSsU&fbclid=IwAR3tmXp4d_dDhyqLecgpKsdNSmk64Bo9vvFCVd-rpuQFMh56x2RpXUE5wNA
Please share your thoughts....
