From: Superintendent’s Office <SuperintendentsOffice@RCSDK12.ORG>
Sent: Friday, April 3, 2020 4:26 PM
To: Superintendent’s Office <SuperintendentsOffice@RCSDK12.ORG>
Subject: Continuity of Instruction Plan
Dear Colleagues,
I want to thank you for your diligent work these past three weeks as we continue to maneuver through these unprecedented times. We are all adjusting to a new work/learning environment.
All students will continue to be educated remotely until Governor Cuomo advises us that it is safe to return to school. I want to update you as we plan and anticipate a more long-term closure. We are entering a new phase of our continuity of instruction plan that will require us to adjust our efforts to provide an engaging instructional environment, while acknowledging the new challenges of learning outside of our school buildings.
We will need your efforts to provide continuous, high-quality instructional opportunities for our students. These efforts will include:
· Daily communications with students, in a manner left to the discretion of the teacher, but with the intent to support continued learning and the provision of resources designed to reach all of our students.
· Monitoring of which students have or have not engaged in the learning resources, with a weekly report to your building principal.
· Adaption and delivery of learning resources in alternative formats including, for example, digital lessons, online resources, hard copy packets, and learning videos, as directed by the teacher. For K-5 students, teachers will utilize centralized resources (found at RCSDLearns), offered both electronically and in hard-copy format at Meal Distribution sites, and will support and scaffold those prepared materials. For 6-12 students, teachers will coordinate the adaption and delivery of their own teacher generated materials with students, including the classroom platform, means and tools to be used for continued instruction.
· Creation of opportunities differentiated to support individual student needs as identified by the teacher.
· Ongoing participation in building and instructional team meetings in a virtual format (intended to replace, but not be more frequently scheduled, than the meetings that would regularly occur if buildings were open)
· Provision of IEP services in alternative manners, as per state and federal guidelines, with appropriate documentation (additional guidance on documentation is forthcoming)
· Provision of appropriate ELL student accommodations, with appropriate documentation of delivery (additional guidance on documentation is forthcoming)
· Provision of feedback to students on the progress of their learning through narratives, acknowledgements of completion, follow up communications, and other means, at the discretion of the teacher.
· Scheduling office hours, grades 6-12, for students to receive additional support and guided instruction in specific content areas (based on teacher’s schedule) in a platform to be determined by the teacher.
Our goal is to provide a minimum of 2 hours per day of alternative learning time for each student.
We would ask that teachers not assigned to a classroom, such as intervention teachers and teachers on assignment, support the rollout of our high quality learning opportunities in a variety of ways, which may include:
· Support to our Teaching and Learning staff in the preparation and rollout of content and grade specific materials.
· Scheduling office hours, grades 6-12, for students to receive additional support and guided instruction in specific content areas (based on teacher’s schedule).
· Participation in planning and meetings with their team members for learning activities and rollout of initiatives (such as the Reading Program and Next Generation Learning Standards), and
· Assistance in maintaining regular contact with our students.
We understand the challenges of moving to an entirely remote and virtual environment. Teachers needing support with technology can contact IM&T at 585-262-8151. If additional support is needed for educational resources, our Teacher and Learning staff are also available to address your questions via email.
Please accept my gratitude as you continue to do what is best for our students. These are indeed very difficult times. But with your professionalism and commitment to our students, we will unite as one Rochester family to overcome these obstacles and emerge as a stronger District.
Sincerely,
Lynda Quick
Deputy Superintendent of Schools