We know that all of our families are navigating so many different priorities during the day – childcare, supporting your student’s instruction, alongside your own work obligations. We are deeply committed to ensuring all students, families, and staff have the resources and support they need to engage successfully in virtual learning. In order to address some of your outstanding questions, this outlines our campus-wide plan for student attendance and expectations.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE
While we operate fully virtual, we will provide a combination of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (independent) instruction four days per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday). On Wednesdays, students will receive asynchronous instruction alongside school-wide or grade-level meetings that are designed to maintain community and build relationships.
Whether in-person or virtual, attendance is crucial to student success. Teachers will take daily attendance and we will closely monitor student engagement and participation. This will be tracked in a number of ways, including:
- Attendance in live instruction
- Assignment completion
- Students attending small group instruction or virtual “office hours”
PRE-KINDERGARTEN (PK3 / PK4) ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS
We also know that our youngest learners need the most support from their parents and caregivers to engage in virtual learning. To provide additional flexibility, students in Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 will always have the option to complete their tasks during times that are convenient for caregivers to support them. Live engagement with their teachers is encouraged, but other ways of engaging will also be available. Students must complete at least one task in order to count as present for the day. Teachers will share more information about these assignments and expectations very soon.
K-12 ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS
Students in grades K-12 will be assigned to either synchronous (live) instruction or asynchronous (independent) instruction, depending on the day of the week. During live instruction, students must be seen by their teacher in the virtual classroom in order to count as present that day. During independent instruction, students must also then complete at least two tasks in order to count as present for that day. Teachers will share more information about these assignments and expectations very soon. These are the minimum levels of engagement required for students to be counted as present.
Your student’s participation in virtual learning is critical. If your student is having trouble engaging in virtual learning, please contact your teacher(s) or principal as soon as possible.
GRADING POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS
- ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADING POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS: Elementary grades will follow the same structure and format as previous years. In K-4, students will receive quarterly report cards. Due to our need to have more flexible structures for grading and assessment, teachers will post one graded assignment or assessment in the student’s grade book per week in the core content areas.
- MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADING POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS: Middle school grades follow a similar structure and format to previous years. A minimum of two formative assessments are due for each class per week. A minimum of four summative assessment grades will be included per quarter. Homework will be assigned as needed (depending on the course and current learning), and will count toward the student’s participation grade. There are no significant changes to the grading policy from the previous school year.
- HIGH SCHOOL GRADING POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS: High school grades follow a similar structure and format to previous years, with a variety of factors considered in determining a student’s grade each quarter. There is one change to the grading policy from the previous school year. To encourage engagement during virtual learning, during the 2020-21 school year, we will replace homework grades with participation grades.
We will continue to regularly share information across platforms, via email, text, and call, as well as to our website and social media. If you have any questions, please reach out directly to your principals.
