Thursday, July 9, 2020
www.plainvillecitizen.com
Volume 19, Number 22
Effectiveness of distance learning hard to measure, officials say
School reopening plan still requires digesting
By Michael Gagne Record-Journal staff
By Mary Ellen Godin Record-Journal staff
The likely toll of distance learning on the well-being of students, through social isolation and loss of learning, was not lost on some members of the Cheshire Board of Education.
School districts across the state and the two largest teachers unions are grappling to understand the details laid out in the recently-released school reopening plan for fall.
The board, meeting remotely during a virtual meeting last week, discussed state officials’ plans to fully reopen schools this fall, and the impact of distance learning Cheshire High School senior Emma Cody, 17, at work on over the last months of the her third day of online instruction on March 20. school year that had just Record-Journal file photo ended.
“The thought of returning to schools is daunting for many teachers, students and parents alike,” Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona wrote in an introduction to the plan. “The CSDE has engaged repeatedly with state and local, educational and public health experts to craft the following plan, keeping both the educational and public health needs of our students and educators in mind. Districts will be operating within their community and school buildings’ unique circumstances. As such, this plan provides districts with a roadmap — guardrails to operate within — while allowing districts some flexibilities to create reopen plans that will most effectively serve their unique communities.”
Board colleague Anne Harrigan, in response, suggested board members and the public need to be mindful of what schools provide for their community. “It’s not just education, it’s health, it’s social emotional well-being, it’s safety, it’s many, many things that our
public schools do for our children,” Harrigan said. The conversation came as Cheshire and other school districts in the Meriden area assess the effectiveness of the distance learning programs they rolled out last spring and prepare for the physical reopening of their school buildings in September. True cohesive measures of how much learning was lost and the extent of student participation during remote learning will be difficult to ascertain.
In Southington, school officials had leaned on classroom teachers to check in with students to make sure they were logging into remote learning programs and participating in their academic lessons throughout the spring, according to Steve Madancy, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. If teachers were unable to reach families, then school administrators and counselors would make attempts to follow up with families. See Learning, A11
Educators statewide have just weeks to absorb the requirements and prepare staff and buildings. District plans must be submitted to the state on July 24. Last week, Southington Associate Superintendent Steve Mandancy said the district was still reviewing the document in its entirety. Even though it’s only 50 pages, there are several hyperlinks to other documents that require reviewing to formulate a true picture of what is required. “While we appreciate the flexibility the state is providing, the loose nature of the guidance within is goSee Reopening, A13
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Board member Tim White cited a report issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics that remote learning was likely to result in students experiencing severe learning loss and social isolation.
The plan addressed safety measures such as grouping students as much as possible, wearing masks, hand-washing, social distancing, students and families who choose not to attend school temporarily, academics, mental health, and reasons to cut back and/or shut down if necessary.