When it became apparent students weren’t coming back to traditional classrooms in March, most Oklahoma superintendents and their staffs had less than a week to pull together the details of what would be a virtual end to the final weeks of the 2019-2020 school year.
The same administrators have been working most of the summer to ensure that won’t happen when students return to school this month. The results of that labor can be divided into two broad categories: what is now traditional in-person classes in buildings and virtual classes conducted with digital devices and other electronic means. Educators admit each option presents challenges and strengths, but are necessary to prepare for a school year many hope will take place in person but know could move completely to virtual in the blink of an eye.
Lawton Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Hime uses the word seamless to describe what his administrators want to achieve: virtual and in-person classes mesh so students moving from one to another won’t fall behind in meeting academic standards. State officials say distance learning needs will vary from district to district, so each has the flexibility to set instructional delivery methods that work best for their students.
Hime and Chad Hance, superintendent of Cache Public Schools, said parents decided the method their children will use when school begins (Aug. 24 for Lawton, Aug. 20 for Cache). Both districts surveyed parents for feedback on preferred instruction methods to determine what would be offered and where.
Cache already knows the answer: its survey closed last week and 500 students — about 25 percent of students — will attend school virtually, Hance said. Hime said late last week about 75 percent of the Lawton parents had responded to its survey, with 65 percent of those students returning to in-person classes. He predicted that 65-35 percent split could change when parents and students visit school campuses Aug. 21 to see exactly how education will take place.
“It will make them more comfortable,” he said, of the chance to see practices with their own eyes, from classrooms that encourage social distancing to teaching methods.
While Lawton Public Schools initially announced three options — traditional, blended and virtual — Hime said the district now is centered on the traditional and virtual models, but each has elements of the other. For example, virtual students may still opt for some in-person instruction (extracurricular, for example), while traditional students will be prepared to change to virtual should something happen (a child going into quarantine, for example).
Traditional won’t be the traditional of years gone by, with emphasis on social distancing, and masks required for adults in most settings and many students when social distancing isn’t possible.
The virtual model forced district administrators to confront problems not readily evident to others. For example, not all parents are at home during traditional school hours to ensure children “attend” school or get help. LPS is looking at its teachers to identify those willing to teach virtual classes or be available outside the traditional hours to ensure students and parents have help when they need it.
Hime said the district is working to mesh lesson plans so a student attending virtually can return to a classroom and be where his classmates are, in terms of standards being taught. That’s how teachers play into the issue, he said, explaining the state issues standards that the district requires to be taught, but teachers have input into how those standards are taught.
“Autonomy is a big thing for them. But, we don’t want a gap in standards,” he said, adding the goal is ensuring students are “moving along the same path.”
Students will be assigned a “homeroom” teacher, even at the secondary level, and virtual classes will be limited in size, comparable to traditional classes.
“We’ll keep the teacher ratio very similar,” Hme said, noting that may mean 25 elementary students, while secondary teachers who are responsible for multiple classes of students will see the same ratio they have in traditional settings.
Hance said Cache Public Schools is preparing for its school year knowing a quarter of students are taking the virtual option. The district has adapted the model cited by the State Department of Education, a color-coded chart that suggests regulations for in-person school settings depending on the prevalence of COVID-19 in the district. The higher the number of cases, the stricter guidelines become in schools (by red, the worst rating, the district is prepared to provide an individual learning plan for every student, including those attending school in person).
Hance said he understands the concerns of parents who feel that, for now, the best learning environment for their children is virtual.
“We care about the students here,” he said, of decisions being made for both virtual and in-person to ensure quality learning in safe environments.
He said the district is trying to distinguish between its two types of virtual learning environments: Virtual Dogs, or those students who will attend all classes virtually; and virtual settings that all students will participate in, whether it is the 18 virtual school days that are set roughly every other week throughout the school year or instances where schools must shut down to most in-person learning.
Cache’s staff also has criteria to check with virtual students on a regular basis, ensuring students have access to teachers when they need it. Hance admitted that is more of a challenge for younger students who are used to one-on-one interaction with the same teacher for most of the school day, compared to the high school level, where students have one teacher for every subject.
“It’s not a simple process,” he said, of the work necessary to ensure students remain engaged and able to reach teachers.
And, the district also must keep in mind that the virtual option may become necessary for more than those who initially signed up, while ensuring teachers are comfortable in the virtual format.
“Some are qualified,” he said of his staff, adding others aren’t quite comfortable yet in that format.
While Hance knows the importance of in-class settings and socialization for students, he doesn’t take sides in the virtual/traditional debate.
“It’s a tough decision for parents,” he said. “It’s their first time under the virtual option and they don’t know. There’s a lot of questions asked.”
Indiahoma Public Schools Superintendent Deanna Voegeli said her district will have education plans for each student.
“We are working closely with parents and teachers to develop an Individualized Distance Learning Education Plan (IDLEP) which will be monitored closely by the school to ensure the child is making continued progress,” she said. “We will also work with the parents to adjust the IDLEP as needed to make sure the child is getting the most from blended learning.”
There are other considerations, including how a district will provide digital learning to students who may not have full access to technology. For Lawton Public Schools, the answer will come in the form of digital devices to be provided to every student in the district (iPads for students up to grade three; ChromeBooks for everyone else), a purchase already planned but accelerated under the district’s capital improvements programs. That plan also will provide Wi-Fi “hotspot” boxes.
Indiahoma, a much smaller district, was able to address that issue as well.
“We only had three to four students that didn’t have access to the internet or a computer at home, and we were able to provide both,” Voegeli said provisions for remote learning. “Virtual learning must be equitable so every child has the ability to learn the same as other children in traditional classrooms.”
Hance admits districts are facing a moving target, as far as setting policy during a pandemic.
“Things change,” he said, comparing the experience to running into a burning house with a water gun and trying to put out fires. “Our commitment is to making it as normal for kids as possible. If adults are a little uncomfortable, so be it.”
Correspondent Chris Wilson contributed to this story.
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School districts setting criteria in place for digital and traditional learning - The Lawton Constitution
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