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WCS Remote Learning Plan

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This video explains the Remote Learning Plan for Wilkes County Schools during COVID-19 school closures for Spring 2020.

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Welcome to the Wilkes County Schools' Remote Learning Plan. We will explain our plan for remote learning for Spring of 2020.

First, we'd like for you to understand the definition from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for remote learning. In North Carolina K-12 Public Schools, remote learning is defined as learning that takes place outside the traditional school setting using various media and formats such as, but not limited to, video conference, telephone conference, print material, online material, or learning management systems.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction also reminds local schools to remember the remote learning key points. Our focus at this time is on engagement more than evaluation. Feedback to students regarding their work in progress is of utmost importance. And, we need to remember NCDPI's critical factors for effective remote learning. We must remember that learning needs to be accessible by all students meeting all diverse needs. There needs to be consistent communication between teachers and students. Priority standards and skill development are the focus. We need to include evidence of student learning when we look at remote learning, and we always need to consider the whole child, including the Home Learning environment.

Plans for Wilkes County Schools' remote learning were officially started on Monday, March 16th - the first day of school closure. At that time, Wilkes County Schools determined that March 16th through 27th would be an enrichment and review period for students. Packets of work were sent home, as well as online assignments, to keep students engaged with their learning. Surveys were sent to determine students' digital access to lessons, and plans were being prepared for remote learning. Wilkes County Schools' remote learning, based on direction from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, began officially on Monday, March 30th.

We presented this remote learning checklist to principals, and reminded everyone that we need to prepare our students for the next grade as best we can. At this time, we were not preparing for a test. Every student has been contacted to determine how they will access instruction. That was very important - that schools determine what students would be able to access information electronically, or if they would need paper packets sent home. We asked principals to monitor the following:  lesson plans (are they standards-aligned); student contact (are teachers documenting all student contact); teachers assessing student progress (are teachers collecting evidence that students are making progress or not making progress through their work); and a reminder that attendance is not being taken (our focus is on making sure we have contact with students and are providing feedback to them). We also gave some instructions for teacher lesson plans in with the expectation that teacher lesson plans include digital and non-digital instruction. That teachers have some kind of office hours, or a time when students and parents know that they can reach a teacher or at least leave a message and have that message returned quickly. We also asked teachers to try and prepare direct instruction at least once a week if possible. And, for those of you who don't understand that teacher lingo, that means direct instruction to the students - actually teaching them new content - which is very difficult to do in remote learning. We also reminded teachers that everything that they sent to students to be worked on should be standards-based. There should be assessments of student progress, whatever materials were returned to teachers or whatever information teachers could get, it should be used to assess if students were making any progress in the standards. We felt it was important to have consistent due dates - that students knew when things would be due - but those were non-punitive meaning there is no punishment for not making a due date. But, just knowing a due date sometimes helps a student stay on track. And, feedback often was a very important factor. We want teachers to consistently be giving students feedback on their work - not necessarily a grade, but something to let students know how they're progressing. And, then again, a reminder that we are not taking official attendance, but we are keeping contact with the students as much as we possibly can.

What does remote learning look like at my school?
Remote learning may include, but is not limited to, work packets of paper/pencil work being sent home, assignments on the Internet through a learning management system (like Canvas, Google Classroom, or Dojo), live virtual meetings with teachers, videos of instruction, or maybe it's even phone calls or emails that are sent to students. Remote learning can look different at every school. Each school needs to decide how to best meet the needs of their students.

Why should my student do remote learning?
School is still in session. Our buildings are closed through May 15th, but teaching and learning have not stopped. At this time, we anticipate we will return to our schools on May 18th. Remote learning will keep our students learning and growing, so they will not lose any of the growth they have made this year before we do return to our school buildings. We want all students to continue to learn and grow. We want to prepare them for the next grade level or the next course. To be prepared for their next educational step, student need to participate in remote learning as best they can.

If you have questions or concerns about remote learning at your school, please contact your teacher or principal for further information. Thank you!

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WCS Remote Learning Plan

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