* WBEZ…
School assignments given during the mandatory school closure should not count toward student grades because most school districts are not ready for e-learning, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
All K-12 schools in the state will be closed from March 17 until at least March 30 under an order from Gov. JB Pritzker.
While some school districts are able to move to e-learning to continue class remotely, the state board says most districts don’t have the capability. Of the 614 districts that responded to a survey sent by ISBE over the weekend, 71% said they had obstacles to moving to e-learning. The biggest challenge was student access to broadband, followed by access to digital devices.
The board said it’s a matter of equity not to have assignments impact grades during this time. The state is exploring options to move districts to e-learning if closures go beyond March 30, but that is at the exploratory stage.
Chicago Public Schools instructed teachers to hand out learning packets Monday to be completed by students during the shutdown. CPS CEO Janice Jackson said this work should be seen primarily as enrichment, but she also suggested teachers could find ways to get students to do it.
We are now paying the price for years of inaction on this front. Hopefully, this will finally break the logjam.
* And the school closures could last longer than two weeks. President Trump said yesterday it was possible the pandemic would be with us through July or August. Sun-Times…
For the second time this school year, Chicago families face an uncertain future as all schools close Tuesday — but this time it’s because of the coronavirus outbreak that has taken over life in the United States.
City and schools officials are making efforts to ease the burden on families in need, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot acknowledged Monday that it’s not yet clear whether school can resume at the end of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mandated two-week closure March 31.
“This is an incredibly fluid situation, which is an understatement,” Lightfoot told reporters after touring the district’s coronavirus command center. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself and predict what may be happening in April because as a matter of fact it’s hard for us to predict what’s going to happen one or two days in advance.”
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Today the Office of Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Education Association (IEA), the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), Illinois Principals Association (IPA), and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released the following statement:
These are unprecedented times, but we are all together with the goal of caring for students. Our organizations are truly inspired by the phenomenal cooperation shown across the state and encourage all of our members to be reasonable, creative, and generous while determining what’s best for our students in Illinois. ISBE has announced that these will be Act of God Days. To assist our members during this time, the leadership of the IEA, IFT, IASA, and IPA have prepared this joint guidance with the Office of Governor JB Pritzker and ISBE to be effective through March 30, 2020. As this is a rapidly evolving situation, subsequent guidance may be released.
From March 17 through March 30, all school district employees on the district’s payroll will get paid as if the schools were functioning normally, regardless of the district plans developed during this time. These school days will not be made up. All employees will get paid as if they did all the normal work they would have done if schools were functioning normally. Normal pay includes salary, hourly and stipend pay, benefits, and employees will receive full and normal service credit in their pension systems.
From March 17 through March 30, the employer can expect school district employees to participate in work activities in some form. The concrete details of the work, including stipend work, that will occur during this timeframe must be worked out through mutual agreement, but negotiations should focus on ensuring (1) continuity of education, (2) provision of meals, and (3) other student support measures as appropriate for each district. Public health and safety of students and staff are paramount, and to the extent work can be done remotely, it should be. Illinois Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations on social distancing and group gatherings should be adhered to. Employers should not require any more employees than absolutely necessary to come to school.
No school district can unilaterally change the use of benefit days. We encourage local collaboration on the use of benefit days and encourage ways to support anyone who is sick or is caring for a sick family member.
We acknowledge that the current law on teacher evaluation and Reduction in Force (honorable dismissal and layoff) remains in full force including all timelines and existing statutory language. If necessary, meetings and evaluation conferences associated with these statutes will occur remotely.
- Flapdoodle - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 11:14 am:
The NYT has an interesting piece today on a British study that shows deaths from the coronavirus peaking during the summer for both the US and UK, absent extremely aggressive intervention in both countries. Closure through March 31 is not extremely aggressive. We’d best brace ourselves for what’s yet to come.
- TAX CPA - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 11:16 am:
Hearing the same thing from others, Flapdoodle.
The school year is over.
- Perrid - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 11:20 am:
Are kids just going to graduate? Or if they are failing right now, fail without a chance to bring their grades up? How are schools going to account for not having 2-3 months of education next year, will it impact lesson plans because teachers need more time to go over what kids should have learned now?
None of that is criticism, we have to keep people safe, I’m just wondering what the heck is going to happen.
- Downstate - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 11:33 am:
I feel sorry for the seniors. What an inauspicious way to conclude their high school career.
- Anon - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 11:44 am:
I would not put much credence into any modeling for another couple of weeks. At that point, testing will be more expansive in the US. That will reduce some of the many uncertainties in the model. (I don’t know the status of testing in the UK, but other countries like South Korea have not tested a significant percentage of their public).
- Pundent - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 11:46 am:
All indications are that China was able to flatten the curve by taking extreme measures over several weeks. Things are returning to normal.
My advice, relax, do your part and realize that this too shall pass.
- Dear Prudence - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 11:56 am:
It will pass, Pundent, but it’s going to be a while before it does. Suspect that schools will be out for four weeks, if not longer.
As for China, I still don’t entirely trust what they have to say about numbers, the curve or what is actually still going on there.
- Ms. Crabapple - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 12:01 pm:
The nation’s over-regulated, over-testing, over-homeworked K-12 system is about to be tested itself. There’s no room for a 2 day delay in teaching to a test, let alone two months.
- Steve - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 12:10 pm:
Now is the time to start thinking about the next time a virus shuts down the system.
1)Money has to be invested in remote learning.
2)High school students should be able to take most classes online.
3) A food delivery system/service for low income students has to be ready when schools shut down.
- A Guy - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 12:14 pm:
Might want to rethink this. If they don’t count, why bother doing them?
- Pundent - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 12:17 pm:
While I also don’t trust what I hear from China, I do have more confidence in the WHO and they are monitoring the situation. The Chinese reacted sooner and we’re still behind the 8 ball a bit. Not quite Italy but could be if we don’t take things seriously. A 4-6 week disruption is not unrealistic.
- Unstable Genius - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 12:31 pm:
It’s great to see that State Government and Illinois public school educators are now acknowledging the existence of God in the classrooms. /s
- Cubs in '16 - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 12:34 pm:
===why bother doing them?===
Some teachers in our school district have said they will quiz/test students on the information they send home upon return to school (assuming that happens).
- Rabbit - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 12:34 pm:
Since when can the Governor override the OMA for local boards?
While the Open Meetings Act applies to all public bodies, the power of the Governor is limited to only suspend regulatory statutes prescribing procedures for the conduct of State business and orders, rules, and regulations of any State Agency and only if those orders, rules, and regulations hinder or delay necessary action, including emergency purchase, by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 1:08 pm:
Let’s see how things continue to develop over the coming weeks. The practical approach may be to cancel the current school year at some point and adjust the start of the coming school year as a result. We may be better off having the kids on break for the next couple of months and restarting school in Jun-Jul.
- JSS - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 1:53 pm:
===Might want to rethink this. If they don’t count, why bother doing them?===
Nice lesson to teach kids there, if you don’t get recognition for improving yourself voluntarily, why do it?
- Now What? - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 1:54 pm:
The ISBE is going to have to be flexible with their e-learning mandates. Remember, e-learning is for snow days, not weeks/months out of the classroom. Only 5 days can be used for e-learning. According to the ISBE, a daily grade has to be given and that’s just not feasible with long term e-learning. The Districts and Unions will work together to make this work, regardless of how long schools may be out. I can see a lot of “P’s” (Pass) being given.
- Suburban Mom - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 3:45 pm:
All parents I know assume our kids are not going back to school this year.
My district is acting as if families naturally don’t want to lose the instructional time, and are plunging ahead with pretty ambitious distance learning. But it is well-resourced, with nearly 100% of students with broadband at home, and was able to scramble to send home school devices with all students in 2nd to 4th grades. (5th and up all have school-issued Chromebooks.)
It’s a little overwhelming for me, it’s a lot of lessons to keep my kids on track with.
- Concerned Mom-not a teacher - Tuesday, Mar 17, 20 @ 9:36 pm:
I agree with Suburbab Mom - our school sent the students home with all of their books and other supplies. Yesterday the emails and mesages started with log ins, assignments and such. While I agree with some level of work for the students, it seems our school is planning an entire day. I should add that this is a private Christian K-8 school. Currently I am still at my office working so monitoring the school work is not possible until the evening. I am feeling overwhelmed to keep up with all of that.
Unsure of what will happen from here … I guess we’re all in unchartered waters.