Proposal to leave Wednesdays open for planning voted down
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On Tuesday, the Montgomery County Board of Education spent more than five hours discussing details of a plan for the fall semester before making its final decisions — with no major changes to what was proposed.
Citing its focus on “flexibility and compassion,” school board members unanimously voted to pass the plan, which has the school district’s 166,000 students learning from home until at least February because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But concerns about the late finalization of the plan — six days before the academic year begins and the day after teachers reported for a preparation week — came up toward the end of the conversation when board member Jeanette Dixon floated the idea of scrapping live instruction on Wednesdays.
The goal, she said was to make way for more teacher planning and professional development time. Dixon’s idea would have ensured that on one full day per week, students would learn independently while teachers focused on learning how to better support them in a virtual format.
The approved plan allows for teacher planning and independent learning for only part of each Wednesday.
Teachers have said they need more dedicated time to learn how to teach well virtually. On Tuesday, MCPS staff members said teachers’ will have about 50% more planning time than they did before virtual learning began.
None of the other seven board members supported Dixon’s idea. Some said it was “too late” to make major changes to schedules.
“I fear the repercussions of making such a significant change this late in the game,” board member Karla Silvestre said. “Schools need plans they can implement today or tomorrow.”
After Dixon’s proposal failed, the fall plan passed unanimously without any major changes from what the school district unveiled gradually in recent weeks.
Superintendent Jack Smith did not participate in Tuesday’s school board meeting because his mother died on Friday, according to Deputy Superintendent Monifa McKnight.
In previous meetings, Smith had said that if local health conditions improve dramatically in the fall, and local health officials say it is OK, students might return to classrooms sooner than February.
In a message sent to community members last week, MCPS leaders wrote that they are working with local health officials to determine if special education students and English language learners can receive some instruction in person.
Neither point was addressed during Tuesday’s meeting.
Student schedules
Elementary school students will begin their days at 8:45 a.m. with a 15-minute “student preparation” block, during which students “get ready for the day,” according to school district leaders.
Then, there will be a morning class meeting and daily English and math lessons. There will be time for special subjects (like art, physical education and music classes) each day, while science and social studies will be taught every other day. Wednesday afternoons are reserved for independent learning and teacher planning time.
Several short breaks are built into students’ daily schedule, along with a 90-minute break for lunch. The student day ends at 3:15 p.m.
Middle and high school classes will also begin at 8:45 a.m. with 15 minutes of “preparation” before live classes begin at 9 a.m.
High school students will have their first- through fourth-period classes on Mondays and Thursdays, and fifth through eighth periods on Tuesdays and Fridays. Each middle school will decide whether to follow the same model, or have first-, third- and fifth-period classes on one day and second-, fourth- and eighth-period classes on the other.
A lunch break is scheduled every day between 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The student day ends at 3:30 p.m.
On Wednesdays, middle and high school students will have optional 20-minute “check-ins” with their subject teachers. They will also spend time learning independently.
Schools could choose to have a more relaxed approach to the check-in times, allowing students to meet with teachers whenever they have time during the day. But, the schools would need to figure out how to ensure there are not scheduling conflicts if they take that approach.
Technology
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, MCPS has distributed more than 108,000 Chromebook laptop computers to students, according to MCPS staff members.
MCPS Chief Technology Officer Pete Cevenini said more than 49,000 new Chromebooks were distributed to elementary school students in the past week. The new Chromebooks have touch screens to help young students work better with their online classes.
Teachers have received new Chromebooks, as well, Cevenini said.
Other staff members will receive the new Chromebooks when a new shipment arrives, Cevenini said, citing a national backlog in technology deliveries to school districts across the country.
But, Dixon said many educators don’t believe the Chromebooks adequately support their workload.
Highlighting MCPS’ $2.8 billion budget and a recent infusion of money from federal coronavirus relief funds, Dixon urged Cevenini to “ask for whatever it is you need, because we have the money.”
“Don’t let anybody tell you we can’t afford it,” Dixon said.
Cevenini said school officials are confident the Chromebooks are adequate and, even if MCPS wanted to purchase different technology, it likely wouldn’t be delivered for several months.
Zoom protocols
MCPS staff members reiterated on Tuesday that students will not be allowed to have virtual backgrounds during online classes.
Some educators and community advocates have said forcing students to keep their cameras on during classes and not allowing them to use a digital background is unfair. The backgrounds would mask students’ surroundings and avoid exposing inequities, they said.
Cevenini told Bethesda Beat last week that the school district explored the option of a universal digital background, but “the technology at this time does not allow us to do that.” It could also complicate teaching, Cevenini said, because educators couldn’t display anything on white boards or bulletin boards behind them.
On Tuesday, Cevenini elaborated, and said the Chromebooks that the school district issued to students does not allow for virtual backgrounds at all. So, allowing virtual backgrounds could actually create inequities, Cevenini said.
“It would create a disparity where if someone could afford a laptop, they could have (a virtual background), so we turn it off for everyone,” Cevenini said.
Classes will be recorded and stored on an MCPS server for three days, then will be automatically deleted.
Families can fill out a form indicating they do not want their children to be recorded. Those students will be allowed to turn off their cameras and microphones during class.
But, Cevenini said, he fears those students “won’t receive as rich of an instruction.”
McKnight, the deputy superintendent, said the school district has received legal advice that it is allowed to record classes in Maryland, which generally requires that all parties consent to recording.
Past Bethesda Beat coverage of the MCPS fall plan can be found here, here, here and here.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@bethesdamagazine.com
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