UPDATED: What We Know About Fall Learning
Latest News on SFUSD Fall Learning Plan
The SFUSD Board of Education held a meeting on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 to discuss and approve the district’s proposed plan for the fall. The meeting lasted more than five hours, was attended virtually by more than 800 people, and included many comments and questions from the public and from Board of Education commissioners. You can view the plan here.
On Tuesday August 11, 2020 the Board of Education approved a Distance Learning MOU between United Educators. of San Francisco (the teacher’s union) and SFUSD that provided some additional details about the plans for fall learning. SFUSD has also published a Distance Learning Guide that summarizes some of the information in the fall learning plan and the MOU and and provides some tips and and resources for families.
You can read our summary of SFUSD’s plan below, first we will share updates based on the MOU and information from the City of San Francisco.
Here Are Some Updates Since We First Shared Information about the Fall Learning Plan
Amount of in-person instruction
UPDATE: based on the MOU with educators approved by the Board of Education on 8/11/20, teachers will provide 2 hours of “synchronous instruction/interaction, including but not limited to, whole, small group, and one-to-one instruction.” This does not mean that each student will necessarily receive 2 hours of “live” instruction per day.
School start-times and schedules
UPDATE: all schools were expected to send schedules to families the Friday prior to the first week of school. The MOU with educators says that “[t]eachers will be required to share their weekly schedules and planned subject matter.”
Grading policy
UPDATE: grading policy was not addressed in the MOU with educators. When the topic came up at a meeting of the Board of Education, it was explained that grading would follow the same system as it did pre-pandemic, unless the issue is brought to the Board of Education and the board votes on and adopts a different system. This means letter grades for 6th-12th grade students and standards-based report cards showing proficiency levels for TK-5th graders.
How often and in what way teachers are expected to communicate with families.
UPDATE: in addition to sharing weekly schedules with families, per the MOU teachers will also “[make] every effort . . . to schedule office hours/interactive instruction during the same times each week” and “regularly communicate with parents and guardians regarding a student’s academic progress and wellness consistent with established practices and procedures for traditional in-person learning.”
What options exist for families who cannot be present to supervise their students at home.
UPDATE: San Francisco’s Department of Children Youth and their Families has announced it will open “Community Learning Hubs” that may be able to serve up to 6,000 students. Initially these hubs will filled through focused outreach to the following groups: "HOPE SF, public housing and SRO residents; homeless youth; foster care youth; English language learners; and low-income families that are African American, Latinx, Pacific Islander and Asian. Registration will begin August 24, 2020.
Other interested families can fill out an interest form to be notified if the program is able to expand to serve additional families.
Some programs are operating to provide school-day support to kids of essential workers.
The DCYF website provides a list of programs that may be offering fee-based learning support or out. of school time programs for small groups of students (in line with the city guidelines)
Here is What We Know Based on the Approved Plan
Timeline
All students will start in distance learning on the first day of school, which is August 17.
When data and science—and state and county guidance indicate some in-person education is safe AND facilities are ready to accommodate students, SFUSD will move to a HYBRID learning model. This means some students will return to some amount of in-person learning.
We don’t know when this will happen, but school district leaders have indicated distance learning for all will continue until October at the earliest.
What Will Distance Learning Look Like?
There are new state law requirements for distance learning. You can see a detailed analysis of the law, SB 98 here. Some things required by the state are:
A minimum number of instructional minutes per day—about 4 hours for 1st-12th grade and 3 hours for Kindergarten. This could include independent work and does not mean students are expected to be online the whole time.
Daily live interaction with certificated employees and peers. This could be by telephone or online.
Content that is challenging, aligned to grade level standards, and equivalent to in-person instruction.
Access for all students to devices and internet.
Special education, related services, and accommodations required by an individualized education program.
English language development instruction.
SFUSD has said that there will be options for students to participate in digital as well as non-digital distance learning.
Digital learning will be through See-Saw for PK-2 and through Google Classroom for grades 3-12. Students will also use apps available through their Digital Backpack.
Non-digital learning may involve texts, packets, and other learning materials.
Even students participating in online learning may have access to non-digital resources as well.
Distance learning in the fall will be better than it was in the spring.
Superintendent Matthews acknowledges that in the spring, distance learning was “not at the level anybody wanted it to be”
Leaders point to several initiatives to improve the experience this fall.
There will be a “First 30 Days” curriculum for all schools/classes will focus on connection, how to “do” distance learning.
There will be more consistency in distance learning between schools. (example: MS and HS will have similar schedules between schools)
Teachers will have more professional development, shared curriculum resources, and access to “crowd-sourced” ideas for distance learning.
How Will Attendance Be Taken?
To be considered “present” students must meet one or more of the following daily requirements:
Participate in daily live interaction activities (like Zoom)
Participate and complete assignments on a platform like Seesaw or Google Classroom
Have 1:1 interaction with educators online or by phone.
Completion and submit assignments online or by using emails, photos, phone conferences or other systems if students can’t. get online.
How Will Students Get the Technology and Non-Digital Materials they Need?
Students can keep computers/hot spots that were distributed in the spring.
Students who need a device or internet access will receive them from their own school sites. This distribution starts on August 10 for Elementary Schools and August 17 for all other schools .
Non-digital materials will also be distributed through school sites.
The “Family Resource Link” will be expanded so both families and students can use it to get live help with tech and other issues. The link can be found here.
SFUSD has many FAQs and YouTube Videos in multiple languages explaining how to use technology.
When Will Students Return to In-Person Learning?
San Francisco must be off the county monitoring list for at least 14 days.
Facilities must be ready to meet the requirements for safe in-person instruction. This will mean each site has less capacity because of distancing requirements and changes will need to be made to comply with requirements like ventilation and access to sinks.
There must be custodial capacity to clean and disinfect open sites daily.
Agreements must be reached with teachers and other staff around safe reopening.
SFUSD leaders have indicated there will be no in person learning for anyone until at least October 2020.
When SFUSD Moves to a “Hybrid” Model, Who Will Return First?
There will likely be capacity for just 15,000 in-person seats when SFUSD shifts to a hybrid learning model.
Plans are not finalized for how hybrid learning would work, but SFUSD has indicated several groups of students who will be prioritized for in-person instruction:
Youngest Learners, PK-2
Special Education, focus Moderate/Severe Special Day Classes
Homeless & Foster Youth
Students demonstrating limited online engagement (engaged less than 60% of the time online in the spring)
Students who return may be at different sites than their assigned schools. It is likely that Elementary buildings will be the first to open.
SFUSD is looking into increased use of outdoor spaces, “park school” and city partnerships to increase access to in-person instruction when that is allowed.
Here are some safety protocols students and schools will need to follow when in-person learning is permitted.
How Will Families Get Information About Things Like Student Schedules, Expectations, and Assignments?
SFUSD has stated some goals for communication:
School site and central support leaders will engage stakeholders
Teachers will share weekly schedules and lesson content/assignments and communicate about child’s progress
Primary stakeholders will receive regular and predictable updates in a timely manner
We hope that there will be details in the Distance Learning Plan that set clear guidelines about what families can expect in terms of communications from school sites and teachers.
ParentVue and School Messenger (texts) will continue to be used for communications with families. Click the links to update your contact information if you are not receiving communications.
What Do We Know About Special Education?
Some information was shared at the July 28th Board of Education meeting. From what we understand:
School teams will begin to schedule meetings on August 10th to update IEPs in light of distance learning and create “emergency learning plans.”
SFUSD intends to have all meetings within first 2-4 weeks of school.
Not sure yet what 1:1 para support will look like in distance learning, but could be 1:1 online support in some cases.
Trying to be creative to meet IEP goals and provide FAPE (free appropriate education).
Here Are Some Things We Do NOT Know Based on The Plan
The hope is that once negotiations with labor partners are finalized, SFUSD will quickly release the Distance Learning Plan that contains more details. Some of the information we know students and families still are hoping to hear includes:
When school sites will be ready for hybrid instruction.
When Pre K sites will open in person.
When “non-priority” students will get in-person instruction.
To add your name to the interest list for Community Learning Hubs click here: https://www.dcyf.org/info