AISD prepares to go remote

By Donnie A. Lucas

Teachers and administrators were scrambling earlier this week to prepare alternative forms of instruction after local schools shut down due to the Coronavirus.

While the schools are closed for the next two weeks, students still need to keep up with instruction that they are missing during the time classrooms are closed to students.

Teachers are still working between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. daily to change the delivery methods of their curriculum.

Secondary System

“Just because students are not coming to the school, we are still required by the state to provide instruction,” secondary principal Edward Morales said. “We are just having to change the delivery platform.”

Morales said that grades 7-12 will primarily receive assignments online through the use of Google Classroom, which most students are familiar with and which to some extent is in use by a majority of teachers.

Secondary educators spent most of the day Tuesday brushing up on their online access skills, even preparing an initial assignment that requires a response by parents.

“Students should have received an assignment on Tuesday for each of their classes asking a parent to complete a request form,” Morales said. “When parents complete the form and provide us with an email address, they will then be included in all notifications in Classroom about assignments. This is a way for parents to be included in the process.”

A daily or weekly “digest” of assignments by class will be available to parents who have requested to be included. However, parents will still need to have their student show them individual assignments and whether they have been completed and submitted for grading.

“We aren’t able to give parents full access to everything the student sees, but it should be enough of a summary of assignments from each class for parents to monitor what their student is accomplishing,” said career and technology teacher Kevin Hill.

Teachers will be setting due dates for each assignment, which must be submitted or turned in on time.

Morales said that there will be a master copy of assignments by each teacher in the office if a paper copy needs to be made for students without internet access.

“We will provide the same content to students without the internet through paper copies,” he said. “It will be the responsibility of the parents to come by and pick up copies at the office.

It was noted that the secondary campus operates several internet “hot spots” within about a 300-foot radius of the campus that students can access at any time.

“If a student doesn’t have service at home, they can come up to the school and get on the WiFi from the parking lot to download or upload assignments,” Morales said. “Teachers should be getting their assignments posted by Wednesday (yesterday), so students and parents should look for them as quickly as possible.”

The principal said that students will be held responsible for completing assignments and turning them in the same as if they were in class. Teachers can impose their usual penalties for work turned in late or not at all.

Elementary Plans

Teachers at the elementary campus were also being instructed in the use of Google Classroom.

Nancy Smith Elementary School principal John Gallagher said that the NSES staff met several times during the week to continue planning for long-term closure.

“On Thursday and Friday, we will have a staging area in the lobby, and parents can come through the circle drive to pick up  their students’ work,” said Gallagher. “Some of our teachers are telling their parents a specific time, but basically, you can come through any time from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.”

The principal said that Chromebooks will be distributed this week to students in fifth and sixth grades along with instructions and assignments to complete by hand.

“We may give out Chromebooks to fourth graders later on, but we will look at that down the road,” said Gallagher.

The assignments handed out this week should be brought back completed next Friday, March 27 when parents pick up the next set of papers.

The communication program already being used by the NSES staff, Bloomz, will see even more action in coming weeks, as teachers utilize it to let parents know what is expected.

“We encourage parents and students to reach out on Bloomz if they have questions or concerns,” said Gallagher. “We know this is not ideal, but we’re going to make it work, and we’re going to do the best we possibly can to continue educating our students.”

Adjustments in the distance learning plans may be made as needed and if teachers decide there are better ways to help students learn.