On student work in Worcester

Please note that this is a Worcester-specific post; however, the state guidance at the end does apply to all of Massachusetts.

I'm still getting plenty of messages about some...interesting expectations going out to students here in Worcester, so just to clarify on what is what, here is the pertinent passage from Superintendent Binienda's email to all staff from Wednesday, March 25, which has not been superseded at this time:

The WPS District team and the EAW have been working on an agreement for work expectations since Monday, March 23 through this afternoon. Due to the announcement this afternoon by the Governor to delay school reopening to May 4, the EAW and the District decided to meet again after DESE sends updated guidance on student learning expectations. Therefore, we agreed to encourage all staff to continue what you have been doing currently with students, conversations with principals, and contact with families. 

I do want to clarify once again a few points:

• Teachers will only grade student’s work submitted by March 12, 2020.
• At teacher’s discretion, late work may be submitted.
• Teachers should not be sending students assignments and deadlines for submission at this time.
• Only Dual Enrollment Early College teachers should be requiring student assignments and grading

As you may know, the state issued guidance to districts on Thursday after Governor Baker announced that schools will remain closed through at least the beginning of May. I recommend reading it all (and I hope to do a longer post just on that), but for now the pertinent passage there is:

To the extent practicable, teachers should provide feedback on student work completed at home. That said, if districts and schools have not already implemented policies regarding credit-bearing courses (determining credit for academic work at home), we strongly recommend that academic content be graded as “credit/no credit” so as to incentivize continuous learning while acknowledging the challenging situation we face. Non-credit bearing courses, such as those for elementary and middle school students, could incorporate other incentives to keep students motivated to continue their learning. 

Before moving forward with any determinations of “no credit,” we strongly urge districts and schools to consider whether the students have had equitable access to learning opportunities during this closure, keeping in mind the variety of technology, health, disability, and language challenges that could occur.

Worcester has not, as yet, had the "thoughtful planning period" called for in the Department's call for the creation of the "remote learning module," so that is, as yet, not moving forward.

I'll also continue to stress that the state leads with this:

• The safety and well-being of students, families, and staff has been and must continue to be our top priority as an educational community. We are focused not only on physical health, safety, and nutrition, but also on social-emotional and mental health needs, which could intensify during this time. 

• This crisis disproportionately affects our most vulnerable students in terms of their physical and mental health, as well as academically. Equity needs to be a top consideration in local planning efforts, especially as districts and schools make plans to manage an extended closure. To support these efforts, DESE will issue further guidance on how best to support special populations, including students with disabilities and English learners. 

• Maintaining connections between school staff and students is paramount, particularly for the most vulnerable members of our school communities. These connections will provide natural conduits to guide districts and schools in addressing students’ specific needs.

We need to be absolutely focused on student well-being right now, and we need to be hyper aware of the systemic inequities.