Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Education hearing on remote learning

Video is online here
Chairs Senator Jason Lewis and Rep. Alice Peisch at the State House (and masked); all others participating remotely
Peisch opens: oversight hearing: to inform the committee, the Legislature, the broader public
to inform work on rest of year and next
note difficulty of situation we are; "no roadmap on how to handle this"
thanks teachers, parents, and staff "who have been patiently educating Massachusetts's students" since schools closed
Lewis: thanks colleagues, invited panelists
since mid-March, "audacious experiment in remote learning"
acknowledge efforts and struggles in making change "literally overnight"
"we know it has not been easy"
daughter who is a junior has faced a variety of challenges
laptop, internet, quiet space, two parents home, speaks English as her first language
"many, if not most of our students, do not enjoy these benefits"
have an obligation to provide an education for our students, nonetheless
"we must ensure equitable access to high quality remote learning" to all students

Secretary Peyser
thanks educators: remarkable efforts and have gotten a great deal done in a short period of time
Governor has established a reopening report
schools will not be part of that: main focus on "more real term next steps"
Commissioner has put together education group; what school will look like in the fall
"return to school buildings will require stringent protocols"
"all of this will likely affect what instruction looks like as well"
"remote learning will be a much larger factor" in the fall
even if we return, have to be prepared to go remote again
"remediation and accelerated learning, starting this summer if not sooner"
address infrastructure gaps to support online learning
"rich online learning system"
ID flexible yet practical responses in operating in a continuing public health emergency
given fiscal restraints in the coming year, will not be easy
administration working together with local districts

Commissioner Riley
thank educators, staff, and "especially the parents who were thrown into this unexpectedly"
update K-12 in midst of unprecedented school closure
four phases of closure
you've heard this before...starting with feeding students
"remote learning essentials initiatives" to identify and address lacks of access
"a list of helpful resources...partnership with WGBH"
"reinforced with districts that remote learning is not necessarily online learning"
reading lists, work packets, project based learning
collaboration with MASS, MASC, AFT-MA, MTA, charter school association, PTA
pursued additional waivers through legislation and regulation
and he's running through all of them...
unprecedented interruption
"enhance and apply (?) their remote learning plans" during Phase III
focus on teaching content standards for being ready for next grade level
plus moving all students towards "successful engagement" particularly looking at students who may be disengaged or only sporadically engaged
technology and connectivity: established a team to address connectivity challenges; has conducted a survey of superintendents on internet connections as well as individual students
looking at using federal funds, setting up a grant fund, or working with companies on provision
NO! This is NEEDED FOR EDUCATION. We PAY for this.
CARES Act: in line with Title I, 10% state set aside will go to districts that usually wouldn't receive; all will receive at least $20,000
P-EBT: to eligible families in addition to district meals
mental health supports
multi-tiered systems of support
pilot expanded interpretation program
MCAS competency alternative path
career tech education: working with MAVA and educators; coordinating on technical licensing
Phase IV: what school could look like when we re-enter
crucial that it be done now
work with health experts, key stakeholders
looking at other countries' and states' plans: physical distancing, sports and extracurricular, scheduling, mental health supports, masks,
development of plans for extended school closure and learning loss
"vital that we do our best to engage all students in remote learning"
plan to collect data from disengaged students, outreach strategies, internet and device challenges
recognizing class of 2020

Lewis: concerns about learning loss, particularly for students with special needs
and plans for extended school year
Riley passing to Johnston: have been working with advocacy community, parents, educators
doing the best we can to meet the needs of students with disabilities
will need to work as well we get back
Johnston: very early on defined two models of special education services
low-tech: resources and supports, packets and communication with families
higher tech: instruction and services: teletherapy and video instruction
important to name both models as we're doing both
resource guide
tailor models to disability type
awaiting further advice on what type of reopening might be possible in July
need to wait to see what the decision is for health and safety of students and staff
"need to plan for remote instruction...but be ready for in-person instruction if that becomes possible"

Lewis: online access across the state: could you say more about that?
bulk purchases? reimbursements for technology?
Riley: immediately recognized at start of process that there would be challenges with technology
"perhaps even more than 9% of our kids don't have regular access to internet"
15% don't have sole access to a device
$50M statewide to solve some of these issues
DESE is primarily a pass-through agency; "we don't have access to large numbers of dollars to fix that"
"may need additional support of Legislature" will be approaching with estimate in the coming days

Lewis: synchronous versus asynchronous teaching?
burden of teaching young children
Riley: have seen in the field some concern early on that they didn't have enough to do, then heard it was overwhelming
have asked districts to find middle ground
"has been an ongoing process to find the right amount that children can do"
are putting an undue burden on parents
districts ongoing work on finding middle ground
Peyser: learning a lot now for next year; better positioned for next year to make things more manageable for families
"toggle from one modality to another" is more normal operating procedure
need to be proactively thinking about what happens next year

Peisch: committee has heard from an unusually high number of parents
"extraordinary variance across the Commonwealth"
"we know that has always been the case" thus the Student Opportunity Act
variance within the district, within schools
"not something that will go away on May 18 or the end of June"
what can we do "given the local control model we have" about that?
How are we going to measure what has or hasn't happened this year?
Riley: think we do well because state sets standards, local control determines how to get there
"in a situation like this, it can be challenging"
state guidance does mitigate somewhat
do think districts need to assess the children: engaged, disengaged, intermittent, need intervention
have asked what districts will use for assessment early on
AS PER USUAL as districts often assess in weeks three and four
talking with companies to assist districts that don't already have some system
Peyser: strong interest in districts in wanting to work with state in preparing for next year

Q on MCAS competency determination

Q out of district special education day schools: tuition being paid
are services being provided by special education day schools?
Riley: concern around continuity of services, so payments
online work is not the same services as face-to-face setting

Q technical resources for summer and fall beyond remote learning page
Riley: will be putting out guidance around summer learning
"great robust" resources for fall

Q school meals: would stricter requirement on community eligibility allow additional access to funding?
Riley: districts do well are finding kids; did tap into federal flexibility
always room for improvement
Riley thanks everyone for their patience and their hard work

Tom Scott, MASS, and Glenn Koocher, MASC
Scott: nothing easy about retooling the way we teach and learn today
"if there's one consensus that we all feel right now it's that we all miss the brick and mortar environment" and face to face interaction
and "educators are exhausted"
initial call was assumed to be short-term
hundreds of messages among superintendents during first few weeks
capacity varies greatly by districts
needs varied widely as well
coordinating curriculum across schools
debating fairness of what all students should have access to
"one major takeway has been just how inequitable our education system and students support systems really are"
districts have distributed thousands of Chromebooks and other devices, other hotspots
"where online is not available...remote learning packets"
vary across schools and classes
student attention span and home conditions
teachers home conditions
"we are getting better at delivering" but more lies ahead
great variability among parents in what they want and what they need
"don't think we're ever going to reach that satisfactory point for all"
recent survey among Lexington parents: 80% were satisfied, 20% were not
in discussing things across the country: hear the same struggles that we're all feeling
concern in burnout of faculty
"how do we plan for remote learning for the summer and the planning for the new year"
"remote learning is going to be a part of this for the time being"
how to plan for learning gaps, and how to assess difference in learning outcomes
"what are the resources that will be available for us in FY21...our needs will only be greater"
"we are doing the best we can, we will continue to do so, and we'll learn along the way"
Koocher: everyone is having the same kinds of problems
"everyone is in great distress"
"can't be regulated...it's in control of itself"
"those in the know don't know"
"I want to look forward and talk about planning ahead"
We do have some experience that may apply to this
Blizzard of '78; Prop 2 1/2
want to be foresighted in looking beyond next four or five months to next eight to ten years
"arts are in peril...arts are under appreciated"
student social-emotional well-being
technology out there is not as user-friendly as it should be
concern among families with students transitioning: grade 6 to 7, 8 to 9
preparing for college
kids are losing physical education, "they're being distractions"
"more people have elected to retire...we're going to lose some more people that way"
budgeting is a key responsibility: "This is a very dreadful situation"
"concerned about losing our best people"
concerned collective bargaining pre-virus, advising not to go beyond one year
encourage putting together: very good video and remote learning tools
"may have to think very very careful the volume of testing" and timing of testing
focus on diagnosic strategies
children safety net: "more than ever need to be invited inside the schools"
provide health and support services children and families need
praises "unprecedented collaboration" of state with others

Peisch: if there are Legislative fixes, let us know
anything specific that would be helped by Legislative action?
Koocher: with regard to the pandemic, no; other issues, yes
Scott: educator timelines, school improvement plans
"mostly technical issues"
"what's burning up my line is how to deal with FY21...the budget is a daily conversation"
echoes Koocher on collaboration with state
keep communicating what thinking is going on
"I do think we're going to get better at this as we go along"
Koocher: Berkshire Education Task Force work; small and rural districts

Lewis: Q municipal economy and revenue
resources needed and for what
Scott: meeting of superintendents and business officials tomorrow to discuss
"some of the more experienced expertise of whatever reality we have in store"
some communities have built a budget on 25% cut; more extreme
level service budget or 5 or 10%
"what's going to happen...we likely won't have anything concrete until July...what do we do in this interim period?"
"this may require reduction in force...we may see a loss of personnel"
"who do you think about that? How do you deal with that?"
very painful
children who will have lost learning; great variability in that
systems for identifying that, ways to address those gaps
"this is going to be broad-based"
what kind of resources are going to be needed to opening of schools?
statewide need for PPE? transportation "for children who currently are sitting three in a seat"?
"we have schools that don't have nurses...it seems to me, we're going to need a nurse in every school"
going to be costs in this

Peisch:
sense of order of magnitude of students without adequate access to technology
Scott: Gateways..."have loaned out to all of the kids these devices"
not all of them have!
"where there are areas that we do have great needs" some provision has been needed
some concern about those coming back
"it's a problem"
flipping the switch, having them do it at home, too many obstacles
Koocher: around the country: as many as one in four has some lack in access


panel from Beverly Public Schools
parent: two boys, 6th and 3rd grades; parents working full time from home
for 6th grade: "their level of engagement has seemingly been above what I would consider their normal form of engagement"
daily opening online class
signed up to receive a weekly email on what assignments are
"I think the level of work has been normal"
teachers are very accessible
"it was very helpful that he was able to pick up his iPad, very early on"
3rd grade: slower to get online
class twice a week for 20 minutes
completes daily assignment pretty quickly, have him reading more
"overall, we feel he could be getting a little more"
"haven't been as regimented in completing" specials, but have been made available by district
survey sent out to parents and students to provide feedback
business and technology teacher: not a book on how to educate effectively during a pandemic
looking back, district has been forward thinking in preparing students for the unknown
district's ability to leverage technology; high school has been 1 to 1 for ten years
first priorities were connecting students emotionally, creating lists of students who were missing, comparing who was missing entirely or just one class
face to face online to alleviate anxiety
"my door is still open" even if not in person
daily office hours, weekly faculty, professional development weekly
high school students overseeing younger students
high school students going to full time work (grocery stories, babysitting)
online connectivity is an issue: balance of synchronous and asynchronous learning
numerous disappointments with each wave of cancellations; "help them grieve their loss"
teenage angst is real, "now in extraordinary circumstances"
one of the keys has been letting students see "the whole me"
seeing that it was hard for me, too: dog, toddler
wife had to be on her emergency call, so I had to reschedule
"as much as they have let us all in their homes, they have been in mine"
principal: shout-out to all the students in Massachusetts
"they helped to make our state a safer place"
"Beverly Keeps Learning" website created for all families K-12
resources provided
grade level work
"developmentally sound and developmentally"sensible
"zones of regulation" explicitly teach of self-regulation
use the zones to help children check in during class meetings
direct district meetings and recorded instruction; blended approach
project-based learning that is continuing now
what works well for one student may not work for another
teachers are tracking student input and contacting families if students aren't engaging
"organized a district task force to ensure every family has internet connectivity"
"schools that create warm, welcoming places to learn"
"schools are fundamentally built on relationships"

Q from Lewis: networking of educators
online, Google meets, Facebook groups
Q from Peisch: sense of parents of delivery of remote education?
A: "very easy to use" once we got it going
few people have spoken with feel similarly
"tech savviness" of families
"does speak very well to the work of the district doing before the schools closed"
Peisch: parents' appropriate role, struggling with doing own job plus educate their kids

Revere panel: superintendent Dianne Kelly
had day of teachers and principals meeting on remote learning
key in fostering collaboration since then
tech team quickly collecting and distributing devices
getting food to students
set up website for remote learning access
asynchronous learning online with some paper distributed
have tried to limit paper with concern over contact and use of buildings
but for some students is only way for them to access learning
sent draft of remote learning plan to students, parents, teachers and invited feedback AFTER plan was first developed by stakeholders
redrafted after feedback received
students have week to do material with extensions as that focuses on student competency
class meetings online but not required; teacher portion recorded
as low as 20% and on up in participation rates
special need and EL students largely integrated in classrooms
when possible breakout rooms and concurrent meetings for support
substantially sub-separate: one to one or small group settings; can be tricky due to confidentiality
work to schedule annual and three year review IEPs first; hard part is in person assessment for intake
homeless students; delivery of meals
no access to internet; "leaves them completely disconnected academically"
"really worried about a spike in this population" of the pandemic
one to one programs at high school and one other school for some time
already had 2600 devices out; gave out another 1700 in first weeks
vast majority have been able to connect remotely
focused on getting device to a device to every family
gave out many that are close to end of life
"worry about condition when they come back"
worry about what we do if we come back and we have no devices
thinking that this feels like a good opportunity for a bulk purchase and a one to one program for every child (for the state)
trade-off of using CARES Act funding for maintaining staff in budget cut year or to replace devices
over 1600 meals a day between breakfast and lunch
recruited volunteers for delivery for families that may not be able to get out or may have someone ill
"of course we have students and staff who have lost family to COVID"
families who have lost jobs
can't closely observe changes in students, and no longer have staff to intercede for them as they generally would
teachers miss providing real-time feedback; don't have some sense of who's getting it, who's not
"just can't read the room"
engagement is challenging: teachers have sick parents, their own children at home
grouping: fully engaged (60% or more) partially (30-60%); not engaged (less than 30%)
"it's woefully low" but it's part dealing with the pandemic
80% engaged regularly, but only 50% have maintained that
summer work: students need, but teachers are so exhausted
worry about health concerns of children who are vulnerable
Don't anticipate having much in cost savings this year
offered an early retirement to bus and support staff, hedging may need less if don't open as usual
working with transportation
concern with next year is drastic transportation increase: separate kids
cleaning costs will go up with need to deep clean
may eliminate transportation for older students
parents "are settling in"
parents concerned that they will fail as parents due to their students' lack of success
"this is not a problem for spring of 2020"; will be true for some time
told parents that the most important thing is to take care of themselves and their families
bright spots are starting to show themselves:
students coming back more often
working more closely with colleagues
parents' support with academic tasks
all families having access to internet
trying new instructional approaches
reading and writing over listening and thinking means new kids shine
better connection with families
"important to rethink what we consider typical"
"interrogate accountability structures" like MCAS, days of school, tying grades to age

Lewis: serving students in different languages
Kelly: four major languages; close to half of students speak Spanish at home
"have been providing materials in all languages"
"we already had about fifteen full time translators on our staff" when schools closed

Peisch: how much exposure to technology did students have prior to closure?
Kelly: instructional technology classes from first grade up
ample technology for classroom use upon closure
No more day and night, weekends; always on, "and it's not sustainable"

Rural districts panel
parent in Colrain (Colrain Center School is part of the Hawlemont School District)
"difficult, emotional, humbling" to be a parent educating children now
satellite service only for online access; email, banking only
made decision to increase service to highest amount available at considerable cost to provide what children need for school
"this did not happen"
twice weekly classes, download and upload, and participate in chats: don't have bandwidth for it
"it is devastating for to realize that I cannot make this happen for my kids"
sit in a parking lot of several hours every day of the week is not sustainable
shuffling our kids for online access for their education
"because of where my husband and I have chosen to live, my kids are paying the educational price at this time; this is not right"
one child is challenged with reading online
teachers are living the same lack of internet nightmare we are as well
"I have good well-adjusted kids"
put my all into being the best parent I can
has changed the family"safe space: the dining room table"
"this is the place closest to my heart"
has changed this space
would look different with high speed internet
would still have child meltdowns with high speed internet but would have more equal access
Hampshire Regional science teacher
are called on daily to adapt to changing needs of our students
five towns in region range from suburban to rural; internet access is sharply uneven
extra layer of complexity to entirely new way of teaching and learning
materials copied for students who don't have online access; then are dropped by an administrator
students then have the week to do their work
"we desperately need support from the state if we are to continue this into the fall"
social-emotional supports, technology, transportation
best way for teachers and students is to increase teacher autonomy across the state
Colrain Central School principal amy Looman:
serves just over 100 students grades PreK-6 (Colrain itself is 43 square miles)
"to say that remote learning in our district has been a challenge is an understatement"
no broadband, much does not have cell service
about 40% of homes in Colrain don't have video conferencing or remote learning capacity
still had snow on the ground, and "yes, internet is weather dependent" here
cars lined in school and library parking lot for remote hotspots
requests for hard copy packets has increased each week
families aren't alone in this struggle; teachers are facing the same
1/4 of teachers are working in their cars; teachers using tools and platforms for which they've received little training "and they're not complaining"
"under normal circumstances, families are placed on waiting lists, sometimes for months" for mental health services
51% are somewhat or very concerned about their children's mental and emotional well-being
"a greater gap between those who have and those who have not"
80 students being provided with meals now
meal distribution check-in briefly with families
what happens when school gets out in June? usually don't feed kids over summer
how will we pay for it
"far too many children are being left behind, simply because they live in hill towns"
no longer about inadequate internet access, "it's fundamentally about leaving kids behind"

Peisch: thank for hard work each is doing
Lewis: have hammered this home for us
have this image now of a teacher in their car trying to teach or a student trying to learn
"the extraordinary steps you're going to"
Q: doing what you can in the immediate crisis: what are the midterm or longer term solutions that we need to be supporting?
Loomis: Colrain (town) has been working on broadband access "and it's coming"
rural homes didn't have electricity; "solid internet access is the equivalent in this day"
appreciate that remote learning isn't online learning, but experience of children is very different having that connection
science teacher: heard it would take three years
"would encourage as soon as possible"
"this is long term thinking for us"
parents: nighttime is when parents are available to help their kids (and so when some schoolwork is happening)

Chad d'Entremont, Rennie Center
"ask the difficult question of what happens next"
have started to develop a back-to-school blueprint
trauma-centered practice for students
must address learning-loss
alternative educational options
"facing a new frontier" as much of this was designed to take place in a regular school building
needs adaptation to do in a virtual space
must ensure all students have access to technology
additional time and resources for planning a coordinated statewide effort
guidance for parents, vision for educators
Q: thoughts on internet access in rural parts of the state
recognizing that we have a digital divide "should not be a necessary result of the pandemic"
they use phones in other countries

and adjourned

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