Meeting the Needs of All Students When We Return to Learn-Part Two

Last week we discussed academics and the research of extending the school year. As a recap: the scholarly research suggests the effect of adding days to the school year is minimal. At the same time, we need to keep our options open, because there may in fact be some utility for extended instruction next year; at least for some of our students. All of this is of course in an effort to make up for lost learning. 

Very simply stated, some of that lost learning consists of concepts that weren't covered in the spring. For other [students] we are concerned with regression, or the idea that some skills might have been lost. If you have ever heard the term 'summer slide' that is precisely the concept we are grappling with during our extended closure, or in this case the so called 'COVID slide'. This is one of the many facets our instructors will be faced with when students return in August. The model below attempts to forecast that slowdown in learning by juxtaposing the scholarly research we have about summer slide, and then extending it to include this closure. 

The Forecast

This forecast and briefing has been published by NWEA. The NWEA is a reputable educational research organization, so when they publish papers they are informative. At a minimum they allow us the opportunity to generate conversation. Their briefing, published on April 20th uses statistical modeling to forecast the potential impact of school closures as a result of COVID-19. It uses modeling from known summer slide studies to make these predictions.

Collaborative for Student Growth: The COVID-19 slide: What summer learning loss can tell us

Dr. Megan Kuhfeld and Dr. Beth Tarasawa

First, it is important to understand exactly what this is we are looking at and what it isn't: It is a forecast model of what might happen. Sure, it's based on statistical analysis but it is important to remember that it is a forecast. Kind of like the weather, it is dependent on a number of variables. So, what does it tell us? Well, as an initial observation, it is based on a national projection that impacted 55.1 million students. Think about that for a moment. 55 million students were out of school this spring. Virtually every school in the country was shutdown and didn't return to school before summer. Remember the hashtag, #We'reAllInThisTogether? Indeed we are. It is important to keep that in mind when we start to worry that our students are behind. Behind whom? Our students are not behind. They are in the exact same position as every other student in the United States. The fact of the matter is, this wasn't just schools in the United States that were impacted either. This was essentially a worldwide shutdown of schools. 

In both charts, the two 'Y' axes are illustrative of the school closure due to COVID-19 (to the left), and the traditional last day of school (to the right). Each solid line shows typical student learning. You should note that the decline from the traditional last day of school accounts for what is known as the summer slide. The two dash lines that begin at the time of closure represent both a slowdown and a slide.

Mathematics appears to be forecast to have the greatest impact whereas reading suggest more stability. I could speculate about why I think that is, but won't do that here today. Another interesting observation is that students in upper grade levels appear to be impacted less. This would suggest to me that over time, this slide can be mitigated and corrected. That is good news.

So the question the becomes, what do we do with this? Check out Part Three of this series, which will be published next week.

Meeting the Needs of All Students When We Return to Learn-Part One

Schools all around the nation are preparing to reopen and resume classes this fall operating under a 'new normal', where the questions we ask often lead to more question with fewer answers. We don't know yet whether all the students will be in attendance, or if we will at some point in the school year be forced to implement remote learning, or a hybrid model of learning where not all the students are in attendance at the same time (or any multitude of other scenarios). We are planning for all of these contingencies. The number of issues to tackle in preparation for this fall are numerous and complicated. One of the biggest and most critical of problems to solve is how to make up for lost learning. This is our primary mission and the core of our entire operation. An understanding of what was missed is a good place to start, but even that muddies the waters when considering learning that may need to be reviewed after such a long break. 

But in order to get to crux of this question, it first important to understand what learning needs to be made up. We can begin that examination quite simply be considering which essential learning skills were not taught. In our case, we missed almost a quarter of the school year (eight weeks to be exact). While teachers can evaluate lessons to see what wasn't covered, we also need to consider whether or not a particular skill was introduced, developed, mastered, or advanced. The necessary level of skill development helps us determine how we might best approach remediation. At the same time, we need to pay particular attention to the fact that not every student will need the same level of instruction. Or even have similar skills that need attention. Because of these factors, a certain amount of personalization will be necessary. For that reason, a one size fits all solution does not sound reasonable. 

Academics and the Research on Extending the School Year

While the school start date of August 23rd was waived this year paving the way for schools to start earlier if they so chose, very few Iowa schools have decided to take advantage. While on its face there are significant financial hurdles to adding days to a school calendar, from an academic standpoint there is an even more important point: it is unlikely to work. 

First, think about this concept from a purely objective point of view. Our students missed almost a quarter of the school year. There is no way to fit 8 weeks (in our case) of instruction into a one or two week period. It's impossible and defies logic. Second, lengthening the school year is not supported by scholarly educational research. Educational researcher John Hattie has found that adding days to a school calendar only has a .23 effect size on academic achievement. Effect size is a statistical measure of standard deviation and the larger the effect size, the larger the impact would be on the population. 

The good news is that we know what works. A comprehensive Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). This means we tailor instruction to the needs of our students using an ‘on time model of remediation’. Not all students are going to need the same remediation at the same time over the same material. According to Hattie, this type of support system has an effect size of .73. Coupled with interventions, the annual impact on a student’s achievement could be has high as 1.29 standard deviations. To put that in perspective, a one standard deviation increase is typically associated with advancing student achievement by two to three years. 

(John Hattie, Visible Learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta Analyses Related to Student Achievement (2009), p.7

At the same time, we need to be clear that we haven’t completely shut the door on modifications to the school calendar. It is possible we could decide the length of the school year needs to be extended: but would it make more sense to add those days on to the back end of the calendar as opposed to the front end? When hopefully we have a much better sense of how the pandemic is impacting society? Or when we know how much and what targeted instruction is necessary? Additionally, we could determine that it makes sense to lengthen the school day—but maybe that doesn't need to happen until second semester. The point is, until students return to school and we start working with them, we really don’t know what they need. In any event, adjustments to the academic calendar should only be made when we have a clear picture of what we would do with that time and a way to demonstrate it truly is a value added benefit for students.

Return to Learn

I apologize for pushing today's blog post out as a text alert, but thought it prudent to share with you the results from the recent family survey. I realize you must be beginning to suffer from survey fatigue, but your input is critically important to us as we plan for the return of students in August. I'll also remind you to please take the time to complete the technology survey that was recently sent out. This might be the most important survey we administer this summer. 

First, thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. With 196 responses, from a statistical standpoint this would suggest reliable results. The raw data set runs 26 pages and the opinions you shared are at times as varied as the number of participants. On one hand, strong opinions exist that the entire shutdown related to COVID-19 was an overreaction, while others are firm in their resolve that we must take strong action to ensure student safety when resuming classes. As you might imagine, this means the decisions we make moving forward will not please everyone. 

One commonality exists as it relates to remote learning is that it isn't an ideal way to learn. On that point we can all agree. Beyond that point, there is a divergence of opinion as to whether or not we provided enough instruction, or in some opinions too much instruction. Many parents indicated that remote learning was too much for them to handle and balance their own careers. Along that same theme was the idea that it was very difficult for students to remain engaged and motivated to complete their school work. An added challenge was the differing platforms that were being used by classroom teachers for communication purposes. Many mused that engagement likely suffered due to the fact the learning model was voluntary. Students didn't feel they needed to do the work since it didn't count for anything. (Important side note: 87.16% of Iowa public schools completed the school year with voluntary continuous learning programs.)

While 99.5% of the respondents indicated they had internet access, technology seemed to be an additional challenge. Multiple devices on home networks tended to tax bandwidth capacity beyond it's limits from time to time, making it difficult for students to access the material they needed at the same time parents needed to work from home. Another challenge indicated by some was a lack of devices to serve the needs of everyone in the household. Additionally, the learning platforms used by teachers wasn't always uniform across grade levels, which created some frustration and difficulties for parents trying to help organize learning.

When considering what families would like to see moving forward, the most common and prevalent theme was for students to be back in classes as normal this fall. On that point we can all agree. The three greatest concerns as it relates to schools reopening include: My child being exposed to COVID-19 (47.19%); Bringing the virus home to a medically fragile or elderly family member (25.9%); childcare issues (15.3%). The top three considerations for making you feel safe for your child to return included ensuring we had personal protective equipment (59 responded this was most important); frequent sanitizing of highly touched areas (49 responded this was most important); and rounding out the top three was requiring physical distancing in classrooms (48 responded this was most important). 

Return to Learn

We share your desire for students to return to school as normal as possible this August. At this time we are planning multiple contingencies for reopening. Those plans are fluid, and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Right now we do believe school will open on time with students on campus. Perhaps that is my optimism showing through, but it is truly what I believe. We also recognize that a lot can and will change over the course of the summer that may require us to modify our plans or take additional mitigation efforts. It is important to first understand that we are still operating under the governor's emergency proclamation. Once that expires, we expect to receive specific guidance as it relates to the reopening of our facilities. The Return to Learn plan for Hudson consists of three basic parts. 

Onsite Learning: This is 'normal school', with all students in attendance. Needless to say, this is the preferred option for everyone! We are being optimistic in our planning and assume we will reopen as normal for the start of the school year. However, as a first step this does require the governor to lift her emergency orders and allow schools to reopen. Right now, all our buildings remain closed through June 30th. July 1st is when we anticipate reopening the remainder of our facilities for student activities. We expect to receive guidance on how that process is to unfold. It is safe to assume we will need to institute some mitigation efforts as part of our reopening. What those mitigation efforts include continues to be discussed and debated. There are a few things that are easy: hand sanitizing stations for each classroom have been ordered and should be here and installed by the time school starts. We can also beef up our cleaning procedures, disinfect school buses, etc. Checking temperatures of students and quickly isolating those with a fever; limiting visitors to the buildings: all of these mitigation efforts are relatively easy to implement. However, when it comes to requiring face masks, students eating lunch in their classrooms, how we move students from one place to another: those movements require much more thought and deliberation. It was very evident from the survey we sent out that there are very strong feelings on both sides of this issue and how we should proceed. Further, it is a bit premature to determine what mitigation is necessary.

Hybrid Learning: We are also planning for the possibility that we may reopen our buildings, but must do so in a carefully orchestrated manner with fewer students. The options for this model of learning are numerous and infinite. Think about how many businesses in Iowa are currently being allowed to operate: with only 50% capacity. In our world, this might mean certain grade spans of students are attending classes here in the building while other grade spans are attending remotely. It could also include all students attending part of the week and then buildings being closed for more robust cleaning. Another way we are thinking about hybrid learning is for students that have underlying medical conditions where it may simply be in their best interest to attend school virtually while their classmates attend in person. Multiple models are being considered daily, but this work is incredibly complex and the answers don't come easy. 

Required Virtual Learning: This spring schools in Iowa had to change the way teaching and learning occurred overnight. We went from brick and mortar classrooms with students and teachers actively engaged in onsite learning to virtual learning with no training for our teachers on how to make such a shift. This summer, our teachers are sharpening their skills in this type of learning environment and we will be better prepared because of these efforts. The fact is, we must be ready to launch remote and virtual learning with little to no warning. If this does happen, our model of continuous learning will be required. Attendance will be taken, grades and credit will be awarded, and teachers will be delivering instruction. Additionally, our entire fleet of computers has been replaced this summer and configured to work outside the school network. Our plan will include the deployment all the devices in grades 3-12 (which would be enough for every student in that span to have their own device). For grades K-2, we also believe that we have enough devices that we can probably get them to families that need them. In the feedback you provided us, you indicated the volume of emails and that uniformity of platform was at times overwhelming and perhaps a bit frustrating. To solve that, we will utilize and require teachers in grades K-2 to use SeeSaw, 3-6 will use Google Classroom, and 7-12 will use Canvas. While there is no doubt our remote program will be light years ahead of what it was this spring, we realize that nothing can replace the value of fact to face instruction. Further, it would be a fools errand to attempt (and not the goal) to replicate the regular classroom experience in a virtual setting. 

If  you have any questions or concerns that I can address, please reach out. While we are all anxious for a quick return to normal, it is important we take the time to make the right decisions as opposed to the quick decision. In education we live in a world of proactive thinking and detailed planning with analysis. Unfortunately because the situation continues to evolve, it requires us to be more cautious and deliberate in how we move forward. 

Look for the Silver Lining

The last time I wrote a blog that didn't have anything to do with the COVID-19 pandemic was on February 27th, when I wrote the article, 'There are no Gradebooks at Work'. In the 13 week interim, there have been an equal number of posts providing you with updates, communication regarding our learning program; heck my graduation speech even leaned heavily on the new world we find ourselves living in! Sure, there have been hopeful messages, and last week we even talked about the return of high school summer athletics. But for the most part it has been all coronavirus, all the time. This week, even though today's post once again is dominated by the verbiage of a pandemic, I wanted to take a different approach. Look for the silver lining.

During our shutdown, we have been making steady and significant progress on our Phase III construction project. When our students were last here we had planned on finishing the demolition of the current elementary office and converting it to a classroom over spring break. You may remember during parent teacher conferences when we temporarily relocated the elementary office to the old preschool classroom? The whole idea was to move up this portion of the project to give our contractors additional time to complete their work over the summer construction season. We knew this summer was going to be very tight so it was important to provide as much flexibility as possible while realizing a short term inconvenience in our daily operations was a small price to pay. I remember when I gave the go ahead on this portion of the project and being very clear: you have one week and one week only. If I only knew then what I know now! Then, when the four week shutdown was announced I granted permission to move ahead with the next part of the project. In this case that included  the removal of the exterior wall that joined the new addition with the old. The caveat, once again was that they had to make sure it was finished in four weeks because we were planning to reopen school again before the end of the year.

Needless to say, our schools didn't reopen this spring. But it did provide us with valuable time in which to keep our project moving forward. As I walk around the district now and monitor the progress that is being made I do wonder, how on earth would we have managed to get all this done over a very tight and unforgiving summer construction widow? I have no doubt that it ultimately would have come together, but it would have been a punishing and grueling process!

In this photo to my right, I am standing just outside the doorway of the middle school auditorium looking back through the new addition. To my left is the new 'grand staircase' that leads to the competition gym. The ADA compliant stairs allow a large volume of traffic to enter and exit the gym after events. At the same time, this space could serve as an extended learning space with the classroom teacher standing at the bottom facing the stairs. To the left and out of view is an accessible lift for those who have difficulty navigating the stairs. Immediately behind the contractor is the new concession stand. In the distance you can see the main entrance to the facility. I'll save a photo from the other direction for another time, I kind of want to keep the view from the entrance a surprise!

Finally, this photo below depicts the competition gym. While not technically part of our renovation project, it is something that we had been hoping to address this summer. What you see in this photo is the demoltion of the bleachers. A big thank you to the booster club for handling this aspect of the project! Over spring break we replaced the lights in the gym. Obviously we are planning to replace the bleachers, but before that happens we'll be painting the gym.