Board Approved E-Learning Day Program

WHITE RIVER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
WHITE RIVER VALLEY ADOPTS E-LEARNING DAY

PROCESS Date: January 28, 2020
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY


The School Board of Education adopted a new E-Learning Day program at last night’s board meeting that goes into effect immediately. E-Learning days have become popular across the state for use to help with weather-related and emergency school cancellations. White River Valley’s new policy was a result of examining best practices across the state with a focus on maximizing our teacher face-to-face instruction time with students while keeping in mind that only 60% of our student’s homes have internet capabilities. The plan helps address these issues, while allowing school officials the flexibility to utilize postponements effectively.
White River Valley will use all scheduled snow days for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year and the entire 2020-2021 school years. These days have already been board adopted as part of the school calendars. After all of these days have been used, the E-Learning day program will go into effect. (So, for example, we still have three unused snow days left for this school year. We will not use E-Learning days until those days have been exhausted.)
Once all snow days have been used, the following procedures will go into place.
1. The superintendent will announce that school is closed and that WRV will be using the
E-Learning Day program. The E-Learning Day WILL NOT TAKE PLACE on the day school is cancelled. With only 60% of the homes having internet capacity, we will schedule an E-Learning day weekend two weeks down the calendar. The date will be announced with the school cancellation date. This will give the teachers 10 days or so to plan relevant lessons within the scope of their curriculums.
2. Teachers will post assignments by 3PM on the Friday of the E-Learning weekend. This way students will have an opportunity to download lessons and assignments BEFORE leaving school on Friday.
3. By planning the E-Learning time in advance, teachers will have plenty of time to give students meaningful and purposeful learning assignments, not random packets of worksheets. Building principals will monitor teacher assignments with guidelines of 30 minutes per subject.
4. The Indiana Department of Education rules require that the school have a way to monitor attendance. There will be a google classroom questionnaire posted from every teacher that will require students to take the questionnaire as proof of attendance. Students may do this between 3PM Friday and 8:30AM on the returning Monday. Again, students would have access before leaving on Friday and after returning on Monday, so not having home internet access won’t hold students back.
5. Students will have until the end of the day the following Wednesday to turn-in any assignments for the E-Learning Day. That will give students three days to get any questions answered with the teacher. School officials and teachers are pleased that the Board is allowing us to move forward with this type of E-Learning day program. The goals of the program will help us to do the following:
1. The E-Learning days would eliminate the possibility of having to return to school after Memorial Day;
2. Teachers will get to maximize face-to-face classroom learning time with students through our built-in calendar school days before losing class time.
3. Teachers will be able to create “meaningful and purposeful” lessons that would fit into the proper schedule with their current classroom curriculum.
4. Students will have three school days to get assignments completed.
5. With only 60% of the district’s PK-Grade 12 homes having internet access, we believe
this program will give E-Learning days purpose...rather than loading students with busy work.