Continuity of Learning Plan

To: BFA/NWTC Parents and Students

From: BFA/NWTC Administration

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Dear BFA/NWTC Community:

This coming Monday, April 13th, NWTC, and BFA will start our continuity of learning plan as instructed by the Governor and the VT Agency of Education. In order to facilitate this process, students and families need to be aware of some common changes and support for students. During the past three weeks, teachers and students have been meeting to maintain their learning, and we have found that over 95% of our students are able to contact our school via electronic means. For those who lack access to high school courses through the internet, we are determined to find multiple ways to support learning.

Our intention with this document is to outline the common student expectations across the school. Each teacher is using either Google Classroom or Unified Classroom to organize their instruction for the students. Along with these common expectations, teachers will have additional requirements which will be communicated to their classes. We have asked each teacher to design four, two-week instructional blocks for their classes to help pace the students in their learning. In the instructional blocks, teachers are trying to design instructional time that, on average, will take 120 to 150 minutes per week per class.

If you have further questions, please feel free to reach out to your teachers.

We hope you are all safe and healthy,

BFA/NWTC Administration

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Building Access

Our custodial staff has been working endlessly to sanitize the entire BFA/NWTC buildings. Parents and students have asked about entering either of our school buildings during the COVID-19 stay at home order from the Governor. We feel it is best that buildings are not accessed at this time, both as a physical distancing measure and as a sanitation measure.


Student Locker Access

We are looking at least a month before we can start getting things back to students. Currently, we are designing a process that will be safe for all to gather their belongings.

Student Support

Please reach out to your student’s school counselor for any needed support. Counselor contact information, including a link to book appointments, can be found on the BFA Guidance Website here. Additionally, information about community resources is available on the BFA Guidance Website here. 

Continuity of Learning Guidelines

Starting April 13th, 2020

Student Engagement


Teachers have set up Google Classrooms or Unified Classrooms to help facilitate engagement, organization, communication, and work completion.

In order for students to receive a grade, they must remain active in their classes. Therefore, we need to define “being active” and have some common attributes across all classes. “Being active” will be reflected in the self-directed score for the class. Teachers will be allowed to determine, using their professional judgment, if a student is “active” in their class based on the attributes. 

The list below contains indicators teachers may use and clearly communicate to their students, so they understand the expectations of their teacher on what they need to do to be considered “active”.


Indicators for Self-Direction for remote learning:

• I view the mini-lessons for this class.
• I complete and submit the learning activities.
• I reach out to my teacher when I have questions or need help.
• I use feedback from my teachers to improve my learning.
• I am a positive member of my remote classroom community.

Scoring and Reporting Guide
Semester and Year-Long courses 

NWTC courses will stay with their scoring guide.

Credit awarded: Students who show sufficient evidence of achievement (either at the time of the progress reports or by the end of the year) and continue to participate during Remote Learning will receive credit and their earned score of 2.5 or above.

Incomplete (INC): The following situations will result in an INC on the student’s transcript. These students will have an opportunity to attend remediation after the school year.

• Students who had a composite score between a 1.5 and 2.5 at progress reports and did not participate during Remote Learning to improve these scores, OR

• Students who showed sufficient evidence (2.5 and above) of achievement at Progress Reports and did not participate during Remote Learning.

• Students who have been participating in remote learning and still have below a 2.5 will receive an INC.

3’s and 4’s: Students who choose to maintain/improve their current skills to above-standard and who continue to demonstrate sophisticated levels of achievement during Remote Learning will continue to be scored according to BFA’s scoring guides.

Credit Denied: If a student has below a 1.5 on their progress report and has not participated in remote learning to bring up their score, a CD (Credit Denied) will appear on their transcript.

Classes that require a higher score to move on to the next level can set their minimum standard for progression (i.e., Spanish II progression to Spanish III)


Attendance

The Agency of Education has directed all schools to take attendance. We have developed the procedure below. This procedure is meant to be flexible and individualized, depending on the student’s circumstances.

• Teachers will take attendance in Powerschool.

• Students must make contact with their instructor each day the class meets (schedule below). For example, you could attend a video meeting, submit an assignment, ask a question through e-mail, chat on Google Classroom, or have a phone call, just to name a few.

• Daily attendance for a student will be ‘counted’ by attending at least one class.

• Every Friday, students are to meet/make contact with their advisory teacher.

Schedule

The “Green and Gold” Schedule helps facilitate scheduled time for teachers and students to connect. Students may engage in activities on Zoom, Google meet, video lectures, virtual discussion sessions, or individual check-ins with teachers via email or phone.

• It is not the expectation that students are doing work or are always available throughout the day during the Green and Gold scheduled times.

• We know that students are providing childcare, working, and have others in the house competing for internet connection.

• The schedule offers a structured time when a teacher could pre-schedule a meeting with their class without running into the periods that others may be meeting.

• If the schedule helps a student stay organized, then they can follow it.

• It will be up to the individual teacher to determine the format and communication with the students.

• Daily attendance will be taken in accordance with your scheduled classes for the day.

Our intent is to be flexible around student’s needs; however, recognizing the importance of remaining active in their classes.


GREEN (Monday and Wednesday)

8:00-9:30 Faculty collaboration

9:30-10:30 Period 3 Classes

10:30-11:00 Advisory

11am-12:00 Period 1 Classes

12:00-12:30 Lunch

12:30-1:30 Period 5 Classes

1:30-2:30 Period 7 Classes


GOLD (Tuesday and Thursday)

8:00-9:30 Faculty Collaboration

9:30-10:30 Enrichment/Office Hours

10:30-11:30 Period 2 Classes

11:30-12:00 Advisory

12:00-12:30 Lunch

12:30-1:30 Period 6 Classes

1:30-2:30 Period 4 Classes

FULL SCHEDULE FRIDAY (Advisory Check-in will be determined by advisor. Flexible time for students to connect with teachers throughout the day)


Packet Distribution by Mail

Students who have been identified as needing hard copies of work due to no internet access or academic support plans will receive the work via the US Postal Service. There will be a deposit bin placed at the cafeteria entrance at BFA for students to drop completed packets. Once a date has been determined for drop off, students will be notified.


Progress Reports

Progress reports are available on Powerschool.

Teachers recorded a snapshot of each student’s grade as of March 17, our last day of in-person instruction. If you cannot log into PowerSchool to please contact bfatech@maplerun.org and they will help you get access to PowerSchool.

Other Information

Finding Teacher Contact Information Visit the BFA and NWTC website and click on the “menu” in the upper lefthand corner and select the green staff icon for a listing of teacher’s emails and phone numbers. Currently, all voice messages are automatically forwarded to the teacher’s email accounts.


We will be following the school calendar for the rest of the year.

No School, April 17th: Teacher In-service day.

April Break: April 20-24