Fall 2020 Reopening: Considerations Requested

by the Pennsbury School BoardJuly 30, 2020

Athletic Health and Safety Plan RevisionsPhase 1: August 3-7 (1 week)

Low Risk: Practice

Moderate Risk: Modified Practice Only

High Risk: Conditioning

Phase 2: August 10-21 (2 weeks)

Low Risk: Practice

Moderate Risk: Practice Only

High Risk: Non-Contact Practice

*There remains significant concern about high risk competitions (i.e.: football). The plan above allows the Board to process the next three weeks before their meeting on August 20th. At that time, they can decide whether to approve moving beyond Phase 2.

Athletic Health and Safety Plan RevisionsThere are no contests prior to the 8/21 date.

Football was scheduled to have a scrimmage on 8/22 which will have to be cancelled.

The following week has multiple golf and tennis matches due to their condensed seasons:

Golf 8/24, 25, 26, 27

Tennis 8/24, 27 28

Traditional In-School Learning Plan

● All students in school every day.● Pennsbury curricula will be used.● Student work will be graded using regular grading procedures.● Classrooms are arranged to provide maximum distance between desks (i.e.:

3 ft. or more)● When furniture and space permits, desks/seats will face the same direction.● Masks will need to be worn during change of classes at all levels and when 6

feet of social distance cannot be maintained.

Hybrid Learning Plan(2 days per week in-person)(3 days at home for remote work completion)

● This plan reduces the number of students in classrooms, hallways and on buses.

● It ensures meaningful connections between teachers and students.● Students are divided into two groups, with half coming to school on Mondays

and Wednesdays and the other half coming to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Hybrid Learning Plan (Cont’d)

● Students will remain at home on Fridays for remote instruction. This will be a combination of live support (synchronous) and independent work (asynchronous).

● Certain student populations with specific educational needs could potentially attend more frequently.

● Classrooms are arranged to provide maximum distance between desks (i.e.: 6 feet) where feasible.

● When furniture and space permits, desks/seats will face the same directions.

Hybrid Learning Plan (Cont’d)

● The teachers would manage content delivery using developmentally-appropriate learning management platform.

○ Grades 6-12 will utilize Canvas.○ Grades K-5 will utilize Google Classroom.

● There will be an expectation for professional staff to provide weekly opportunities for synchronous instructional opportunities.

Pennsbury SD Reopening Consideration (Plan B) - cont’d

Full Remote Learning Plan

Students remain at home full time and participate in remote instruction. This will be led by a Pennsbury teacher and will include synchronous (live video-instruction) with asynchronous (self-paced) activities plus regularly scheduled virtual office hours when students will receive assistance from a teacher and/or additional staff members.

1. Students will engage in virtual learning from home with instruction and support from a teacher.2. There will be a dramatic increase in the amount of live teaching with set times for direct engagement in a virtual class setting.

Full Remote Learning Plan (cont’d)

3. Set office hours will be established for students to receive additional support from a teacher and/or additional staff members.4. Teachers will utilize rigorous, standards-aligned Pennsbury curricula which should ease any transition back to face-to-face instruction.5. The teachers would manage delivery of Pennsbury curricula using developmentally-appropriate learning management platforms:

-Grades 6-12 will utilize Canvas.-Grades K-5 will utilize Google Classroom.

Full Remote Learning Plan (cont’d)

6. Purchase of additional digital resources to support virtual learning is planned.7. Assessments and teacher feedback will continue to be a regular part of learning and coordinate with the current Pennsbury grading system.8. Student participation and attendance is mandatory and expected for all days and classes when in session.9. Students will continue to have access to all aspects of being a student (activities, sports, clubs).

Full Remote Learning Plan (cont’d)

10. Students with specialized learning needs will be afforded a team meeting to address the potential need for specially-designed supports.11. Use of a District-issued device will be provided, if needed.

*A transition opportunity to in-person instruction may be offered to families for the second semester, depending on conditions.

Partial Day Options● Both the college model for high school and the half day

Kindergarten option could occur concurrently, given projected transportation staff and time considerations.

● Increased transportation costs and the need to acquire buses and equipment make it impractical to consider the entire district on a partial day option. Runs would overlap, causing an increase in the need for buses and drivers.

Partial Day Options ● The college model requires one group of high school students to

attend school from 7:30 to 10:00 a.m. That group would leave the building and a equivalent number of students would report from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The estimated transportation cost of this option is $2760 per week.

● Kindergarten could follow a similar schedule with one group attending in a morning time slot and the next group attending in the afternoon. The estimated cost of this option is $1800 per week.

Partial Day Options (cont’d)

“Hands On” Only Option● There are 92 high school courses which include labs and other content which

is considered “hands on.” These courses are included in many departments including Applied Engineering and Technology, Art, BCIT, English, FCS, JROTC, music, physical education and science.

● There are 9763 requests for these courses for the 20-21 School Year. (approximately 4900 per semester), impacting all high school students throughout the year.

● This option prioritizes largely elective area courses over core courses in English & Mathematics, both of which are tested on Keystones, a current requirement for graduation.

● All science courses are included in this option, also tested on the Keystones.

All K-6 Students Attending ModelTotal Teachers

Enrollment 15%-20% Over 10 or 3 buildings

Teachers needed for

virtual

In-person Teachers

K-5 = 183 4400 660/880 66/88 26/35 148-157

Gr. 6 = 33 826 124/165 41/55 5/7 26-28

● Please note on average the number of students per classroom is only 3-5 students less when spread over 10 elem and 3 MS buildings

Side by Side Additional Staff Needed (Slide 1)K-5 Grade 6

Total Staff 183 33

Total Students 4400 826

Virtual Students @ 15/20%

660/880 124/165

Virtual Staff Needed (Avg. 25 student in classroom)

26/35 5/7

In Person Students 3740-3520 702-661

In Person Staff Remaining 148-157 26-28

Side by Side Additional Staff Needed (Slide 2)K-5 Grade 6

Avg. Class size -in person 25/23 26/28

6ft Social Distance allows only 10-14 students max per classroom

Reduces class size by half so would need approx another 148-157 teachers

Reduces class size by half so would need approx. another 26/28

We would look to reassign and redistribute students when possible to reduce that number. The last slide shows only an increase of a total of 120 K-6 teacher. This could be an underestimate based on parents deciding to keep child in school

All K-6 Students With Additional StaffDegree Salary Benefits Salary +

BenefitsAdditional K-6 Staff

Total Cost

Bachelor Step 0

$49,628.00 $19, 851.20 $69,479.20 ~120 $8,337,504

Master Step 0

$54,137.00 $21,654.80 $75,972 ~120 $9.095,016

Please note that cost could be higher if more students opt into this model and 6 ft social distancing in place based on square footage of available classroom space.

Opportunities and Challenges of All K-6 Students Attending

OPPORTUNITIES CHALLENGES

● All K-6 students 4 days a week● Daily contact with teacher and

peers● Increased instructional time

● Deciding on who gets bussed to alternate location - unintended consequences

● Students being reassigned to a different teacher

● Complicating the already different “normal” school day

● Students losing sense of connection to home school and teacher (elementary)

Sample Instructional Day

8th Grade Social Studies 3 WaysPlan A: Fully in Person

Plan B: Hybrid RotationPlan C: Fully Online

Synchronous Asynchronous● Same Thing● Same Time● Same Place● Doesn’t have to be

an in-person Lecture

● Any Time● Any Place● Same Concepts● Shouldn’t be “Busy

Work”

Both are essential parts of good modern day instructional practices and are key to differentiating

instruction to meet the needs of all students.

Teaching Process in 5 Steps: All Can be Sync or Async● Content Creation and Delivery

○ Teacher makes/uses resources to deliver information● Formative Assessment

○ Figure out how much students know about the information

● Multiple Learning Paths○ Multiple activities for students to work with information

● Feedback○ Teacher reviews progress, meets with students to give feedback

● Product Creation○ Student makes something or performs to show what they know

Typical 8th Grade Social Studies Unit

● Chapter 5: The Spirit of Independence○ Section 1: Taxation without Representation○ Section 2: Building Colonial Unity○ Section 3: A Call to Arms○ Section 4: Moving Towards Independence

● Typically 10 Middle School Class Periods○ 44 Minutes x 10 Days = 440 Total Instructional Minutes

Chapter 5: The Spirit of Independence

● “Lecture” / Notes Minutes = Already Recorded○ Section 1: Taxation without Representation = 27○ Section 2: Building Colonial Unity = 24○ Section 3: A Call to Arms = 25○ Section 4: Moving Towards Independence = 24

● Total “Lecture” / Notes = 100 minutes○ 440 - 100 = 340 Minutes Remaining

Chapter 5: The Spirit of Independence

● Start/End of Periods = 8 Minutes/Day○ 8 Minutes x 9 Days = 72 Minutes

● Questions = 10 Minutes/Day○ 10 Minutes x 9 Days = 90 Minutes

● Final Assessment = 44 Minutes

● 72 + 90 + 44 = 206 Total Minutes○ 340 - 206 = 134 Class Minutes for Student Work

which is almost always Asynchronous

Plan A = Fully in Person (440 Minutes) ● Option for students to watch “Lectures” before starting

○ Take a Self Grading Quiz to do Enrichment Project■ Totally Asynchronous with teacher feedback sessions until

final assessment which is completed Synchronously

● Option for students to go over “Lectures” in person with the teacher Synchronously○ Students do choice activities and collaborative projects

Asynchronously with teacher feedback sessions○ Final assessment is completed Synchronously

Plan B = Hybrid Rotation (160 in Person + 240 Home = 400)● 40 less instructional minutes from Fully in Person

○ Hold a “Check in Meeting” Each Period Everyday for 5 minutes■ Synchronous check in, directions, and reminders

● Option for students to watch “Lectures” before starting○ Take a Self Grading Quiz to do Enrichment Project

■ Totally Asynchronous with teacher feedback sessions until final assessment which is completed Synchronously● Feedback can be during in person days and/or via

Google Meet Sessions on Fridays● Students working together to complete project can

collaborate virtually across Hybrid Rotation days

Plan B = Hybrid Rotation (160 in Person + 240 Home = 400)● Option for students to go over “Lectures” in person with the

teacher Synchronously○ Conducted during the in person days○ Students do choice activities and collaborative projects

Asynchronously with teacher feedback sessions■ Conducted during the at home days and/or in person days

● Students can collaborate with each other virtually■ Feedback can take place in person and/or during Google

Meet Sessions on Fridays○ Final assessment is completed Synchronously

Plan C = Fully Online (350 Minutes)● 90 less instructional minutes from Fully in Person

○ Make up time from Start/End of Periods (May need extra day)

● Option for students to watch “Lectures” before starting or own their own during scheduled class time○ Take a Self Grading Quiz to do Enrichment Project

■ Totally Asynchronous with teacher feedback sessions until final assessment ● Feedback can be via Google Meet Sessions during

Office Hours and/or scheduled class time● Students working together to complete project can

collaborate virtually

Plan C = Fully Online (350 Minutes)● Option for students to go over “Lectures” virtually with the teacher

Synchronously○ Teacher shares screen via Google Meet or uses PearDeck○ Students do choice activities and collaborative projects

Asynchronously with teacher feedback sessions■ Students can collaborate with each other virtually■ Feedback can be via Google Meet Sessions during Office

Hours and/or scheduled class time○ Final assessment is completed Synchronously

All 3 Plans Provide the Opportunity to Fully Teach Curriculum● Different from Spring “Emergency Distance Learning”

○ Can’t expect students to complete everything Asynchronously ○ Plan B and C both provide specific Synchronous time

● Plan B and C are not ideal or easy for students, parents, teachers○ Will require learning and creating new things○ Miss out on vital components of Fully in Person instruction

■ More so for Fully Online (Lack of hands on experiences)

● Although not ideal or easy, they are possible given our current situation and the guidelines we need to work within○ The Right thing to do isn’t always also the Easy thing

Legal Concerns Connected to Special Education● If the District offers a virtual option for the entire student

population, the District still has the right to offer/recommend that children with disabilities physically come into school to receive their specially designed instruction. It is not discriminatory to merely offer.

● The district however, cannot mandate that children with disabilities physically come in to school. This is where discrimination would come into play. Parents of children with disabilities have the right to choose the same virtual option that is available to nondisabled students.

Special Education Consideration

Over 2,200 IEP’s would potentially need to be amended

● Special Education Teachers would be required to take part in the amendment of these documents

● Related Service Staff may be needed to partake in the process of these amendments

● These ten month professional staff return to work on August 26, 2020 with scheduled professional development August 26 thru September 3, 2020.

Difference Between Full Remote and CAP● Full remote meets the community’s desire for Pennsbury curricula provided by

Pennsbury teachers● CAP program delivers standards-based instructions provided by PA

state-certified teachers, but is expensive.● CAP is a cost-saving versus Charter School but is cost-prohibitive on a large

scale● Full remote model matches the end-goal of CAP initiative: Pennsbury

curricula provided by Pennsbury teachers● Meet community request for virtual learning with full remote before using

existing CAP program

Data-Staff #s by Level (Comfort w/ Inst. Strategies)

Staff Survey Data - All Responses

Staff Survey Data - Elementary Division

Staff Survey Data - Middle School Division

Staff Survey Data - High School Division

Staff Who May Exercise Medical Leave● Elementary School = 23 Teachers

● Middle School = 13 Teachers

● High School = 13 Teachers

How Can We Support Food Insecurities if Remote?● We would offer food pickup/distribution as we did April through June 2020.

● Work with Nutrition Group to determine locations. (PHS E & Pennwood, and

other sites as needed to ensure food access)

● Work with Nutrition Group and Administration to determine support for food

distribution.

Important Survey Information

Can We Start 100% Virtual?Challenges to Hybrid Model

● Match approximately 10,000 students with approximately 850 professional

staff members in 2 educational platforms.

● Potentially revise over 2,200 IEPs, plus 504 considerations

● Ensure all components of Health & Safety Plan are securely in place

● Design transportation runs as necessary

● Potentially need to fill multiple staff vacancies

● Transition four key leadership positions○ (Facilities, Special Education, Technology, Transportation)

Administrative Recommendation● Maintain Continuity of Education proposal as presented.

● Survey families from July 31st through August 7th.

● Begin school year in full remote model for 100% of the students.

● Begin A/B hybrid option for students on Monday, October 5, 2020, if

conditions are appropriate.