EAST UNION COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

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EAST UNION SCHOOL UPDATE 7/7/2020

 

Good Afternoon Eagles! I wanted to follow up with a message from a few weeks ago about the RtL and school plans

this fall. ​Schools all around Iowa are preparing to reopen and resume classes this fall operating under a 'new normal',

where the questions we ask often lead to more questions with fewer answers.

 

So let's get this question out of the way: we plan to start school with students in attendance at our brick and mortar

buildings as scheduled on August 24th as originally planned.

 

We will not be extending the school year. You may ask how will we be making up for the lost learning? We do

realize we lost approximately 8 weeks of learning. 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. From an academic standpoint

adding days 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 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.

 

So what will we do? We do know 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.

 

At the same time, we need to be clear that we haven’t completely shut the door on modifications to the school

calendar. What does that mean? We don’t exactly know what's going to happen as we move forward. 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.

 

If for any reason you are overwhelmed, anxious, and even frustrated. Truth be told, we all are. While the cliches are

becoming automatic responses, it is fitting to once again state the obvious: there is no blueprint with which to do this

work. It has never happened before.

 

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I first want to point you to the ​Return to Learn​ section which soon will be on our new website and encourage you to

bookmark it, as it will be further updated throughout the course of this summer. This page contains a number of the

resources we have been using in our planning. The fact is, we don’t know yet what this fall is going to look like when

school starts. All of us hope our return will look similar to how it has looked in prior years. But, we need to prepare

for the reality that it might not. Truthfully, as we embark on the 2020-2021 school year, it is important that we be

prepared for a whole host of disruptions.

 

Our Return to Learn Plan (RtL) is built on the premise of ‘asynchronous learning’. Simply stated, it is based on the

idea that we are equipped for students to learn material at different times and at different locations. Sometimes

referred to as ‘location independent’, our plan is designed in a way where we can switch seamlessly from on-site

traditional learning to remote learning with little advance warning.

 

Here you will find a plethora of documents that hopefully will answer your questions: how teachers are preparing for

the school year, what mitigation efforts our schools are employing (coming soon), and what is the difference between

hybrid and remote learning. You will also find quick and easy access to a ​summary document of our plan. Keep in

mind this is designed to be a living breathing document. Admittedly a lot of what we have been discussing thus far is

conceptual in nature. That's because conditions continue to change and the guidance we are receiving is fluid. As we

get closer to the start of school more details will emerge.

 

Right now, some details are sparse for two primary reasons: we are still learning, and a lot can change between now

and August 24. What we know today, almost two months in advance of the start of the school year, is likely to be

very different a month from now. While we are applying the lessons we learned this spring, we still certainly have a

lot yet to learn. One critical missing piece right now is a description of the mitigation and safety procedures that will

be in place for the start of the school year. We hope to have concrete steps in place by the end of July, but right now

some of the guidance we are receiving is contradictory.

 

We will communicate with our families and community as soon as possible with those decisions. In the coming

weeks, our districts will be sending additional communications with further details to our school districts’

stakeholders. Again, thank you for your continued support of our school districts. Please know that we will continue

to collaborate with each other to support our East Union Community.

 

Our intentions based on our Return to Learn plans were to return under the least restrictive environment possible. We

will implement what is feasible, practical, acceptable, and tailored to the needs of our community. The health and

safety of students, families, administrators, teachers and school staff will continue to be our number one priority, and

we will continue to rely on public health experts to inform all decisions made.

 

 

 

Sincerely,

Ken Kasper

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