TVUSD Community Update

• Status Update - Decisions Regarding Expanding Learning Opportunities and Health and Safety Revisions
  
• State Testing/Assessment Update

Dear TVUSD Families & Staff,

The past thirteen months have been a whirlwind for our schools, our community, and in many cases, our personal lives. Little did anyone anticipate that we would still be reeling from the effects of COVID-19 and a global pandemic.

We continue to be impressed by the dedication of our stakeholders. From the student representatives in the “Superintendent’s Student Council” and our teachers, classified employees, and administrators who continue to adjust education as we’ve known it for so long, to our parents and community partners … everyone has gone above-and-beyond, time and time again over the course of the past year. Thank you!

As you know, the Center for Disease Control and California Department of Public Health adjusted the guidelines for social distancing just as we closed for spring break. As a result, we have remained busy working on details. Below is an update on our efforts to

expand learning opportunities and some health and safety revisions.

• Grades 6-12: We will be opening our campuses for students at the middle and high school levels to ‘merge’ cohorts and attend four days each week (if they would like), effective May 10th. Students can still opt to remain virtual or attend in-person learning only two days each week. Please look for follow-up, direct communication from your child's 6-12 school with more details and information beginning next week.

• Grades TK-5: The district and the association looked at several models for elementary education but could not come to an agreement on any of the proposals. As a result, both parties agreed to remain status quo. Please know that teams have considered many factors in making this difficult decision.

• Plexiglas in each classroom will now be optional in classrooms based on teacher preference, but individual students will have the option to continue to use plexiglas when preferred.

• We have stopped using the spray disinfecting in-between the morning and afternoon elementary cohorts. We are ‘on hold’ using the spray disinfecting at night.

Teams are continuing to plan for our anticipated FULL-TIME return in August. We are also gearing up for 5th-grade promotions, 8th-grade promotions, high school graduations, summer school programs, the launch of the Home INstead INnovation Academy in August, and the flexible learning options that will be available to high school students in the fall. While we all yearn for a return to ‘normal’ as fast as possible, there is a lot in the works to get us there.

As always, thank you for your continued support.

TVUSD Leadership Team

Each year in the Spring, our district provides the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) statewide assessments in English language arts and math to students in grades 3-8 and 11th grade. On March 16th, the California State Board of Education took the first step to give districts the flexibility to use the statewide assessments or district-selected assessments for the 2020-2021 school year. The California Department of Education (CDE), in partnership with the US Department of Education, then communicated that school districts should determine if administration of the state assessment is viable and provided considerations which included the amount of time schools have been providing fully in-person instruction and the capability of monitoring and proctoring the assessment remotely for students that have remained in the online learning model.

With these considerations, TVUSD has determined that administration of the statewide assessment is not viable; therefore, the California Science Test and the California Alternate Assessment will not be administered, and district assessments will be administered in lieu of statewide assessments for English language arts and math for grades 3-8 and 11.

The results of these local assessments will be provided to parents by teachers in the same manner that other assessment results are provided. It is important to note that there are many ways to measure student learning, and the spring test, whether it be the statewide assessment or a district assessment, is only one of them. It is not meant to tell the whole story, but when combined with other factors, like report card grades and teacher input, it creates a more complete picture of a student’s performance so that families can partner with teachers to address unfinished learning in the months ahead.

Email: lboss@tvusd.us
Website: https://www.tvusd.k12.ca.us
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TVUSD