
D41 Remote Learning Days
Guidelines and Information
Dear District 41 Families, (clic para español)
I hope everyone is having an enjoyable spring break! Before we begin e-learning days again on Monday, I wanted to provide some details we have been working on related to the guidelines provided by the State of Illinois.
As of Monday, April 6, the learning at home will change from Act of God Days to Remote Learning Days. Remote Learning Days do count as instructional days and do not have to be made up. With this change to Remote Learning Days, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has put new guidelines into effect. Please read below to ensure you understand the changes and how we need to move forward as a district:
Attendance
Attendance will not need to be taken in the traditional way. Assignments that are given to students will act as the monitoring tool for attendance. Monitoring of assignments needs to occur so that we know which students are engaging and which students may need additional support, be it social/emotional or academic. If assignments are not being completed and/or the student is not engaging in the work then the teacher will first reach out to the student and/or family to determine what the student/family may need and work to address that need so that the student can re-engage in learning. If there is a pattern of non-engagement or the teacher can not reach the family, the teacher will reach out to the counselors (at Hadley), case managers (for special education students), and/or social workers (at elementary) to collaborate on how to meet the student’s needs. If this contact is unsuccessful, the teacher will contact the principal for assistance.
Grading
Beginning April 6, teachers will be documenting assignments given to students. It is important to note: all students will have the opportunity to redo, make up, or try again to complete, show progress, or attempt to complete work assigned. Students will not be penalized for late work or for incorrect answers. Per ISBE guidelines, grading at the elementary and middle school level should focus on the continuation of learning. Teachers will support and adjust learning through conferring, review and extra support toward learning goals. This includes documentation of learning by notating the engagement in the assignments and giving feedback rather than assigning grades. The ISBE guidelines are meant to take into account the inequities that likely exist in the current condition and to avoid penalizing students for circumstances beyond their control.
Phone Calls/Email/Video Lessons/Zoom/Google Meets
There is an expectation that teachers continue to make contact with their students in order to confer, reteach and support learning. There are various ways that this contact can be made: phone call, email, google doc comments, zoom, and other various modes. Teachers will use the mode that they are most comfortable with that allows two way communication between the teacher and the student/parent. As we are entering new territory with regards to remote/distance learning, concerns regarding confidentiality and acceptable use have surfaced. District 41 legal counsel has provided information to help everyone navigate the new learning platforms that are being utilized in schools across the country.
Legal counsel explained to us that during classroom instruction, audio and video recordings and photography are not allowed by parents/students without specific permission from an administrator or the teacher. The same applies to our remote learning instruction. Parents should not make audio or video recordings of remote learning instruction, or take photographs during instruction, which include any staff member or other students without express permission from the staff member delivering the instruction or an administrator. If a parent makes such recordings or photographs from a source other than District 41, we will ask for them to be deleted and not posted again moving forward.
State Assessments
Executive Order 2020-15 suspends state assessments for the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation. With this order, state assessments, including the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, DLM-AA, the Illinois Science Assessment, and Constitution exam are all suspended for Spring 2020.
Local Assessments
We are continuing to monitor the situation in regards to local assessments (i.e. MAP, SOPA, AAPPL, etc.) and will make determinations once we know an exact re-entry date.
We are #D41Strong and I have no doubt we will continue to provide the best instruction possible for your children. Thank you for all you are doing at home in collaboration with our teachers to continue learning. We have the best families in District 41 and we thank you for your partnership!
Truly,
Dr. Katie McCluskey
Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Accountability
Glen Ellyn School District 41
Email: webmaster@d41.org
Website: www.d41.org
Location: 793 North Main Street, Glen Ellyn, IL, USA
Phone: 630.790.6400
Facebook: facebook.com/glenellynd41
Twitter: @glenellynd41