Dear Educators,
As we continue to plan for our remote start to school, we are preparing for three scenarios: remote, hybrid, and fully in-person learning. With that in mind, we wanted to share more information with you about what we are planning for remote learning and the 100% virtual program to look like this year.
Moving to one learning management system to deliver equitable learning experiences
In order to better align our efforts and meet the needs of students and families, beginning this fall, we have made the decision to use two learning management systems exclusively: grades K-5 will use Seesaw and grades 6-12 will use Schoology. We chose these programs based on feedback from our educators and families, and on the ability for DPS to purchase school-wide equitable access for all students and provide consistent professional learning for administrators, staff, students and families.
By streamlining the use of our learning management systems across DPS, we will be able to better track student data and progress. It will also allow Specialized Service Providers (SSPs) and other educators to support multiple students across many different schools, all within one system. In addition, K-5 educators will have access to the “premium” version of Seesaw, which offers functionality such as the ability to take attendance and monitor engagement.
We recognize that for some of our teachers and SSPs, this may be a significant change in how you prepare your lessons, and our Educational Technology team is standing by to provide professional learning and Schoology courses to support teachers.
Our Remote Learning Plan
The transition to exclusive use of Seesaw and Schoology is part of our larger
remote learning plan for the 2020-21 school year. Drawing on what we learned from our educators and families this spring, we have designed our plan around the three core principles of accelerating unfinished teaching/learning; providing fluidity across scenarios; and engaging our students who need additional academic support.
100% Virtual Program Delivery and Staffing
All DPS students will enroll in either the 100% virtual program or the hybrid/in-person program. As a reminder, all students will be learning remotely until at least
Sept. 8.
The virtual program will be available for students in grades K-12. We will support each school to offer the 100% virtual program to their students who select this. This approach will support the important connections between students and their schools. We will make every effort to align students selecting the virtual program with teachers from the student's school of record who are teaching virtually; however, depending on the requests and school size, students may receive virtual instruction from a teacher in another school in their region. We know that this approach has some additional complexity to it, but that the connections in school communities will help support the social emotional needs that will be so important this year.
Central teams will support school leaders in developing staffing plans for their virtual program, including identifying collaboration opportunities among schools in a neighborhood as needed. If you have questions about this process, please ask your school leader.
Based on staff accommodation requests, schools
(with support from central teams) will plan for and assign:
- Teachers who will be dedicated to the virtual program for the duration of the semester (such as those who have requested an accommodation).
- Teachers who will support students through hybrid and in-person learning, when it is safe to do so.
100% virtual program curriculum
We have worked with teams across our Curriculum & Instruction and English Language Acquisition departments to identify how to provide fully-digital access to our adopted curricula through the Learning Management Systems, with the exception of charter and some innovation schools. With this in mind:
- Students enrolled in the virtual program will access online/digital resources through the grade-level appropriate Learning Management System.
- DPS will provide guidance on how teachers can get paper copies of necessary curriculum materials that are not available digitally.
- Additional courses (i.e, elective courses for secondary), will be available through the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) at a cost of $150 per teacher, which will be paid by the district.
100% virtual program courses
As much as possible, virtual program teachers will try to make their classes just like in-person learning. Schools should plan to deliver virtual classes live as much as possible, meaning that there will be dedicated times for students to engage directly with their teachers and classmates.
Enrolling in the 100% virtual program
Families can elect to enroll their children in the 100% virtual program through Annual Family Update, which begins July 27. School leaders, with centrally-provided support, will then use this data to create schedules for all students, including those who will stay in the virtual program and those who will move to hybrid and full in-person when it is safe to do so.
100% virtual program commitment
K-12 students who opt into the virtual program commit to full-time, online learning from Aug. 24 through at least the end of December. School leaders may allow students to transfer programs at their discretion should they have the ability to do so. If multiple schools have collaborated on a virtual program, there will be a centrally-guided process for reviewing mid-year transfers under special circumstances. Students will not lose their spot in their school of record while attending the fully virtual program.
Similarly, teachers will not lose their mutual consent position at their school of record.
Looking ahead
We know our educators will have questions about our remote learning plans, return to school and more -- and we want to hear from you. Please join at
1 p.m. Thursday, July 21 for our second team member Tele Town Hall with Supt. Cordova, other members of the DPS leadership team, and local health officials. All employees will receive a phone call from 720-423-3046 to their personal phone number on file inviting them to join. If you are unable to join one of the Tele Town Halls, we will be sharing recordings of each call on The Commons.
We will continue to share updates as they are available, on remote learning and all aspects of return to school. Thank you for your continued support of our students. We know they are excited to connect with you soon.
Many thanks,
Tamara and Mike
