eLearning News: Instructional Staff
Vol. 1, Issue 2: March 26th, 2020
*******Stay connected with tools, tips & info to support eLearning*******
Common Vision of Instructional Excellence
Live Distance Learning Overview- FRIDAY, March 27th
Live Distance Learning Overview: On Friday you are asked to join us for a 45-60 minute LIVE Distance Learning Overview where we will share high level overviews of the topics below.
- Purpose and Structure of Teacher PD Course
- High Level Details about student course structures and availability
- Routines for individuals and teacher teams in supporting student learning
In-depth Teacher PD Course: On Friday morning you will see a course titled, Growing with Canvas on your myLearning Dashboard. This course contains learning modules you will be tasked with completing after participating in the "Live PD Overview" session. After completing this course instructional staff will have an understanding of how to facilitate instruction for students in the myLearning platform.
SEE INFO BELOW FOR LIVE DISTANCE LEARNING OVERVIEW TIMES
INVITES WILL BE SENT via PASCO EMAIL
Instructional Coach Guidance, Support, & Updates
On Monday, March 30th, the Office of Leading & Learning will provide additional guidance and support for instructional coaches after participation in the Admin/Teacher Live PD and Growing with Canvas course. There will be two zoom meetings offered, one for Elementary coaches and one for Secondary coaches. We will provide guidance to instructional coaches on their support of school and teachers, curricular/content updates by Senior Specialists and/or school based specialists, and general communication and support contacts.
We aim to provide a layer of support that works with respect to the very specific roles and responsibilities administrators task instructional coaches during distance learning .
Elementary Coaches: March 30th, 9:00am Join URL: https://zoom.us/j/830297030
Secondary Coaches: March 30th, 2:00pm Join URL: https://zoom.us/j/603254507
*These zoom meetings will be recorded and will be emailed out afterwards to all instructional coaches for easy access.
Electives and Unique Course Plans
For Secondary:
OLL staff in partnership with many wonderful teachers have been working to ensure all elective, special area, or singleton teachers are prepared for content delivery through Canvas. Here is a comprehensive spreadsheet of plans for rollout and delivery of all of these courses. Additionally, the courses that are teacher created should be reviewed by admin prior to the delivery of the content. Please reference this checklist that can help guide your work and conversation with your administrator. There is a separate checklist for AP/AICE/IB courses.For Elementary:
OLL staff in partnership with our many wonderful teachers have been working to ensure special areas are included in all elementary courses. Here is a spreadsheet of plans for when and how this content will be available.
Tools and Tips for Teachers
Distance Learning Guidance Notebook
Guidance for Connecting with Students Virtually
These two communication tools can assist with connecting with your students. Google Voice information and Zoom Tutorials can assist you in preparing to connect.
Social Emotional Learning Tips
ESE Case Managers
As a result of the uncontrollable circumstances and the resulting school closures, the IEP meetings that were scheduled during the week of March 23, 2029-March 27, 2020 were unable to be held and the annual IEP was rendered out of date. ESE case managers will need to contact parents who had scheduled IEP meetings during the week of March 23, 2020- March 27, 2020 and inform parents that due to school closures the IEP meeting will be rescheduled and parents will be contacted as soon as possible to consider new potential meeting dates/times. We anticipate your future meeting will be held virtually unless otherwise specified. We are developing procedures for virtual IEP meetings and information will be shared during the extension training on march 30th, 2020.
"Back to School" Twitter Countdown
3/23: Plan your work area. (post picture)
3/24: Tech check. Login to MyPascoConnect and MyLearning. (Tweet a Thumbs Up)
3/25: Set up Observer Account? Introduce your “coworker” (sibling, pet, etc.)
3/26: Stock your space (gather pens, pencils, paper, etc. and set up your desk or work area)
3/27: Stay connected (share your favorite way to connect with friends and loved ones.
3/30: Plan your day
AP Review Day, 3/28/20 – Cancelled
Career and Technical Education (CTE)
- The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is offering a selection of free online courses to prepare CTE teachers to teach online. Go to Online Teachers on CTE Learn and click on Delivering Online Instruction. You’ll see the following online courses that you can access for free.
- EL102 Online Teaching Techniques
- EL103 Teaching Online: A Student-Centered Approach
- EL104 Teaching and Organizing a Virtual Learning Environment
- EL105 Online Language: Communicating with Students
- EL108 Preparing Students to Become Good Online Learners
- EL112 Workload Management Strategies for Teaching Online
Register/login on the CTE Learn site and enter the master key “MK-ACTE” to enroll in any of the above courses. This complimentary key is valid through May 1st. Contact support@ctelearn.org if you have any questions. CTE Learn courses are self-paced and each course takes approximately 4 hours to complete. Designed and developed specifically for the CTE community, CTE Learn courses focus on practical strategies and techniques that participants can apply right away.
- A list of all online engineering technology, electronics, manufacturing and related discipline resources is attached. This document includes video lectures, simulations, modules, e-text books and online textbooks, labs, etc. We are working to create lists for other areas so stay tuned!
- We are working with all of our online vendors to obtain access to cloud/web-based speciality software that you use in your programs with your students. Many of our vendors are offering free 90-day access for educational institutions. We will share additional information on resources and software applications during our extension training on Monday, March 30th!
Assessment, Accountability and Promotion
Assessment:
- All remaining assessments for school readiness, voluntary prekindergarten and K-12 assessments are cancelled for the 2019-2020 school year.
- District Finals for Semester 2 and the end-of-the-year have been cancelled for the 2019-2020 school year and will not be calculated in student grades.
- The schoolwide SAT has been cancelled for April 14 (previously March 25). In light of recent events, Saturday SAT administrations at our school sites are cancelled for the remainder of the year. For other options, we recommend contacting ACT or College Board directly.
- Cambridge has decided to suspend the May/June examinations for the 2019-2020 school year. Students will receive a grade and a certificate from Cambridge International. For additional information, please visit bit.ly/39jdhf.
- The May 2020 International Baccalaureate examinations, as scheduled between April 30 and May 22, will no longer be held. Depending of what the student registered for, they will be awarded a Diploma or Course Certificate which reflects their standard of work. The IB will share full details and FAQs with us and on their website by 27 March 2020.
- College Board has provided guidance on Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. Traditional face-to-face exam administrations will not take place. For the 2019–20 exam administration only, students can take a 45-minute online exam at home. Educator-led development committees are currently selecting the exam questions that will be administered. Pasco County Schools will keep families updated about testing dates when they are released on April 3, 2020 and will ensure proper planning for students to be informed on when and how to test. For more information visit: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/news-changes/coronavirus-update
- We are in contact with the Chancellor of Workforce Education to determine plans for Industry Certification Exams. At this point, no announcement has been made to cancel these exams.
Accountability and Promotion:
- Eligibility for Florida Bright Futures scholarships shall be based on available data and results. Tests that were not available to be taken shall not be counted.
- Requirements for graduation and promotion, and final course grades will be evaluated as though those assessments which were cancelled did not exist.
- K-12 school grades will not be calculated for 2019-2020 and schools in turnaround may continue their current status for 2020-2021 to avoid disruption to school leadership and operations.