School districts prepare for students who want to remain in distance learning in fall

May 15—Come August, local K-12 schools are planning for a return to a traditional school schedule, if they don't have one already. That means the return of a full-time, in-person, five-day-a-week schedule along with buses that will ferry students to and from campus.

But educators are also beginning to plan for those students who won't be returning to the classroom: maybe they discovered this year that they actually thrived in distance learning or they have other circumstances that make staying home a better option.

Katie Russell, superintendent of Panama-Buena Vista Union School District, told her board last week that she's been speaking with other districts about this. Educators don't expect large numbers of students to opt out of in-person learning, but they are making plans now so parents and schools can be prepared.

"Parents have been asking, and they want to start making plans," Russell said.

Rachelle Montoya, the district's director of innovation and improvement, said that even as as the district largely moves back to in-person teaching, it is trying to take the best of what it has learned from distance learning.

"How can we think innovatively around our instructional models for 2021-2022?" she said in a board presentation last week.

Remote teaching conducted under emergency circumstances will have a different dynamic when families are opting in and schools are offering it to meet the unique needs of students, Montoya said.

Last week PBVUSD trustees approved a tentative proposal that gives students three options when they return in August. Most are expected to opt for full-time, in-person learning. But two more independent learning options are on the table: a distance-learning option and a home-based option.

The distance learning option will be similar to what students experienced this year. They will log on and be taught remotely by a teacher in the district. Six teachers will be assigned to teach these students remotely at the elementary level. At the junior high level, teachers in the specific content areas will be assigned to these students as a part of their daily schedule.

The home-school model will allow parents to take the lead in teaching curriculum, but district teachers at their neighborhood school will check in weekly to make sure students are on track. These students would also be able to use the resources that teachers create for those in the distance learning model.

These students can take advantage of what is happening on campus, too, such as going to the library, attending assemblies or participating in extracurricular activities.

Montoya told the board that the district plans to move ahead this month to see which students might be interested in committing to one of these programs for a year. The current proposal for distance learning estimates about 200 students may opt in.

The year after next may look even more different: The district has hired consultants to create a full-fledged online academy. It won't be ready for fall but distance learners may be able to begin using it in January. It will make its full debut in August, Montoya said.

Even districts that already have a robust independent study program are planning to expand theirs in the fall.

Six years ago, the Kern High School District began an independent study program called Kern Learn. Students take classes online and come on campus for certain labs and projects; this is called a blended model.

Students can opt to take some courses through Kern Learn and others at their school site. They can also come to school for extracurricular activities, including athletics.

Assistant Superintendent Dean McGee told the board at its March meeting that the district plans to expand the program at all its comprehensive high schools in anticipation of the next school year.

McGee said the district expects most of its students to return to a full-time schedule. However, it, too, is working on options for those students who prefer to remain in distance learning.

"We're trying to get prepared so that we can meet the needs of all of our students across the board," he said.