Shrewsbury Public Schools

Remote Learning During School Closure

 

Remote Learning at the High School Level

General Guidelines

We want to connect with our students to the greatest extent possible- and these are challenging times for families and for our staff. You can expect that our educators will interact with students in ways that emphasize flexibility, because we know that everyone’s circumstances are different.  In addition to the general guidelines outlined for all families, please note:

1. In accordance with district priorities, you can expect that teachers will “check-in” with their classes two times per week.  The check-in could be live interaction, discussion board, email, communication, etc. and can be brief. 

2. Instructions and due dates for these assignments will be articulated by each teacher.  Students will be required to complete and submit assignments via Schoology or at the teacher’s direction.

3. Teachers will provide students ongoing feedback as these assignments are submitted.

4. Parents should encourage students with questions or concerns to contact their teacher(s) directly. 

5. Let an assistant principal or school counselor know ASAP if your child or family is experiencing a crisis. Again, we are here to help.

 

Schedule

This table depicts suggested learning times for students in grades 9-12:

Level	Total Learning Time / Day (all subjects/courses)
Grades 9-12	2-4 hours, depending on course load, including Character Strong initiatives

The schedule for students at Shrewsbury High School was developed accordingly:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
12-12:30 PM	Period 1	Period 5	Meeting time*	Period 1	Period 5
12:30-1 PM	Period 2	Period 6	Meeting time*	Period 2	Period 6
1-1:30 PM	Period 3	Period 7	Meeting time*	Period 3	Period 7
1:30-2 PM	Period 4	Office Hours*	Meeting time*	Period 4	Office Hours*

*Please note: Wednesdays will be used to schedule administrative meetings, department meetings, faculty meetings and office hours.  Times for “office hours” will be provided to parents at the start of the week.

 

What will interactive or “live” experiences look like at this level?

In each department, educators will use their best judgement to structure interactive learning experiences that match course objectives and student needs. Some examples of ways teachers could structure interactions could include: 

• Hosting a discussion board 
• Monitoring a “chat” in real time in Schoology
• Pushing out an article or question and inviting student responses using FlipGrid
• Video or audio conferencing

Please note that  departments will seek platforms that best match the needs of their content area.

 

Assignments

• Grades 9-12 students will be given assignments that can be done at any time during the day.
• The combination of real-time and off-line assignments should not exceed 120 minutes per week per course, which for students amounts to approximately 30 minutes of work per course each day over four days. 
• Instructions and due dates for these assignments will be articulated by each teacher.  Students will be required to complete and submit assignments via Schoology or at the teacher’s direction.
• Teachers will provide students ongoing feedback, including grades as these assignments are submitted. 

 

When are assignments due?

Make up assignments for work that was assigned prior to the school closure on March 13 must be submitted by April 8.

Going forward, instructions and due dates for remote learning assignments will be articulated by each teacher.  Students will be required to complete and submit assignments via Schoology or at the teacher’s direction. 

Feedback

What will feedback look like at SHS? Simply put, teachers will continue to use the same feedback structures they had in place for grading student work prior to school closure, including rubrics in common use, for example. 

Students may well reach out to teachers for individual guidance. It’s expected that educators will be flexible in supporting students during this unusual time. 

 

Report Cards

• Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 will be merged into one grading term called Semester 2.  Current grades will be averaged with make-up assignments and future work to determine a final grade.
• Remote learning assignments for the rest of the school year will be assigned a letter and/or numerical grade.  We have decided to utilize this system as it’s familiar to students, families and staff. In this way students, parents, and staff are able to track students’ progress via Powerschool.
• At the end of Semester 2, all courses will be assigned a grade of Pass or Fail. Scores of 60 or higher will merit a Passing grade. Scores of 59 or less will be considered Failing.
• Semester 2 grades will not affect a student’s grade point average (GPA).
• Given the challenges and inequities our students may experience during this time, there will be no final exams.

 

Special Education & Student Supports

1. We recognize that IEPs cannot be implemented as written in a remote learning environment. However, special education and related services in a remote learning environment can occur in 2 ways:

a. Educators will provide supports & resources.

b.  Educators will provide instruction and services.

2. Collaboration with students and families is vitally important to us. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns. 

3. For questions or concerns about special education, please contact  your child’s liaison or building Team Chair.

Please click here to view SPS Remote Learning for Families:  SHS/Grades 9-12