Whether it’s flu season or wintery weather, there are many factors outside our control that play into student absenteeism. In some instances, students might be kept home for days at a time and away from their classrooms. Luckily, teachers can breathe easy knowing that an engaging learning environment is readily available for students wherever they may be.
Classworks is already used for virtual summer schools and for hospital and home-bound students across the country. When districts announce school closures and students are unable to receive regular instruction, Classworks offers a step by step plan for remote learning that keeps students engaged and learning from the comfort and safety of their homes.
What does this look like?
There are four things to keep in mind when preparing a plan that works for everyone:
Action plan for teachers
Effective instruction for students
Reports, grades, and documentation
Student expectations, engagement, and mastery
Action Plan for Teachers
1. Classworks personnel will work with your teachers to establish best practices for students on extended absences and during a school closing.
2. Classworks will make sure your teachers have practical steps in place for an effective rollout. This includes:
Creating assignments
Running reports
Parent communication
Student goal setting
Monitor Classworks daily.
Reassign instruction below 80%. Live real-time data lets teachers know if students are mastering skills.
Communicate with students. (Email or text daily expectations with students about what they should complete; If your district has a Learning Management System (LMS), use it to communicate feedback to students; For K-2 students, communication is better through parents’ email or group text.)
Encourage students to set weekly goals in ‘My Scores’ and review them at the end of the week.
Keep parents up-to-date with the expectations for the week. Celebrate one student on their accomplishment at the end of each week.
If possible, understand the device(s) your student will be using.
Send home roster cards for easy enrollment along with a parent letter explaining the expectations for students. This can be emailed, mailed, or sent home with students.
Emphasize that this will ensure their students don’t lose valuable instructional time.
Effective instruction for students
Just like at school, students should work on a variety of instruction from home.
1. Rigorous on-grade level lesson plans
Assign custom instruction to support skills that are covered in class to move the students forward in the classroom curriculum.
Classroom Reading and Math to reinforce state standards. (Have students complete two reading passages and two math activities per week.)
Students receive personalized instruction based on assessment scores.
Have students take the Classworks Universal Screener to create individualized learning at each student’s level.
Use weekly CBM probes to progress monitor tier two and three students.
Reports, Grades, and Documentation
1. Use Classroom Reading and Math activity scores as daily grades for subjects. Scores are visible as soon as students complete them. Reminder - these include open-ended questions so teachers should allocate 30 minutes, two times per week to review and grade.
Skills Summary report is excellent for a Classworks ILP grade.
Assignment results report tracks specific custom instruction and student scores.
Both reports indicate time spent in the assignment as well.
Student expectations, engagement, and mastery
1. Students should work on Classworks for 60 minutes per subject each day. Break this up into several sessions throughout the day - no more than one hour at a time.
Benefits
By incorporating Classworks into your action plan, you can keep students engaged in their learning while they are away from the classroom. Parents can easily monitor students and ensure they stay on task, using the My Scores page to keep track of their child’s progress. As the teacher, the real-time data dashboard helps you keep a pulse on your students’ momentum towards year-end goals.