We’re closing out the 2019-20 school year with a lot of questions about fall 2020, but we have already started considering how to ensure student success. One of the district’s newly formed committees is focused on the fact that not every student could transition easily to distance learning, not every parent could support math lessons, and not every course could completely adapt from traditional, on-site experiences.
“Parents, try not to worry.” That’s the message from the team of teachers and administrators who are already thinking about fall’s rebound.
The committee charged with this task is developing a plan to assess students in ways they are already familiar with, and with teacher-made benchmarks. For elementary students, the fall assessment will include a comparison of current versus previous reading skill levels.
If the assessment process determines a student lost some ground during the springtime of distance learning, then a parent, guidance counselor and teacher committee will work together to create a plan for catching up. Administrators are anticipating a temporary increase in the number of Rutherford students who will qualify for extra help, and there is already a federally funded system in place to support those students.