2: Take Inventory.

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The strongest plans for reentry will center around the needs of students, families, and school teams. Take inventory of what we have learned about remote learning and what resources we can leverage in future planning. 

Reflect on remote learning experiences.

You have now experienced remote learning! Reflect on what went well and what could be improved in order to plan for multiple scenarios for instruction this fall. Engage and collect feedback from multiple stakeholders: teachers, students, and families. Developing a deep awareness of need will set your team up for meaningful integration of feedback.

Name WHAT went well. Did remote learning experiences facilitate positive academic outcomes? How did student engagement change during remote learning? 

Identify for WHO it went well. Did any of your students thrive during remote learning? Were you able to engage all families during remote learning? Were there any families with whom you were unable to make contact? 

Specify WHY it went well. Did asynchronous learning allow for flexible pacing? Were there more opportunities to individualize instruction? Were there less distractions? What forms of communication solicited the most response? 

Understand the current needs of your community.

Teachers

A school’s teachers will be the instructional frontlines. Ensure that teachers have an opportunity to influence reentry planning.

How many teachers are currently on staff? How many teachers may experience a greater health risk in returning to the school building or otherwise unable to return? (Ask, don’t assume.) How many special education and EL teachers will be returning for the 2020-2021 SY? How many diverse learner teachers are needed to execute plans within each scenario (in person, remote, hybrid)? 

To what extent are teachers prepared to implement high quality remote instruction? What professional development or support will teachers require in order to effectively meet student needs? 

Students

Hearing from your students can be particularly enlightening. You may be surprised to learn about the experiences of your students during remote learning. Additionally, there may be changes to student circumstances that will impact their ability to attend school this fall.

Interview or survey students to find out what worked well for them during the spring stint of remote learning, what was difficult, and what they need to be different moving forward in order to be successful. Determine if there are any students who will be unable to return to the building due to health or other reasons.

Students with disabilities. How many students with IEPs will be enrolled for the 2020-2021 SY? Are there newly enrolled students for whom we will need to additionally prepare? Remember to consider any students that are currently being evaluated or reevaluated for special education eligibility. What did special education service look like in the spring? Were there significant lags in service? Were there specific student needs that arose during the spring that need to be accommodated for in the reentry planning?

English learners. How many students requiring EL service will be enrolled for the 2020-2021 SY? Determine for whom you have recent language proficiency data and for whom will you need to conduct a diagnostic assessment in order to determine current proficiency. Are there any significant shifts in language proficiency levels that may need to be accounted for by way of staffing changes?

Families 

Early and frequent communication with families will position families as partners in their child’s education. 

Survey families to understand their needs and expectations about school, particularly around safety and access to teachers or services. Ask questions to better understand access to technology devices and the internet, child care needs, and the family’s ability to support remote learning. Gather information about how families felt about the special education and EL services that were provided during the spring semester. With a deep understanding of family needs, concerns, and expectations, you can develop plans that meaningfully include their voices.

Make a plan to collect more information.

Through early stages of engaging teachers, students, and families, you’ll gather information about experiences of spring remote learning and expectations for the fall. Moving forward, your team will need a plan to assess new needs as they arise and maintain frequent feedback loops to inform school planning.

Diagnostic Assessments

To be expected, students will have unfinished learning from spring 2020. Determining instructional priorities will require an understanding of current student knowledge and skills. Will the school’s typical beginning of the year diagnostic assessments provide the right information to plan for accelerated learning? Consider assessments that align with current grade level standards to determine need for prerequisite skill instruction. Identify instruments that assess progress toward IEP goals so that specialized instruction accounts for current student levels. Language proficiency assessments can be utilized to identify appropriate accommodations or interventions that are appropriate for each English learner. Finally, measures that would inform planning for social/emotional supports are valuable to identify now as well. Develop a calendar that appropriately spaces assessments and allows time for teachers to interpret and make informed instructional decisions.

Continuous Stakeholder Engagement

Identify the most effective ways to gather information, feedback, and insight from stakeholders within your school’s community (school team, students, and families). Calendar opportunities to engage each group frequently and through multiple means. Maintain space following each data collection to incorporate learnings into the school plans moving forward. Communicating early and often will not only inform stronger school planning, but ease anxieties, develop trust, and increase likelihood of student success.

In the reentry toolkit, you will find space to take inventory in collaboration with your planning team.