3: Plan across scenarios.

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Name the scenarios.

While the realities of next school year are largely unknown, acknowledging what is possible can provide you with different lenses through which to begin framing your thoughts. Utilizing these lenses ensures that you are preparing for both the best and “worst” cases as you plan for new, innovative ways to support students.

Even broad scenarios will allow you to start somewhere and help your team feel more prepared when the district or state releases new information about what to expect. Consider the following scenarios and possibilities within each:

• All In School = all staff and students return to school building
  Possibilities: enhanced sanitation protocols, social distancing measures in place, contact tracing, schedule changes to limit transitions/movement, extended school days with staggered starts

• All Remote Learning = all staff and students participate in remote learning
  Possibilities: community technology sites, continued meal service, expanded family support options

• Hybrid Model = any combination of the above two scenarios
  Possibilities: some students all online + some all in school, remote learning for students + staff most at risk, alternate days online + in school, rolling closures

We can (and should) remain both optimistic and realistic in our expectations of this coming fall.

Start with the students.

As diverse learner educators, we are uniquely positioned in our knowledge of students and the range of strengths they bring to our school communities. Within the lens of scenario planning, we can identify specific opportunities that exist and challenges that may arise. School planning teams will likely start with “average” or typical student needs and make plans to address these needs. These plans may not consider the variety of needs or specialized supports that diverse learners will need to be most successful in any one of these reopening scenarios.

With this in mind, a valuable task that the Strategic Equity Team may engage in is the development of learner profiles. These profiles will identify a specific student (or student group with similar needs) served within your school community and then examine how this student’s needs can be reflected in each scenario.

Learner profiles consider how to:

• Provide specialized services

• Ensure access to core content

• Set up learning-conducive environment

• Monitor progress

• Support behavior, social, and emotional learning

• Shift team member roles

• Engage families in creating inclusive plans

• Allocate funding

This exercise will build the team’s capacity to empathize with student needs, develop practical solutions, and define the appropriate set of actions that optimize school accessibility. These profiles are not intended to serve every child, every time - but offer a range of prompts, ideas, and resources that support our good faith efforts to do so.

Start with some examples.

• Learner with Specific Learning Disability in Reading

• Learner with Autism (primarily served in self-contained setting)

• Learner with Autism (primarily served in general education setting)

• English Learner: Newcomer
  

In the reentry toolkit, you will find a Learner Profile template. Develop one reflecting a student or student group in your school community. Reflect, refine, and repeat within your SET to ensure that diverse learner needs are prioritized in reentry planning.