This section outlines all that you'll need to know about remote learning, when we need it, for the academic year. As we'll start the 2020-2021 year, this gives us our direction for August 18th and beyond. Please check back regularly as things will be updated as we carry out the program.
What we want you to know at the outset is that we've looked at feedback from a variety of constituents as well as the research on what works optimally for adolescents and learning in an online platform. As mentioned on a couple of the parent and family coffees, we are striving for sustained dialogue and sustained engagement with course materials.
Cohorts In the 9th and 10th grades, we've assembled grade-specific cohorts. We'll begin the year in these cohorts as we'll need to maintain those schedules for our return to the building. We've built cohorts primarily based upon a student's academic choices. We've also reviewed each cohort and balanced where possible for social and identity-based dynamics.
2:2 Students should grow accustomed to hearing the phrase 2:2 -- about 2 hours of in-class time with 2 hours of out-of-class independent or group work. All told, this should have students engaged in academic pursuits for between 22 and 26 hours a week. There will be some variation, for sure, but this is what we're targeting at the outset.
Synchronous Time When we call our classes together for synchronous class, it's about interaction, group work, and discussion. In a word, it's about the collective. Sure, there's a bit of lecture, but there's benefit of maximizing connection and process during synchronous time. Active and engaging as opposed to passive, class time that's synchronous will ask our students to contribute to the life of the classroom, even if virtual. Check out this recent article on Slate from two professors that underscores this point.
8:30 A.M. Our new advisory start time. Now that we're accustomed to Zoom and having advisory daily, we're starting our day in alignment with how our standard day would start were we to be on campus. Over the next few weeks, do yourself a favor -- start getting yourself back into a little more productive sleep routine. This article from Everyday Health has 10 practical tips for adjusting your sleep patterns.
Well-Being Index (WBI) USN will enter its third year of partnership with Authentic Connections to monitor student health and well-being throughout the year. We'll administer the WBI at least 4 times this year to get a sense of how well we're doing as a community on key wellness indicators.
Office Hours These remain an essential part of the USN high school experience. We've made several times available throughout the week for you to schedule appointments with your faculty members for 1 on 1 or small group work. As part of accepting responsibility for your education, we ask you to proactively reach out to make those appointments. (Your advisor can help you craft an email asking for an appointment. And it's never wrong to go with a friend if that helps.)
Community Time Our favorite time is still preserved on Wednesdays. Expect all kinds of things from our Student Council, High School Leadership Team, Class Officers, and the like. This time is vitally important for us as we look to build community from the start.
As each of us does with our respective classes in person, we're trying to hit the sweet spot in our remote learning classes -- where as many of you are challenged in developmentally-appropriate ways as possible. There are times school should feel hard; other times it feels easy. We're asking you to be in communication with us about how things are going with regard to the challenge. If it feels overwhelming for any reason (e.g. lacking motivation, difficulty understanding concepts, distractibility), please let your teacher know. If it feels like you have capacity to do more and stretch, likewise, let your teacher know.