The College Board has published a presentation by Trevor Parker to review changes to the 2020 AP Exam administration to meet the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19. You may download the presentation after registering here. If you prefer not to register, you can keep up with Updates for AP Students and Teachers here.

Highlights:

Most AP teachers and students we surveyed prefer to test earlier, while the content is still fresh.

• Exams will be given from May 11–22.

• Makeup test dates will be available for each subject from June 1–5.

• Students can take exams at home or in schools, if they reopen.

• Each subject's exam will be taken on the same day at the same time, worldwide.

• View the full testing schedule.

April 1, 2020

Subj: Update: Learning continues through the closure

Good Evening Toppers!

After last Friday’s announcement that schools would close for the remainder of the year, we all had a lot of questions. It is a lot to take in and figure out! Please continue to reach out to the school at lahs.info@laschools.net. We’re working hard to answer each email within 24 hours.

Here are the most important things for you to know as we move forward:

Why is this happening?

This pandemic is truly historic and unique. We have not faced a closure of this kind. Schools have been closed to keep students and our community safe. The goal is to minimize physical contact to slow the rate of infection.

What do we do now?

We can’t simply relocate school to home and continue to have school as usual. Our primary focus is to help you stay well and to maintain your connection with your peers and teachers through worthwhile and engaging learning opportunities.

As Dr. Steinhaus communicated earlier this week, teachers will be reaching out to you this week (by April 6, 2020) to share what they’re planning for their classes. Here are the guidelines teachers are working with:

Grades

• All grades for this semester (S2) will appear on your transcript as a Pass (P) or No Credit (NC).
  A-F grades and percentages will not appear on your transcript. P/NC grades do not affect your GPA, but credits with a P count toward graduation.

• Your Quarter 3 (Q3) grade will determine your P/NC grade for the semester.
  If you were passing at the end of Q3, you will earn a P for S2. If you were failing, you will earn a NC. Teachers will not be entering grades in Q4. [Dual credit classes are an exception - see below]

• If you received an “F” for Q3, you have a chance (and are expected to) do make up work (credit recovery) to pass.
  Teachers will have options for students to make up work from Q3. The only graded work entered into PowerSchool will be on assignments students are redoing to recover credit in Q3.

Classes, Teaching and Learning

• Except for credit recovery for Q3 grades, everything is about learning and not "just about grades."
  This is a scary, but very liberating place to be for teachers and students.

• If you’re not earning grades for Q4, what ARE you doing?
  The schools and our staff are focused on continuing to engage you. Teachers are preparing to keep your mind stimulated. If you have ideas for things you and your classmates would enjoy doing, share them with your teacher! These enrichment activities will provide a way to keep the connections in your classroom community strong. We need each other right now!

• We want to know you’re OK.
  Teachers will expect to connect with you regularly (online, via email, phone call, etc.). They’ll reach out if they don’t hear from you. Reach out and check on them, too!

Live Teaching Schedule

• To make sure each class has a dedicated time for any live, interactive sessions with students, classes will “meet” following the schedule below.
  These are “reserved slots” for each of your classes, although not every class will use every slot each day.

• Live “meetings” may follow a number of formats.
  A few options include Hangouts Meet video chats (using your chromebook or telephone line), teachers and students chatting in real time on a google document, real-time email chats, etc. Your teachers have been buzzing with ideas since this weekend and will be sharing them soon.

Mon & Weds (A days & 4th) 30 min each

1A: 10:00a - 10:30a

2A: 10:45a - 11:15a

3A: 11:30a - 12:00p

Mid-day break: 12:00p - 12:30p

4A/B: 12:30p - 1:00p

Tue & Thurs (B days)

1B: 10:00a - 10:30a

2B: 10:45a - 11:15a

3B: 11:30a - 12:00p

Fridays (Academic Time / "Office Hours")

As scheduled by individual teachers between 11:00am and 1:00pm.

AP Classes & Tests

• Taking AP tests provides a chance to earn college credit at many colleges.

• The curriculum covered in this year’s tests has been reduced.
  Tests will cover topics typically covered through March in AP classes across the country. Your teachers will reach out to you. Your enrichment for Q4 will help reinforce what you have already learned. The College Board has worked closely with universities to ensure that the content tested will still meet university expectations for credit.

• AP Tests will be given online and are accessible from your chromebook.
  AP is designing tests as we speak and testing out their new online platform. Your AP teachers will have more information to share with you as it is released by the College Board.

• AP classes will receive P/NC grades for S2 based on the Q3 grade, the same as all other classes.

• AP letter grades from S1 will still receive the GPA bump.
  Since P/NC grades do not count in GPA, students in AP classes will receive a GPA bump on their Sem 1 grades only. All students enrolled in an AP class in S2 will receive the GPA bump on their S1 grade, regardless of whether or not they take the test.

Dual Credit Classes

• Reach out to your professor / instructor regarding requirements for grades.
  Dual credit classes offer credit on the HS transcript AND at the university. Our university partners are offering students the following options:

  • a letter grade (for courses taken at the university)

  • a P/NC grade (for courses taught at the university AND the HS)

  • dropping the university portion of the class.

• To get credit on the University transcript, the student must continue working through Q4.

• University Credit is a HS graduation requirement for some students.
  Contact your HS counselor for details about your graduation plan if you have questions.

• For Dual Credit classes taught at LAHS by HS Staff:
  The credit on the HS transcript will be P/NC based on the Q3 Grade.

  • If you ONLY want to get HS credit (and not the University credit on a University transcript), you may drop the University course.

  • If students want to get both HS and University credit, they must keep working, submitting assignments, and passing tests provided by their High School Dual Credit Teacher. The university credit will go on the university transcript as an A-F, and is based on work from Q3 AND Q4.

• For Dual Credit classes taught at the University:
  The grade on the HS transcript will be the same as the credit on the University transcript. You will need to contact your University professors and opt for the P/NC grade if you choose the Pass/No Credit option. Reach out to your counselor for information on this option.

Graduation

• We WILL have a graduation ceremony.
  We will make every effort to make it as normal as possible. The creative ideas students, parents, and staff have shared since our last message have been terrific. Please continue to reach out. lahs.info@laschools.net

Prom

• We WANT to hold Prom if at all possible.
  We are looking to pencil in dates with the venue, DJ, etc. for later in the summer depending on the restrictions for gatherings moving forward. Please continue to reach out with ideas at lahs.info@laschools.net

Technical Help / Computer Repairs

• Repairs are available by appointment for significant issues with district devices. Many issues can be handled remotely. Contact the LAHS Site Tech, Eloy Gutierrez at e.gutierrez@laschools.net if you need technical support.

Access to student belongings in lockers, etc.

The State’s decision to extend school closure through the end of year was specifically designed to limit contacts between members of our community.

• We will establish brief, targeted windows for item pickup when social distancing restrictions are relaxed.

• If you have critical medications at the school that you need to pick up before building access is permitted, please contact the school nurse, Leanne Hick at l.hick@laschools.net.

Your teachers, principals, and all the staff at LAHS appreciate all of the questions, ideas, and suggestions that you have shared as we’ve entered into this unprecedented time. Please continue to stay connected! Reach out to your teachers with ideas. Join their live learning sessions to interact with them and your classmates.

Reach out at lahs.info@laschools.net. We’re here for you!

Mr. Payne

Ms. Dunwoody

Ms. Gonzales

Ms. Stewart

--Mr. Payne