Introduction
This page will serve as an ongoing FAQ page as questions arise. If you have a question to ask, please use the following Google Form to submit questions. We will add in answers to the most frequently asked questions as soon as we have the information. Some of the information will also be communicated out through our district and school messaging. Thanks for your patience as we navigate the fluid situation.
How long are we expected to be out of school?
Given the evolving data regarding cases of COVID-19, and out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of children and school staff, the Governor has ordered a three-week suspension of school operations for educational purposes at all public and private elementary and secondary (K-12) schools in the Commonwealth (not including residential and day schools for special needs students), beginning Tuesday, March 17. Under the governor’s order, “schools shall not re-open for normal operations before Monday, April 6”.
What are the district's immediate goals moving forward?
Our District Leadership Team is applying three core values as we approach our rapidly-changing situation:
Health, Family, and Community First: We recognize that the physical and mental health needs of our students, family, and staff members are of more immediate importance than school-related concerns.
Relationships Matter: MURSD will provide ongoing communication and support for students' and families needs.
Supporting All Learners: We will provide opportunities for al learners to continue their learning.
Will School Committee meetings still be held?
Yes. On March 12, the Baker-Polito Administration announced an emergency order temporarily modifying the state’s open meeting law. The emergency order suspends the requirement for public access to the physical location where a public meeting is taking place so long as there are other means of access available. This includes the use of a phone conference line for members of the public, social media or other internet streaming services, on-line meeting services, or methods of access. The Mendon-Upton Regional School Committee will be holding its regular meeting of March 23 via the Zoom videoconferencing application. A public link to the meeting will be shared.
How are you supporting students/families who need assistance with food?
"Grab and Go" school lunches are available to any family in the district in need on a weekly basis. If you are in need of lunches, please complete this form.
What kind of communications can I expect from staff?
Teachers, faculty, and staff will continue to communicate with students and families on a regular basis via email. Faculty members will respond reasonably within working hours each day. Faculty members will continue to use the digital platforms they use now for communications (Google Classroom, SeeSaw, Classsroom Dojo, etc.) to share information with students and parents.
What will happen to April vacation (April 20-24)?
At this time the April vacation week is scheduled as planned.
How will assessments and grading work with remote learning?
Starting on April 6, students must submit work to teachers to receive credit. For all remote learning assignments, student work will be assessed by teachers with the following designations:
Credit
No Credit
Resubmit for Credit
As student work will not have traditional letter (A-F) or numeric grades (0-100), it will contain actionable feedback from the teacher. When assigning work at the beginning of each week, teachers will provide a rubric or a description of what successful completion of the work should include. Attendance at virtual class sessions is not only encouraged but also expected; however, attendance at virtual sessions will not be considered as a determinant of credit or non-credit.
As the first two trimesters at the elementary level and the first two terms at the secondary level have been completed, those grades will remain in place. However, the grade reporting for terms 3 & 4 for the secondary level will feature a “Pass” or “Fail” status for all courses/standards.
How will we handle grades for terms 3 and 4?
Terms 3 and 4 will be graded on a “Pass/Fail” basis.
How was student work graded during the initial three-week absence from school? (March 16 - April 6)
Work/practice assigned from March 16 - April 6 will not be graded or included in the “Pass/Fail” determination for each course.
When does term 3 end?
Term 3 will be extended approximately two weeks until April 17 to allow students who are currently in danger of failing term 3 time to bring their grades into the passing range.
Do classes that receive credit on a “Pass/Fail” or “Credit/No Credit” basis get calculated in class rank?
No. These courses are not included in students’ class rank.
Why are we not providing numerical grades for term 3 if we had completed a portion of the term prior to leaving school?
There are several reasons that term 3 will be graded on a “Pass/Fail” basis including:
The DESE recommended that practice/work during the initial three-week absence from school was not graded.
The DESE is recommending that any assignments submitted from April 6 - May 4 be graded on a “Credit/No Credit” basis rather than being assigned traditional numerical grades.
For those students who were sick or absent, they have not had the chance to complete assessments that they were not able to take prior to the extended school closure.
Many courses did not have the chance to conduct assessments - including quizzes, tests, presentations, and projects - that were planned to take place in the final weeks of the term.
Students have not had a fair opportunity to improve their grades before the unexpected closure.
Will the work submitted in the first part of term three (prior to the extended closure) be considered when making that determination of whether a student receives a passing or failing grade for a course?
Yes.
How will grades for terms 1 and 2 be reported?
The district is working with PowerSchool to report this information on students’ report cards and transcripts.
What if a student receives a “pass” for term 3 and a “fail” for term 4 or vice versa?
A student must receive a “pass” for both terms 3 and 4 to receive credit.
Will the grades for terms 1 and 2 be included in rank?
Yes. Since the grades for terms 1 and 2 were finalized prior to school closing, we will keep the traditional numeric grades and include these in class rank.
What if I have a failing grade for terms 1 and 2?
Students who have a failing average for semester 1 (combined average of < 65 for terms 1 and 2) for full year courses will have the opportunity to submit missing work for some credit (with the potential to reach a combined average of 65%) in accordance with a timeline that is established by their teacher.
What is the deadline to contact teachers and submit missing work for terms 1, 2, or term 3 if I am in danger of failing?
All missing assignments must be submitted in accordance with teacher-determined deadlines (on or before 5pm on Friday, April 17).
How will this shift to “Pass/Fail” grading system for terms 3 and 4 be communicated to colleges and universities?
Information regarding our grading practices during this school closure will be included on the school profile document that Nipmuc prepares annually as a way to share specific information about our school, grading practices, programming, the future plans of our students, and more. Additionally, since schools across the globe are facing similar challenges, we expect that college admissions officers will see most schools taking steps similar to Nipmuc.
How will grades be determined as credit/no credit for assignments during remote learning?
“Credit/No credit” will be determined based on the quality of the work submitted by students. When assigning work at the beginning of each week, teachers will provide a rubric or a description of what successful completion of the work should include. Attendance at remote learning sessions is not only encouraged but also expected; however, attendance at remote learning sessions will not be considered as a determinant of passing or failing.
When students submit assignments that do not meet the criteria to earn “credit”, teachers may recommend that students “resubmit for credit” when students submit work that approaches the criteria to earn credit. In these cases, students have the chance to revise their work based on the teacher feedback and resubmit to the teacher to earn “credit” for the assignment.
What if a student receives a “pass” for term 3 and a “fail” for term 4 or vice versa?
A student must receive a “pass” for both terms 3 and 4 to receive credit for the course.
What are the expectations for the first three weeks of extended learning?
Teachers will be posting one or two Alternative Structured Learning (ASL) Days assignments. Teachers have been asked to maintain consistent communication with students and families and respond to emails and/or connect with students daily on an ongoing basis. We will be transitioning to a new remote learning schedule and approach beginning April 6th. Communications will come out on April 4th regarding the new plan.
What is the status of MCAS?
Secretary Devos announced that students impacted by school closures due to the pandemic can bypass standardized testing for the 2019-20 school year. Upon a proper request, the Department will grant a waiver to any state that is unable to assess its students because of the ongoing national emergency, providing relief from federally mandated testing requirements for this school year. MA will communicate to us if we receive this waiver.
What will happen with AP Classes and Exams?
To stay up-to-date regarding AP courses, please check out the following CollegeBoard update page. They will be providing online free review sessions beginning March 25th. You can access this using the following link.
For the 2019-20 exam administration only, students can take a 45-minute online exam at home. Educator-led development committees are currently selecting the exam questions that will be administered. Some students may want to take the exam sooner rather than later, while the content is still fresh. Other students may want more time to practice. For each AP subject, there will be two different testing dates. The full exam schedule, specific free-response question types that will be on each AP Exam, and additional testing details will be available by April 3.
Here is information from a recent AP meeting held with students at Nipmuc: https://www.nipmucprincipals.com/blog/recap-advanced-placement-student-meeting
Will we receive Elementary School Report Cards for 2nd Trimester?
Yes. Due to these circumstances, we extended the deadline for teachers to submit their grades in Powerschool. We will be shifting to an online format where parents/guardians will be able to view the grades and comments using our student information system of Powerschool. We will be communicating to parents by the beginning of April on how to log into those accounts.
What state and federal guidance regarding special education services during extended school closures?
How is MURSD proceeding with special education services?
The following Special Education FAQ document provides recent updates to frequently asked questions.
Are Spring Sports delayed?
Yes. The MIAA Board of Directors voted to amend the start of the 2020 spring sports season in light of recent mandates from Governor Baker and recommendations from governing health agencies. The updated start date for the 2020 spring season is May 4, 2020 Additionally, the MIAA Board of Directors voted to have completion of regular season and tournament games by June 27, 2020. (updated 4/1/20)
Are there any athletic, club, or activity events happening during this period of closure?
No. All school-related events are canceled during this period.
Will teachers, staff, faculty be compensated during the three week closing period?
All regular MURSD employees and long-term subs will continue to be paid during this closure period of three weeks.
How will you receive your paycheck if you are an employee that does not have direct deposit?
Please know that your regular paycheck for the March 26th pay will be generated and paid as usual on that date. Anyone who has opted for a “live” check (non direct deposit) will receive their paychecks via U.S. Mail.
If you have direct deposit your pay will be credited to your account on Thursday. We will not be mailing out direct deposit slips. We are working on setting up the payroll software with your school email addresses and hopefully will be able to email (password protected) you these in the near future. We will send you more information if/when we can start this process.
Can someone provide technology training in Zoom, Google Meet, Screencasting?
Yes. Dave Quinn has created a Google Classroom that you can join where he will be providing ongoing resources and screencasts to support you in these skills. He has communicated out in the all-staff emails the links to join the Classroom. If you have questions, please e-mail him.
Will you be providing free resources for online professional development?
Yes. We are currently working on gathering online professional development options for staff that are free and available. Here is a link to the online PD options webpage.
Will there be new Teachpoint professional development modules for teachers and staff to access for professional learning?
Yes. Under the PD Tracker in Teachpoint and in the Online Module tab, you have access at anytime to any of the online modules. By next week, we will communicate out some modules that would be appropriate specifically for paraprofessionals/ABA Techs that they might be interested in taking.
Will teachers/staff be able to go back into school for an hour or so to get materials they left?
We will provide very limited and structured time for this for the as-needed basis the first week. Please reach out to your building principal regarding the time that is designated to pick up required materials.