Teaching & Learning

New York students are entitled to a free public education, even as we face the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. All students must have the opportunity to feel safe, engaged, and excited about their learning, whether in-person, remote, or some combination of the two. At the heart of teaching and learning are the relationships that students have with their peers, teachers, and school community members. Students are searching for a return to their routines and a sense of normalcy, so during the upcoming school year, it is of the utmost importance to the Rome City School District that we place individual student needs and equity at the center of all learning experiences. As per regulation, all schools must provide 180 days of instruction each school year to their students. Instructional days shall be counted for programs that are delivered in-person, remotely, or through a hybrid model.

INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL REQUEST FORM

After providing an opportunity for families to read and review our Redefining Opportunities for Meaningful Education document, all families will be required to complete an Instructional Model Request Form indicating the form of instruction that they prefer for their student(s). Families will be asked to complete this form prior to Friday, August 14, 2020. Please note that parent responses on the Instructional Model Request Form will be binding for the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year. Near the completion of the first semester, we will review any families’ desire to change their instructional model for their student. If a building’s capacity and class sizes permit students’ moving from a remote model to an in-person or hybrid model, these requests will be granted. Again, families will be asked to complete this form prior to Friday, August 14, 2020. Any student who does not have a form submitted by this date will be assumed to be participating in in-person learning experiences. The model of instruction that will be implemented for the 2020-2021 school year will be announced on Monday, August 17, 2020.

SCHOOL CALENDAR 2020-2021

In the adopted school calendar, there are five (5) approved contingency days to be used in the event of an emergency. In an effort to provide as much time before welcoming our students back to our facilities as possible, and giving our staff as much time as possible to adjust and adapt to new learning environments, the Rome City School District will be modifying the start of the 2020-2021 school year in the following way:

• September 2 & 3 (scheduled superintendent’s conference days) – CANCELED

• September 7 – HOLIDAY, Labor Day

• September 8 (scheduled first day of school) – EMERGENCY DAY

• September 9 & 10 (scheduled school days) – Superintendent’s Conference Days

• September 11 (scheduled school day) – EMERGENCY DAY

• September 14 – FIRST DAY OF CLASSES FOR STUDENTS

SCHOOL SCHEDULES

As we begin the 2020-2021 school year, part of returning to routines and normalcy will be the inclusion of consistent school schedules whether students are learning in-person or virtually. Students in all grades (preK – 12) will have a consistent, daily, synchronous schedule by which they must follow. Those students who have opted to learn in-person, will follow the daily schedule as assigned by their building principal and classroom teacher. Secondary students, who will be learning remotely, will also be following a set daily schedule of courses as they have traditionally done in the past. New York State regulations require 180 minutes of instruction per week in any given content area, which equates to roughly 36 minutes per day of instruction. Student schedules for all students will be available toward the end of August and may be adjusted if necessary.

ATTENDANCE

Under New York State statutory requirements, school districts are required to provide 180 days of instruction to students. For the 2020-2021 school year, there are currently no statutory provisions that would allow a school district to provide fewer than 180 days of instruction over the course of the full school year. During this school year, all teachers will be required to take daily attendance for their courses or classes (depending on grade level) in our student management system, SchoolTool. While in-person attendance is fairly straight forward and understood, remote learning attendance issues can easily arise, as we witnessed last spring. For students learning remotely, attendance in a particular course will be calculated based more on student engagement with the teacher on a given day, rather than logging on at a specific time. While students may be required to attend certain remote learning activities at a set time/schedule, student engagement with the teacher is utilized for attendance purposes. Students who are not attending school or engaging in remote learning sessions will prompt school administrators and counselors to contact the family to determine what barriers, if any, are preventing the student from engaging. Together, we will develop individualized plans to help students who are disengaged to become active participants in their education.

CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM

Extensive research indicates that missing ten percent (10%) of school days tends to be the “tipping point” when student achievement declines. Chronic absence, or absenteeism, is defined as missing at least ten percent (10%) of enrolled school days, which in New York State is eighteen (18) days per school year, or two (2) days per month.

• Chronic absence includes all absences from instruction, both excused and unexcused. Instead of school policies and procedures focusing on truancy, it is essential for school attendance policies to focus on the academic consequences of lost instructional time and for the school procedures to address absences before students fall behind in school.

• During these challenging times, the development of positive school relationships may be a lifeline for students disconnected from school.

• Although flexibility is recommended when monitoring attendance in a remote instructional model, for students who have not engaged in remote learning and school staff outreach to parents/guardians has been unsuccessful, districts and other schools should explore a variety of methods for reaching out such as:

• phone calls to families are often the simplest solution and provide an immediate opportunity to offer resources and assess student and family needs

• where families do not respond to phone calls, texting may offer a lower-stress alternative and a subsequent phone call can be arranged

• seeking out adults in the school who have established a connection with the student and/or family may yield improved results. Counselors, coaches, social workers, and psychologists are often logical choices, in addition to teaching staff. Social media contact or using friends to reach out can also be effective strategies.

• Assign each student an “ally” – an adult who is responsible to check in on the student every day, whether instruction is in-person, remote, or online.

School districts and other school entities have the responsibility to provide translation for families who speak a language other than English in the home. Once contact is made, emphasis should be on addressing the student’s or family’s barriers to “attendance” or engagement with instruction.

STUDENT REGISTRATION

Student registration will continue throughout the remainder of the summer and the 2020-2021 school year. Regardless of whether a student’s family desires for them to learn remotely or in-person, all registration requirements must be met. The Rome City School District policy 7003 (https://drive.google.com/7003)

outlines the registration requirements for all students within the school district. In conjunction with policy 7003, regulation 7003.1 (https://drive.google.com/7003.1) provides a list of the acceptable documents that are used for residence verification purposes. Students wishing to participate in the in-person learning experience, but register after class rosters and locations are set, may experience a delay in the assignment of a classroom location due to the need to maintain class sizes and ensure all health and safety requirements can be met with additional students in a facility. More information regarding registration requirements, including contact information and how to schedule an appointment can be found by visiting our website at https://www.romecsd.org/parents/student_registration.

SPECIAL PERMISSIONS

In an effort to maintain consistent building populations and to minimize movement between buildings throughout the year, the Rome City School District will not be granting special permissions once the school year begins. Prior to the start of the 2020-2021 school year, parents/guardians with child care needs may complete a request for special permission to attend a different elementary school. Also, students whose sibling attends a specific elementary school due to CSE placement will also be eligible for special permission transfers. The approval/denial of a transfer request is solely dependent upon a specific school building’s capacity to accommodate more students. Please note that for 2020-2021, school transfers and special permissions are highly unlikely to be approved due to building capacity issues.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The sudden transition to remote learning in the spring of 2020 has left the education profession recognizing certain needs related to the continuous learning of our staff. The Rome City School District Professional Development Committee has worked throughout the summer to re-develop our initiatives related to staff growth. As an educational institution, we remain committed to continuous growth of our educators, leaders, and staff to ensure the greatest support possible for student learning, growth, and social/emotional well-being. During the 2020-2021 school year, our staff will remain engaged in professional development based on the district’s following professional learning objectives:

• Provide professional learning to all teachers and administrators on the shifts and changes in the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards in all subject areas. The emphasis of professional learning will be placed on the inquiry-based, application, and literacy shifts needed for students to be successful with the standards. Professional learning for objective #1 will be provided to all pre-k -12 teachers, teacher assistants, and administrators at all grade levels;

• Provide professional learning to support the implementation of the following research-based instructional practices: balanced literacy, writer's workshop (pre-k-6), disciplinary literacy (pre-k-12), disciplinary writing (pre-k -12), critical thinking (pre-k -12). Professional learning will include teachers and teacher assistants in grades pre-k -12 and administrators at all grade levels.

• Provide professional learning in student engagement and differentiated learning practices. This professional learning will include all teachers and teacher assistants in grades pre-k-12, and administrators at all grade levels.

• Provide professional learning in social-emotional learning, trauma-informed classrooms, restorative justice practices, and cultural competency. This professional learning will include all teachers (pre-k-12), teacher assistants, and administrators at all grade levels.

• Provide professional learning of best practices for working with ENL students. This professional learning will be for all teachers, teacher assistants, and administrators (pre-K-12) who work with ENL students.

• The purpose of this professional learning is to help all administrators understand the instructional shifts and practices that they will be observing and coaching teachers in and to be recertified each year with APPR training. The professional learning will be for all administrators in the district who directly supervise teachers and classroom instruction.

• To provide professional learning to staff to meet the objectives of the re-opening plan and following the guidance of the New York State Department of Education for the re-opening of schools.

A complete copy of our district professional development plan can be found on our website at https://www.romecsd.org/PDplan. Any teacher needing materials or training information for the Google platform should visit the district’s shared drive at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0AIYqA3IdbUIlUk9PVA

This website has a myriad of training videos, documents, and tools to help teachers adjust to instruction through Google.

CONTINUITY OF INSTRUCTION

In the unfortunate event that there is a significant recurrence of COVID-19 in New York State, or within our Mohawk Valley Region, schools may be required to suspend all in-person learning experiences again this year and move all learning to a remote model. This is referred to as our iLearning Plan for the Rome City School District. While many aspects of the 2020-2021 iLearning Plan are similar to the plan that was followed last year, there are procedural changes related to scheduling, learning methods, and grading/assessing. The information detailed below for remote instruction is the foundation of our full 2020-2021 iLearning Plan.

STUDENTS COVERED UNDER SECTION 504

It is the responsibility of the District to identify and evaluate students with disabilities who, within the intent of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, need special services or programs in order that such students may receive the required free appropriate education. A free appropriate education consists of regular or special education and related aids and services that are designed to meet the disabled student's needs as adequately as the needs of non disabled students are met. Each qualified student within the District who is eligible to receive regular or special education or related aids or services, regardless of the nature or severity of the condition necessitating such programs or services, shall receive a free appropriate education in the District. Consistent with district policy 8050 (https://drive.google.com/8050) a student who may need special services or programs within the intent of Section 504 is one who:

• Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (e.g., learning); or

• Has a record of such impairment; or

• Is regarded as having such impairment.

Students may be eligible for services under the provisions of Section 504 even though they do not require services pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq.(IDEA) and Article 89 of the New York Education Law and part 200 of the State Commissioner's regulations which

implement the IDEA. Students who are identified as disabled individuals with exceptional needs, according to IDEA criteria, are not addressed under this policy. The needs of such students are met through the Committee on Special Education (CSE) and its policies and procedures and under the applicable state

and federal laws and regulations.

RECESS

Students in grades PreK-6 will be provided with thirty (30) minutes of recess each day which will be encouraged to occur outdoors. Recess periods will be outside unless weather conditions do not permit. Cleaning and sanitation of playground equipment will be done in accordance with the playground portion of this document in the Facilities section. Shared toys will be discouraged amongst students, but if they are used during recess, they must be cleaned at the end of the recess session before the next group participates in recess.

PARENT PORTAL

Parent Portal is a way for you to connect directly to the student management system (SchoolTool) used by the Rome City School District to monitor your students’ academic progress in real time. With a Parent Portal account, parents are able to view the following student information:

1. • Student Record

   • Contact Information

   • Current schedule

   • Attendance (daily and course absences)

   • Grades (Progress & Marking Period average, Final grades, Assessment grades, Report Card grades)

   • Assignments

   • Email your students’ teachers and counselors

For more information on Parent Portal and how you may register for an account, please visit our website at https://www.romecsd.org/parents/parent_portal_videos

INCLEMENT WEATHER DAYS

Given the district’s ability to utilize remote learning opportunities, the Rome City School District will utilize iLearning resources in the event of a building closure due to inclement weather. While the physical building may be closed due to inclement weather, learning can continue throughout the district, pre-k -12. The use of our emergency days that were built into the 2020-2021 calendar has been outlined earlier in the reopening plan.