Middle School Students

In an effort to ensure students continue to engage in learning, I want to share with you the Emergency Remote Learning Plan for our school district. This information is based on what we know to-date in regards to teaching and learning guidance from the state level. Please note that some plans may continue to change as the situation evolves. We fully anticipate further guidance from the NC Department of Public Instruction, the NC State Board of Education, and the NC General Assembly. I will continue to be transparent with you regarding any and all guidance we receive regarding remote learning in NC and in particular, decisions affecting us directly at the local level in Surry County.

Surry County Schools will continue with emergency remote learning to support continued student growth and well-being during this public health crisis. While we know this is not ideal for all learners, our goal is to reach all of our students and engage them in learning. Within our plan, we will continue to provide a variety of remote learning opportunities through video conference, telephone conference, print material, online material, and/or through PowerSchool Learning (Haiku) or Google; provide social and emotional learning strategies and supports to help respond to the needs of our students; and, focus more on engagement than evaluation during this unprecedented time in our lives.

Please review the attached document from the NC Department of Public Instruction and approved by the State Board of Education. Further guidance will be provided by your school principal.

Grades 6-8:

• Teachers will continue with emergency remote instruction and will continue to engage students in learning.

• Teachers will provide feedback to students as they evaluate student progress toward grade-level standards and promotion within each core subject.

• Priority standards will be identified for each core subject and progress toward those standards will be evaluated in simplistic terms of Proficient or Not Yet. (Proficiency is defined as students demonstrate sufficient understanding of grade-level content standards though some support may be needed to engage with content at the next grade/course.)

• Regarding promotion, consideration will be given to each student’s progress based on the first three quarters of the year and continued progress toward proficiency on grade-level standards within each core subject.

• Students with an IEP and/or an EL plan will continue to receive differentiated support within this remote learning plan.

Teachers will provide Emergency Remote Learning Progress Checks to your students in efforts to give feedback on their progress toward grade-level and/or course-level standards. You will receive these by April 30 , 2020.

Digital Divide:

Students in grades 6-8 who still need a device are asked to contact their school to ensure that a laptop is issued immediately. SCS will continue to work with families who do not have internet connectivity to make certain all students have an equitable opportunity to participate in lessons, complete assignments, and receive social-emotional supports.