Reopening Update for Families: September 4, 2020

How Will My Child Learn at Home?

Whether learning remotely from home part of the week or every day, students will receive remote instruction in two different ways: live interaction (sometimes referred to as “synchronous instruction”) with teachers, and independent learning (sometimes referred to as “asynchronous instruction”), which includes assignments, projects, or recorded video lessons. Let us explain what that means:

Live interaction means that your student will interact with their teacher on video, phone, live chat, virtual app, or another digital mode in real time. The teacher may be interacting with the whole class, small groups, or individual students. It can be done over Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or other DOE-approved video or phone conferencing or digital platforms. It includes:

Class Lessons;

Office Hours to connecting in real time with teachers to get individual or small group help with instruction or instructional activities;

Social-emotional wellness activities such as sharing circles or mindfulness exercises; or

Feedback discussions with students and families about their work and progress via video or phone.

Other “live participation” activities, such as chat, offered by the digital platform used by educators during lessons.

At the beginning of the school year, here are the target amounts we are asking all schools to engage their students in live interaction and instruction each day:

Students in Pre-K programs: up to 30 minutes

Students in kindergarten through grade 2: 65 to 95 minutes

Students in grades 3–5: 90 to 110 minutes

The amount of time devoted to live instruction will increase each month for all grades as the school year progresses to allow students and teachers to gradually transition. Scheduled times will be posted so that students and staff alike can plan for engagement.

Independent learning means your student will work on their own with assignments, projects, and materials provided by their teachers. This might include:

Video lessons or presentations recorded previously

Activities, assignments or tasks that build on lessons from previous days

Collaborative projects and assignments with classmates

Discussion boards and conversation, feedback, or guidance from teachers over email

Who Will Be Teaching My Child?

Your child will have a high-quality educator leading their education, no matter where they’re learning. Instruction may look a little bit different in every school, reflecting the specific needs of the school community, but here is what you can generally expect:

For Students in Blended Learning

Blended learning refers to a combination of on-site, in-person instruction at the school some days of the week, and remote instruction at home on remaining days.

Your child may have different teachers for on-site and remote learning. Those teachers will work closely together in pairs or teams to create meaningful and connected learning experiences. For example, a student may begin a project in person and then continue to work on it while remote.

During the remote portion of blended learning, your child will regularly be with the same group of students with whom they attend in person.

For Students in Full-Time Remote Learning

Where possible, students engaging in full-time remote learning will be taught by teachers from their own school. Teachers will regularly meet with the same group of students on specific days.

How to Stay Informed on Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Your School Community

It’s important that your school can reach you to share crucial information quickly, including alerts about confirmed COVID-19 cases in your child’s school. Please sign up for a NYC Schools Account (NYCSA) so we can contact you via phone, email, or text message. With NYCSA, you can access your child’s grades, test scores, schedules, transportation information, and more—from anywhere, and in all nine standard DOE language translations.