Through nearly two weeks of online learning, Montgomery County school officials said it’s too soon to tell how many students are regularly signing on for classes.
Chief Academic Officer Maria Navarro said in an interview Thursday morning that MCPS is seeking guidance from the Maryland State Department of Education about how to officially take attendance while classes are being conducted virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the meantime, the school district is continuing to loan laptops to students — 8,000 Chromebooks were distributed on Wednesday, bringing the total to 53,000 — and helping families get acquainted with the new system.
“Our goal is to ensure every student is connecting and engaging them regularly in learning,” Navarro said.
Thousands of students have participated in live streamed classes and others have been contacted via phone or email, Navarro said. Others have opted to forego online classes and use paper packets of lessons.
On Saturday, MCPS Chief Technology Officer Pete Cevenini said approximately 120,000 students — about 72% of the school district’s population — had attended at least one virtual class during the first week of online learning. That number is likely higher through the second week, school officials said, but data were not available Thursday morning. Navarro said data would likely be available in the coming days.
A national survey of nearly 1,000 teenagers ages 13 to 17 showed 47% of public school students said they are not participating in their school districts’ online or virtual classes.
About 80% of respondents said they are following news about the coronavirus pandemic closely and more than 60% said they are worried about the potential impact of the virus on their family’s income.
Navarro said MCPS will continue to connect with students who aren’t participating in virtual learning “up to the point we find out the student is no longer in our district.” That will include phone calls, emails and mail, she said.
Additionally, teachers have been advised to provide “some flexibility around grading” for the third marking period, scheduled to end April 17. If students were unable to finish assignments before the end of the marking period because they didn’t have a Chromebook, for example, Navarro said, they will be allowed to make up the work.
“We don’t want anything to adversely impact their grades because of being unable to initially engage,” Navarro said.
She added that it’s “imperative” for MCPS to gauge the impact that the shift to online learning has had on different groups of students. The school district has begun discussing potential summer learning opportunities for students who are “disproportionately affected.”
In an interview last week, MCPS Associate Superintendent Niki Hazel said the school district doesn’t “want to lose any students throughout this process,” particularly students in special education or English as a second language programs.
Teachers plan to connect with those students more frequently and provide additional, specialized instruction.
The school district is also focusing on students’ mental health, Navarro said.
Teachers are embedding conversations and activities about mental wellness into their lessons, she said.
“As students continue in this setting, I have a feeling that will continue and maybe increase in its importance,” Navarro said. “Talking about it is important and it’s important to let students express themselves.”
Schools across Maryland are scheduled to be closed through at least April 24, but state officials, including Gov. Larry Hogan, have said it is likely the closures will last longer. MCPS will not hold any online classes Thursday through Tuesday due to a previously scheduled spring break.
State Superintendent of Schools Karen Salmon said this week she is preparing for the possibility of online learning stretching into the fall or winter if the coronavirus is not contained or has a second wave of widespread infection, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
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