Planning To Reopen - Our Schools, DESE Remote Learning Guidance

9/3/2020 (Permalink)

By now most parents of the Commonwealth know which of the three possible education models their school districts have chosen to begin the 2020-2021 academic year. The possibilities are:

1. In-person - learning with new and enhanced safety requirements
2. Hybrid - some combination of In-person (with new and enhanced safety requirements) and remote learning
3. Remote - 100% remote learning environment

The way in which our children learn and our educators teach to begin this school year will be will challenging for both to say the least. Regardless of the reopening model chosen by your school district, all schools will be providing remote learning to some extent. To ensure that our children's learning experience is not diminished by these significant changes to their leaning structure the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has offered the following guidance to be used when developing the curriculum for hybrid and remote learning models.

NOTE: COVID-19 is highly transmissible. Individuals should follow these universal precautions regardless of the extent of mitigation needed:

1. Follow healthy hygiene practices
2. Stay at home when sick
3. Practice social distancing 
4. Use a cloth face covering (with some exceptions) in community settings when physical distancing cannot be maintained.

The current state of the COVID-19 pandemic is continually evolving. What is true today may not be tomorrow. At this time, the evidence suggests schools have not played a significant role in COVID-19 transmission and that children, particularly younger children, are less likely than adults to be infected with COVID-19.

As always, work with your local health officials to determine a set of strategies appropriate for your community’s situation.

(See our Planning to Reopen series of blogs for more information regarding CDC, EPA, FDA, Mass EEA, Mass DESE, and OSHA safety requirements). To review the administration's reopening guidance from the state click here. To view Governor Baker's full report click here).

The Massachusetts DESE recommends that districts and schools select high quality, comprehensive curriculum and instructional materials when developing the curriculum for remote based learning. There are many resources available that provide supplemental virtual content that educators can incorporate in a way that builds upon their current curriculum, enhances student engagement, voice, and choice, and that meets specific needs for delivering instruction remotely. Below is a list of vetted virtual content resources for various grade spans and subject areas.

Vetted Virtual Content Grades K-2 

1. Reading Foundational Skills
   1. Flyleaf - Publishing
   2. EVERFI - Free Early Literacy Digital Lessons
   3. Heggerty - Phonemic Awareness Curriculum
2. Engaging With Complex Text and Writing
   1. Core Knowledge - Language Arts
   2. EL Education - Literacy Education
   3. Great Minds - K-8
   4. In K-2, this should entail read-aloud with discussion and response to text
3. Independent Reading or Listening
   1. Epic - Trackable Personalize Daily Reading
   2. Rivet - Rewards Based Reading App
   3. Stories Podcast - Audio Book Style Podcast
   4. Local libraries’ digital lending services
4. Math
   1. Great Minds - K-8
   2. Khan Academy - K-12 Personalized Digital Learning
   3. ST Math - Early Learning through Middle School Math
   4. ZEARN Math - K-5 Digital Math Curriculum
5. Science, Technology and Engineering
   or History and Social Science
   
   1. C3 Inquires - K-12 Inquiry Based Social Studies Curriculum
   2. KidCitizen - K-12 Interactive Government and Civil Engagement Curriculum
   3. Mystery Science - K-5 Science Video Lessons
   4. NSTA Daily Do - K-12 Remote Learning Curriculum
   5. Next Generation Science - K-12 Science Unit Lessons
6. Arts and Physical Education
   1. BrainPop Jr. - Music
   2. Carle’s Art Studio - Visual Art
   3. PBS - Theatre
   4. PBS - Dance
7. Exploration and Play
   1. Young children learn through exploration and play, such as building with blocks, exploring nature, pretend play, and games. Schools should support students in grades K-2 to learn through play at home and can provide resources such as:
      1. Family Reading Games - You Tube
      2. Boston Children’s Museum Play and Learning Activities

Vetted Virtual Content Grades 3-5

1. Reading Foundational Skills
   1. Florida Center for Reading Research
2. Engaging With Complex Text and Writing
   1. Core Knowledge - Language Arts
   2. EL Education - Literacy Education
   3. Great Minds - K-8
3. Independent Reading or Listening
   1. Epic - Trackable Personalize Daily Reading
   2. Rivet - Rewards Based Reading App
   3. Local libraries’ digital lending services
4. Math
   1. Great Minds - K-8
   2. Khan Academy - K-12 Personalized Digital Learning
   3. ST Math - Early Learning through Middle School Math
   4. ZEARN Math - K-5 Digital Math Curriculum
5. Science, Technology and Engineering 
   
   1. Mystery Science - K-5 Science Video Lessons
   2. NSTA Daily Do - K-12 Remote Learning Curriculum
   3. Next Generation Science - K-12 Science Unit Lessons
6. History and Social Science
   1. C3 Inquires - K-12 Inquiry Based Social Studies Curriculum
   2. KidCitizen - K-12 Interactive 
7. Arts and Physical Education
   1. NAEA’s Remote Learning Toolkit - National Art Education Association for Visual Arts Educators - Visual Art
   2. PBS - Theatre 
   3. PBS - Dance
   4. Smithsonian Folkways - Music

Vetted Virtual Content Grades 6-8

1. ELA/Literacy
   
   1. CommonLit - Free Digital Reading Curriculum
   2. EL Education - Literacy Education
   3. Great Minds - K-8
2. Math
   1. Carnegie Learning - Continuous Digital Learning Resources
   2. Great Minds - K-8
   3. Khan Academy - K-12 Personalized Digital Learning
   4. Illustrative Math
      1. ST Math
      2. Kendall Hunt
      3. LearnZillion
      4. McGraw-Hill
3. Science, Technology and Engineering 
   
   1. Concord Consortium - Interactive STEM Activities
   2. NSTA Daily Do - K-12 Remote Learning Curriculum
   3. Next Generation Science - K-12 Science Unit Lessons
4. History and Social Science
   1. C3 Inquires - K-12 Inquiry Based Social Studies Curriculum
   2. Facing History - Helping Students Learn From Humanity's Past Mistakes
   3. iCivics - Delivers Engaging, and Equitable Civic Curriculum
   4. Stanford History Education Group - Investigative Historical Curriculum
5. World Languages, Digital Literacy, Computer Science, and/or Electives
   1. Code.- Computer Science Learning Portal
   2. Digital Citizenship - Learn How To Navigate The Digital World
6. Arts and Physical Education
   1. Citizen DJ - Music/Theatre/Media Arts 
   2. NAEA’s Remote Learning Toolkit - National Art Education Association for Visual Arts Educators - Visual Art
   3. PBS - Theatre 
   4. PBS - Dance
   5. Smithsonian Folkways - Music
7. Independent Reading
   1. Project Gutenberg - Online Library of Free Books
   2. Local libraries’ digital lending services

NOTE: According to Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education areas of the school visited by the COVID-19 positive individual must be closed off and/or cleaned and disinfected. The area can be used 12 hours after cleaning/disinfecting has occurred.

While the administration continues to work with communities to implement best practices and protocols for reopening our schools we will continue to share with you guidance from the CDC, EPA, FDA, Mass EEA, Mass EEC, Mass DESE, and OSHA and the Governor's office to follow as we prepare for the new school year.

Also, we at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley know that not every community has access to the resources necessary to meet the strict cleaning guidelines to ensure a safe environment for our children. For those communities, we are here to help!

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned

The Disaster Remediation Teams at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley are specialists in cleaning services and we adhere to the highest cleaning and sanitation standards. We are prepared to clean and disinfect your schools, according to protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We have years of experience in dealing with biological contaminants, and we will go beyond the scope of work of "normal daily cleaning". Call SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley today for a free consultation - (617) 332-9000.

All of us here at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley want you and your loved ones to stay safe and know that we will make it through this together! Rest assured, we will continue to do our best to keep you up-to-date and informed!