During the spring semester of last year, the change to distance learning was abrupt and unexpected. In addition, the duration of school closure was unknown. These conditions made for a less than ideal learning environment for students and little time for teachers to plan, train, and adapt to distance learning. Recognizing that changes would be needed for the new school year, our teachers, leaders, and staff members spent the summer preparing for entirely new strategies for distance learning. The following are a few modifications that families can expect to see as we start the 20-21 school year:

• Required synchronous learning sessions

• Increased accountability for student attendance

• Increased accountability for student work

• Increased opportunities for instructional support from qualified staff members

• Additional technology resources including both hardware and software systems

• Consistency in learning platform (Google Classroom or SeeSaw) and communication tools (Google Classroom, Google Calendar, SeeSaw, etc.) 

• Weekly learning plans for all classrooms and courses

• Opportunities for in-person learning for prioritized groups of students

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We knew from the beginning that adjustments would have to be made as we moved into the actual experience of Distance Learning. Our elementary administrators are meeting with each individual grade level team to discuss current plans/processes, and opportunities for future growth, including needed improvements. We are discussing new and different options to seek more ability for meeting elementary students synchronously, and how to lessen some of the asynchronous work.

Content coverage is something we're monitoring very closely against our priority standards and benchmarks. The first few weeks of school were lighter on content, particularly at the elementary level, as teachers/students completed assessments, reviewed general skills, and learned the rhythm and routine of school. The content pace should start to move faster now, and they all are working toward timelines and pacing guides to meet to ensure adequate standards are addressed and implemented. We are adapting many of our typical assessments to a virtual environment (which can be tricky!), in order to ensure we are measuring this year's students against expected performance levels in previous years. When we note things aren't measuring up the way we'd like, adjustments to method or amount of teaching will be made, as well as interventions for individuals or groups of students.

Our benchmark assessments, like iReady, will be used as a diagnostic tool to address student needs on an individual level and to adjust teaching strategies to address those needs in very specific areas. This tool, along with other assessments and teacher’s own evaluations of student progress will inform any adjustments to the Distance Learning model.

Families are providing feedback via the Distance Learning Survey released at the end of September. In addition, we continue to take feedback from teachers both formally and anecdotally. Students will also be surveyed for their input. All of this feedback will inform the process for improving the Distance Learning experience for students and families. 

Even when we are able to return in-person, there is a substantial percentage of our students who will continue fully in Distance Learning, not to mention all students who will necessarily flex in and out at different times due to illness or quarantines. Therefore, it is tremendously important that we continuously improve our model. 

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We recognize that there are concerns about “summer slide” due to adopting this spiraled quarterly schedule, particularly for subjects like World Language, music, and math, when the students do not have these courses during their off quarters. The teachers and leadership team share this concern and discussed this at length when making the difficult decision to adopt this schedule. While we can all agree that in-person learning on our full and regular schedule provides the best, cohesive structure for learning, this year’s challenges also present unique opportunities to solve problems like the concerns about “summer slide” in between quarters. Teachers are continuing to innovate and design solutions for problems that are arising as we have started the new school year, and they will continue with an iterative, continuous improvement process as we look ahead to future quarters. Additionally, as we reach out to the Elementary and Secondary Curriculum Committees for review of our Distance Learning model, this will be an area of emphasis. In the meantime, teachers will continue to work with small groups and individual students during office hours or other scheduled times. Students in 6th-12th grade are also encouraged to reach out and take advantage of the free tutoring services and opportunities offered through the Think Tank to assist with any areas where additional support is needed, including subjects in off quarters.

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It is reasonable to feel concerned that our students across the nation will be impacted by the changes in our education system. We all must shift our perspective on what it means to “fall behind,” knowing that, one day, we will all be back together again in a traditional classroom. In the meantime, our teachers are keenly aware of the potential for some students to struggle and others to thrive in distance learning. Our benchmark assessments, like iReady, will be used as a diagnostic tool to address student needs on an individual level and to adjust teaching strategies to address those needs in very specific areas. As we bring additional student cohorts back on campus for in-person learning, our teachers are prioritizing students based on identified needs. Peak to Peak teachers are conscientious and share a deep desire to ensure that students' learning is optimized and that students are making the growth gains needed to advance to the next grade level. No one wants to see our students fall behind and every effort is being made to provide each individual with the focused attention they deserve.

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During distance learning, secondary students will attend a virtual supported study hall, individual conferences weekly (or more if needed), and, after September 1, opportunities for students to meet on campus for in-person support and interventions. Attendance to the virtual study hall is mandatory in order to ensure that students receive their direct service minutes indicated in their IEPs.  

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Peak to Peak students will receive regular feedback on academic progress. Assignments will be graded in alignment with our standing grading policies K-12. Please see the student handbooks for more information.

At the secondary level, students' course grades will be based on a split of 70% summative assessment (projects, reports, presentations, unit tests, quizzes, etc.) and 30% formative assessment (participation, classwork, homework, etc.).

See the schedules via the link at the bottom of every page.

Schedules

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Elementary:

• Students will participate in distance learning five days per week. Approximately four days a week, students will have synchronous learning activities via Google Meet with their teachers.

• It is anticipated that each homeroom will have the opportunity to meet together most days in a live, synchronous Google Meet session. Additionally, four days will consist of synchronous learning with core academic instruction (LA, math, writing, Science/SS) and one special per week.

• Opportunities will be set for students to: 1) receive extra help, 2) engage in extension opportunities, and/or 3) participate in social-emotional learning lessons, relationship-building activities, and special school events.

• Students will not be asked to attend more than 60 min of synchronous Google Meet sessions in a day, including intervention and specials.

• Students will be engaged in learning activities (synchronous, asynchronous, and work that might traditionally be called “homework”) for approximately 4 hours per day, using school curricular resources.

• Synchronous sessions in core academic subjects will be provided in small group format to allow for increased connection and differentiation.

• The timing of live sessions across elementary grade levels will be staggered to lessen conflicts between household members. 

• If a student is unable to attend a synchronous session, the student will be responsible for completing a related asynchronous assignment in its place. Recordings of direct instruction portions of synchronous sessions may be available for student review. For privacy reasons, any synchronous sessions recordings must not include student discussion or portions of the session where students’ identities may be revealed.

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Kindergarten:

When our teacher teams gathered to discuss the best scenarios for learning, our youngest learners, particularly those who have not attended school before, were a primary focus. Our elementary teachers and school leaders have developed a plan that prioritizes in-person learning for our Kindergarten students, while still protecting health and safety by honoring the small student cohort model.  During Phases 2 & 3, Kindergarten students will have in-person learning opportunities on a half-day schedule, with increasing time and consistency during Phase 3 as restrictions ease. During Phases 4-5, Kindergarten students will follow our regular full-day schedule.

	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Cohort A	8:00-10:30	DL	8:00-10:30	DL
Cohort B	12:30-3:00	DL	12:30-3:00	DL
Cohort C	DL	8:00-10:30	DL	8:00-10:30

Peak to Peak will be implementing a “Flex Day” for a variety of purposes and opportunities for both staff and students. Peak to Peak will preserve this “Flex Day” for the K-12 for the entire 20-21 school year, regardless of the phase. There will be no Early Release Days or monthly Professional Development Days on the 20-21 school year calendar. (Other non-contact days off for students such as Charter Day and Elementary Parent/Teacher Conference Days are still being considered.) 

Importantly, the Flex Day is not a day off! Rather it is a day when students will be asked to attend advisory sessions, complete work independently, access individual and small group teacher support, and engage in social/emotional learning (SEL) activities. Students will primarily be working off-campus, but may occasionally have on-campus opportunities during Phases 3-5, and based on the grade level. Student attendance on Flex Days will be compulsory, just as it would be for any of the distance learning and/or in-person learning days. This decision is driven by our priority to provide a stable and predictable schedule for the entire school year, across the K-12. Maintaining this Flex Day throughout the school year supports our priorities for social and emotional learning, mental health and wellness, teacher planning/collaboration, development of synchronous/asynchronous lessons, and it aligns well with the secondary quarter system. Peak to Peak will align with BVSD by implementing the Flex Day on Monday.

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Teachers who worked on the summer task forces recommended the spiraled, quarterly system for the secondary program based on a priority to provide a stable, consistent environment for students and staff, regardless of the Phase of operation. The schedule was intentionally designed to offer students a seamless experience in the event that we need to shift between reintroduction phases this school year. When we are able to return to in-person learning, having fewer classes will allow us to keep students and staff contained in smaller groups, limiting the number of people they are exposed to in a given day. If we have an outbreak of the virus, then the number of people who are potentially exposed is reduced. This aligns with recommendations by the CDC and other health organizations to cluster students in distinct cohorts.

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The quarter system at the secondary level allows the most flexibility regardless of whether we are in a distance learning, or if we are back on campus for in-person learning. To address the potential disruption of shifting modes, we needed a schedule that would provide stability for students, regardless of the learning environment (distance, hybrid, or in-person), and that meets the guidelines of the public health departments. Committing to the quarter system at the start of the school year means that we must continue this schedule for the first semester, and perhaps the entire year, so that students have access to the full content of the course. Additionally, a stable and predictable schedule directly impacts the teaching cycle, the curriculum, our professional development schedule, and requirements for student cohorts and contact tracing. For now, it’s safe to assume that the quarter system will be in place all year; any decision to adjust this approach will be made in time to prepare for the start of the second semester in January 2021. 

Based on our experiences last spring, we quickly learned that when we are in a mostly remote learning model (such as Phase 1 or 2), it is very difficult for secondary students to navigate the content of 8 courses. The quarterly schedule reduces the number of courses a student is taking at one time, which allows for more focused time on each course. While there will be some reduction and compaction of the curriculum, it will not be as dramatic as one might think. Since students will have fewer classes at a time each quarter, teachers can ask more of them on any given day. AP teachers, in particular, will be able to assign more independent work than non-AP classes. Throughout the year, teachers will be working together in departments to adjust their curriculum as needed to accommodate the revised schedule and to ensure that essential learning targets are strategically defined and modified so that students will still have the opportunity to access the content and develop the skills to the greatest extent possible.

Synchronous learning is online or distance learning that happens in real-time at a scheduled time (such as Google Meet sessions). Asynchronous learning occurs through online tools and resources (such as recorded presentations, interactive tools) without real-time interaction requirements.

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Even in normal circumstances, teachers do not use entire class periods for direct instruction. Peak to Peak’s instructional model intentionally encourages students to take ownership of their own learning. Much of the learning does not come from direct instruction from the teacher, but rather from the students’ own exploration of the topic, tools, and resources. A great deal of independent and small group work happens in the traditional classroom at Peak to Peak. Research shows that students do their best learning when they are grappling with the topics, not when the teacher is “delivering” content. (32 Research-Based Instructional Strategies and High Impact Teaching Strategies)

In addition, it is important to understand that reduction in instructional time is not nearly what it appears to be. In fact, the shift to distance learning resulted in only a very small decrease in instructional time (hours and minutes) at all levels. While we acknowledge that asynchronous lessons that students are completing on their own are not the same as independent work in a classroom where the teacher is readily accessible, it does mirror that work as best as possible in this distance learning format.  

When building the frameworks for Peak to Peak’s Distance Learning model, the elementary team strongly felt that having a full class on screen all at the same time would be unhelpful for most students; it would remove our ability to differentiate with varying content, it would remove the teacher's ability to give individualized or immediate feedback, and many schools we talked with who had already experienced this format felt it was detrimental in many ways including student engagement. Instead, our task force team decided that most instruction should happen in a small group, so that immediate and specific feedback could be given to each student at the appropriate level of learning, and although the time might be shorter, it would be far more effective. This means, however, that teachers are engaged with synchronous sessions for almost 3 hours for the same 1 hour each student is engaged synchronously. To give a substantial amount of increased synchronous times, we'd have to revert to 25 students on a screen at the same time, which negates the specific work teachers need with each student. We are working to find ways to use a variety of teachers and teaching approaches to get more synchronous small groups or whole group lessons in place as soon as we can.

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Please visit the Instruction Time page for more information.

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Nationally, many colleges and universities have announced test optional policies for the HS graduating class of 2021, partly as a result of the pandemic and the lack of access to college entrance standardized tests and partly due to a change in the higher education landscape. While some colleges are permanently making this decision, others have only announced decisions only for this application year. Fairtest.org is a good resource to see which colleges are test optional. We recommend checking each institution's website to see what their policies are for admission and scholarships.  

At this point, taking the SAT is still a graduation requirement. The new state graduation requirements that were expected to start with the Class of 2021 have been postponed and the new graduation requirements will begin with the Class of 2022 and beyond. 

For the juniors who opted in, the PSAT will be offered on October 13. The PSAT exam scores will be used for the National Merit Scholarship Program.  If a student is unable to take the PSAT in October or during the make up PSAT in January because of illness, an emergency, or other extenuating circumstance (including school closures), but meets all other requirements for NMSC program participation, may still be able to enter the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program by submitting scores from an administration of the SAT.  The student or a school official must visit www.nationalmerit.org/resources after the missed PSAT/NMSQT administration to download information about procedures for Alternate Entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.  To be considered, a student must complete certain requirements before April 1, 2021. This exception is for the Class of 2022 only. 

The state SAT is scheduled for all juniors on April 13, 2021.  Information about the PSAT and SAT studying resources are in the Class of 2022 Google Classroom.

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The spiraled quarterly schedule creates a time gap of approximately 2 months for students who take AP courses during odd class periods. The time between the end of the 3rd quarter and the date of the AP test window may be a disadvantage for students not taking the test immediately following the end of the course. While there are still details to consider, our teachers and school leaders are aware of the situation and are exploring options for addressing the needs of those students. Many of our AP teachers are adding optional assignments and review materials to their Google Classrooms to provide differentiated optional work. Any AP student enrolled in the course, regardless of the quarter, can contact their AP teacher for recommended study and review materials or needs. The Think Tank Tutoring Center can assist with forming AP study groups that may meet throughout the year, and particularly during any “off” quarters. Students enrolled in AP courses may also access the College Board website for review topics and prompts for each specific course offering. Sample test questions from previous AP exams are also available for review. There is still time to work through the opportunities we may have during April and May to best ensure these students are prepared for a successful experience. At this time, it is important to know that this issue has not been overlooked or dismissed as a legitimate concern.

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A limited number of spots are available in elective courses; please contact your counselor to discuss available options.

Middle school students will meet with their study hall teachers just like any other class.

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During Phase 1-2, all students enrolled in band, orchestra, choir, or music (ES) will still participate in their classes. Our Performing Arts teachers are developing creative solutions to teaching in this unique environment.

As we explore options for Phases 3-4, we will communicate with families regarding how these courses will continue. 

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In light of the decision to implement the spiraled block schedule and quarter system for the 20-21 school year, we have received questions regarding the impact on the development of the yearbook and the yearbook class. Ms. Guajardo will be working with school leadership to devise a solution that ensures yearbook deadlines and processes are met. More information will be provided to students who are registered for the yearbook course.

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You can submit your Summer Reading assignments for classes that begin during the 2nd quarter when you meet with that class for the first time in October. Just hold onto them until that time.

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