The amount of lost instruction time due to start of Hybrid and Concurrent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be one thing if these training days were well used, but each time I hear from teachers that the training is terrible. Didn’t teachers pan the last concurrent training session during the last early release as not actually teaching them how to teach in a concurrent model?

I don't think they've had a "concurrent" training session yet - just "hybrid"?

The last half day was billed as training for the concurrent model, at least to parents.

I don’t think a day is enough tbh. It’s a huge thing to teach to in person and virtual groups AND manage the tech. I’d imagine it will get easier for some and never improve for others.

It doesn't do teachers any good to get bad or irrelevant training. Don't cancel school and then make poor use of the time, which is what APS does over and over.

APS also told parents in the fall that asynchronous Mondays were in part so APS could run trainings on Mondays (at that point for training on DL). Now we're being told that teachers are too busy on Mondays so they only way to train teachers is to cancel even more school.

My kid’s teacher does reading groups all afternoon on Mondays. And there is a staff meeting at some point.

My 7 yo has never had an interaction with a teacher or staff member on a Monday. This is likely school dependent and inconsistent.

Surely the staff meeting could be shortened to make time for a training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Think of next week as a soft opening. They need to work out what is functional and what was great in theory, but not working. I’m not bothered by it. I’d prefer them get it sorted. I imagine they’ll need to fine tune as they go like any new processes.

Agree. We are working out the kinks and, most importantly, making progress.

Can we not be so overly critical about each step forward? It’s demeaning to the teachers and staff that have been busting their ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family still lives in upstate NY where I am from. They opened for hybrid instruction at the beginning of the school year in September and have stayed open this whole time even though their #s resemble ours. I don't know why we are so behind here in VA. There are successful models for them to follow, they don't need to reinvent the wheel.

Is this in the rural part of upstate NY?

What are the capacity numbers for those schools? How many 100s of extra kids are crammed into each school building?

What % of families have health insurance and PTO for work?

Circumstances might be a wee bit different here in Arlington.

DP. My family is in western NY. Suburban schools of mid-size cities. Just like here, there’s rich people and poor people, although not as ethnically diverse as here. Very good education (rivals APS), of course the richer school districts are “better” than the less well-off ones, no surprise there. Most districts were back to hybrid in fall, a few 5 days a week in person, and the last stragglers at least hybrid after the holidays. It’s really not all that different from Arlington. This is not some super special little bubble where the issues of RTS are vastly different. We’re really not all that special.

The biggest difference is that individual towns are the school districts, instead of counties, so maybe it makes it easier to execute change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is literally beyond mind boggling that we are at this point.

APS has a budget surplus. Meanwhile our family has spent excess of what we ever did on daycare alone to try and support childcare and supplemental tutoring for our first grader.

APS can't get a decent app or tracking mechanism together to reach out to families going in person five days a week. Instead, contacting EVERY family seven days a week at 5:30. This is 2021, who the bleep are they consulting and contracting with that is setting things up this way.

The COVID metrics right now mirror what they were in the fall, so, this only goes to show that we could have/should have been open since the fall, but, APS just negligently passed the buck and only acted when forced to. They denied our children their right to a free and appropriate public education.

I am so beyond fed up and frustrated and disillusioned. It is so deeply unfortunate that all of the private schools are full and have waitlists.

We have the vaccines now and numbers are dropping. MUCH different than the fall.

Numbers were lower or equal to the current state in the fall:

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus/covid-19-in-virginia-locality/

And guess what, every single other work place, educational instutition, etc etc etc opened without a vaccine. There are no excuses.

[Anonymous]

After watching the videos of what concurrent will look like, the teachers need to practice teaching concurrent and figure out their workspace. We need them to feel confident and comfortable so they can keep our kids feeling safe and able to focus on learning. I want them to have that extra day.

Our ES teacher works so hard. On Mondays and every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After watching the videos of what concurrent will look like, the teachers need to practice teaching concurrent and figure out their workspace. We need them to feel confident and comfortable so they can keep our kids feeling safe and able to focus on learning. I want them to have that extra day.

Our ES teacher works so hard. On Mondays and every day.

Firmly agree!! You for your clarity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After watching the videos of what concurrent will look like, the teachers need to practice teaching concurrent and figure out their workspace. We need them to feel confident and comfortable so they can keep our kids feeling safe and able to focus on learning. I want them to have that extra day.

Our ES teacher works so hard. On Mondays and every day.

Firmly agree!! You for your clarity.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is literally beyond mind boggling that we are at this point.

APS has a budget surplus. Meanwhile our family has spent excess of what we ever did on daycare alone to try and support childcare and supplemental tutoring for our first grader.

APS can't get a decent app or tracking mechanism together to reach out to families going in person five days a week. Instead, contacting EVERY family seven days a week at 5:30. This is 2021, who the bleep are they consulting and contracting with that is setting things up this way.

The COVID metrics right now mirror what they were in the fall, so, this only goes to show that we could have/should have been open since the fall, but, APS just negligently passed the buck and only acted when forced to. They denied our children their right to a free and appropriate public education.

I am so beyond fed up and frustrated and disillusioned. It is so deeply unfortunate that all of the private schools are full and have waitlists.

We have the vaccines now and numbers are dropping. MUCH different than the fall.

Numbers were lower or equal to the current state in the fall:

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus/covid-19-in-virginia-locality/

And guess what, every single other work place, educational instutition, etc etc etc opened without a vaccine. There are no excuses.

Again...

We have the vaccines now and numbers are dropping. MUCH different than the fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be one thing if these training days were well used, but each time I hear from teachers that the training is terrible. Didn’t teachers pan the last concurrent training session during the last early release as not actually teaching them how to teach in a concurrent model?

They probably need to do some dry runs with students or someone not in building. It makes sense that it might have been too abstract. It’s not something most have done before. New skill sets. We all take work trainings, workshops, seminars and need time to master the new materials and tasks. This will improve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which email was this? I got the one about health screenings but didn’t see this.

I was wondering the same thing so I just looked at the email again. It is part of the health screening update but for some reason, they didn't include the part about March 5th being a day off for grades 3-12 in the email portion of the message - only in the web version of the message. You need to click on the bottom where it says "To read the rest of the message, visit.."

Thank you. Also, this is ridiculous... a new day off school should be front and center in an email, not found by clicking a link at the bottom of an email, then scrolling through a bunch of stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family still lives in upstate NY where I am from. They opened for hybrid instruction at the beginning of the school year in September and have stayed open this whole time even though their #s resemble ours. I don't know why we are so behind here in VA. There are successful models for them to follow, they don't need to reinvent the wheel.

Is this in the rural part of upstate NY?

What are the capacity numbers for those schools? How many 100s of extra kids are crammed into each school building?

What % of families have health insurance and PTO for work?

Circumstances might be a wee bit different here in Arlington.

DP. My family is in western NY. Suburban schools of mid-size cities. Just like here, there’s rich people and poor people, although not as ethnically diverse as here. Very good education (rivals APS), of course the richer school districts are “better” than the less well-off ones, no surprise there. Most districts were back to hybrid in fall, a few 5 days a week in person, and the last stragglers at least hybrid after the holidays. It’s really not all that different from Arlington. This is not some super special little bubble where the issues of RTS are vastly different. We’re really not all that special.

The biggest difference is that individual towns are the school districts, instead of counties, so maybe it makes it easier to execute change.

The size of the school districts certainly plays a part. And since the schools are pre-segregated by SES they have fewer competing priorities.

How many of those schools are overcapacity like ours?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family still lives in upstate NY where I am from. They opened for hybrid instruction at the beginning of the school year in September and have stayed open this whole time even though their #s resemble ours. I don't know why we are so behind here in VA. There are successful models for them to follow, they don't need to reinvent the wheel.

Is this in the rural part of upstate NY?

What are the capacity numbers for those schools? How many 100s of extra kids are crammed into each school building?

What % of families have health insurance and PTO for work?

Circumstances might be a wee bit different here in Arlington.

NP here - I doubt it. I have a friend in Stamford Ct with a high school the same size as APS high schools. They've been hybrid all school year. Continued sports as well.

Same size - or the same extent overcapacity?

According to my friend very similar to here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family still lives in upstate NY where I am from. They opened for hybrid instruction at the beginning of the school year in September and have stayed open this whole time even though their #s resemble ours. I don't know why we are so behind here in VA. There are successful models for them to follow, they don't need to reinvent the wheel.

Is this in the rural part of upstate NY?

What are the capacity numbers for those schools? How many 100s of extra kids are crammed into each school building?

What % of families have health insurance and PTO for work?

Circumstances might be a wee bit different here in Arlington.

NP here - I doubt it. I have a friend in Stamford Ct with a high school the same size as APS high schools. They've been hybrid all school year. Continued sports as well.

Same size - or the same extent overcapacity?

According to my friend very similar to here.

Your friend is wrong. They are UNDERcapacity.

Page 39.
https://www.stamfordpublicschools.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif3841/f/uploads/7940_stamford_ps_demographics_-_finalv2_jc_050217.pdf

Not comparable. Their middle schools are 56% capacity - no need to even do hybrid.

[Anonymous]

Upstate is irrelevant. Comparison is the thief of joy, and a habit of a dull mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After watching the videos of what concurrent will look like, the teachers need to practice teaching concurrent and figure out their workspace. We need them to feel confident and comfortable so they can keep our kids feeling safe and able to focus on learning. I want them to have that extra day.

Our ES teacher works so hard. On Mondays and every day.

Suggesting that trainings should be worked into Mondays whenever possible doesn't mean that teachers don't work hard. It means that there is time that is already built into the schedule right now when all teachers could be available for a training. To the extent that APS has scheduled over this time with other things, that's just poor planning by APS. Instruction this year has already been cut by more than 30% with Mondays off, extra days off and a shortened school day. It's not crazy for parents to ask that there not be any additional reductions.