What should MCPS' virtual learning plan be ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no virtual plan "back in the day". Didn't you turn out okay? It doesn't seem like anyone wants to stay in school until July rho. If schools remain open until end of June, move the spring testing season two weeks later so missed instructional time can be made up before then. Can't students complete mcap and map-m/r and other testing in June instead of March or May? AP and IB test dates are set ahead of time.

They’d send home assignments.

I don’t recall any assignments being mailed home back in the day when we had extended closures for weather. We either made up the days or the state granted a waiver.

I do recall summer homework packets, but those have also be eliminated for many grade levels or nerfed into suggestions rather than a significant part of the first quarter grade.

Yeah. The Summer Reading assignment for my incoming 9th graders was ungraded in my class. We were instructed not to grade it but to use it as an evaluation of student writing skills.

[Anonymous]

To answer the original question, here is a rough outline of what the MCPS virtual learning plan could look like:

1) At the start of the year, MCPS provides the Virtual Learning Schedule to students. It should probably start on a 2-hour delayed schedule.
2) At the start of the year, teachers provide students with a virtual learning day packet of lessons (5 days' perhaps) focused on course-related skills. This ensures that the lessons could be completed and beneficial at any point in the year (ie. grammar in Language Arts, fractions in math, important figures in history in Social Studies - skills could relate to School Improvement Plans or help to prepare for standardized testing). Teachers are usually required to have 5 days' of emergency plans on file anyway in case of an unexpected plan where the teacher cannot provide plans).
3) Virtual learning commences on the day following the use of MCPS's last 'inclement weather day'.

Option 1: Students log into synchronous virtual classes using their Chromebooks. Lessons focus on the packets received earlier in the year.
Option 2: Students without Chromebooks may log into virtual classes using personal devices. Lessons focus on the packets received earlier in the year.
Option 3: Students without devices, internet, or electricity complete packets at home.

**Due dates for all Virtual Learning lessons are ONE WEEK AFTER RETURN TO IN-PERSON SCHOOL. This insures that students may gain clarification on anything that happened during virtual learning.

This is roughly what Anne Arundel County does.
As we all know, this is not an ideal learning situation. However, it is far superior than the learning that takes place in late June, three weeks after seniors have left the building and when the majority of other students are at camp or on vacation. We only need a solution that is better than the alternative.

[Anonymous]

Virtual school is a joke, what’s wrong with giving the kids a week off? The sledding was great. The days off were great for on our family. No day is make it break in school, and it doesn’t matter if they extend the school year either since we already have commitments the sat school is supposed to end anyway with plane tickets bought. Somehow I think my kids will remember how to read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To answer the original question, here is a rough outline of what the MCPS virtual learning plan could look like:

1) At the start of the year, MCPS provides the Virtual Learning Schedule to students. It should probably start on a 2-hour delayed schedule.
2) At the start of the year, teachers provide students with a virtual learning day packet of lessons (5 days' perhaps) focused on course-related skills. This ensures that the lessons could be completed and beneficial at any point in the year (ie. grammar in Language Arts, fractions in math, important figures in history in Social Studies - skills could relate to School Improvement Plans or help to prepare for standardized testing). Teachers are usually required to have 5 days' of emergency plans on file anyway in case of an unexpected plan where the teacher cannot provide plans).
3) Virtual learning commences on the day following the use of MCPS's last 'inclement weather day'.

Option 1: Students log into synchronous virtual classes using their Chromebooks. Lessons focus on the packets received earlier in the year.
Option 2: Students without Chromebooks may log into virtual classes using personal devices. Lessons focus on the packets received earlier in the year.
Option 3: Students without devices, internet, or electricity complete packets at home.

**Due dates for all Virtual Learning lessons are ONE WEEK AFTER RETURN TO IN-PERSON SCHOOL. This insures that students may gain clarification on anything that happened during virtual learning.

This is roughly what Anne Arundel County does.
As we all know, this is not an ideal learning situation. However, it is far superior than the learning that takes place in late June, three weeks after seniors have left the building and when the majority of other students are at camp or on vacation. We only need a solution that is better than the alternative.

Again, that doesn't work for elementary students or students with special needs. "Worksheet" style lessons only work for things like math and writing, and the curriculum changes/advances too much throughout the year to have meaningful lessons that could be picked up at any time of the year. No learning would occur. None.

They also can't cover the regular curriculum because the materials they have to send home don't actually cover the lessons.

And your plan completely ignores students with special needs, as usual for this forum and district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To answer the original question, here is a rough outline of what the MCPS virtual learning plan could look like:

1) At the start of the year, MCPS provides the Virtual Learning Schedule to students. It should probably start on a 2-hour delayed schedule.
2) At the start of the year, teachers provide students with a virtual learning day packet of lessons (5 days' perhaps) focused on course-related skills. This ensures that the lessons could be completed and beneficial at any point in the year (ie. grammar in Language Arts, fractions in math, important figures in history in Social Studies - skills could relate to School Improvement Plans or help to prepare for standardized testing). Teachers are usually required to have 5 days' of emergency plans on file anyway in case of an unexpected plan where the teacher cannot provide plans).
3) Virtual learning commences on the day following the use of MCPS's last 'inclement weather day'.

Option 1: Students log into synchronous virtual classes using their Chromebooks. Lessons focus on the packets received earlier in the year.
Option 2: Students without Chromebooks may log into virtual classes using personal devices. Lessons focus on the packets received earlier in the year.
Option 3: Students without devices, internet, or electricity complete packets at home.

**Due dates for all Virtual Learning lessons are ONE WEEK AFTER RETURN TO IN-PERSON SCHOOL. This insures that students may gain clarification on anything that happened during virtual learning.

This is roughly what Anne Arundel County does.
As we all know, this is not an ideal learning situation. However, it is far superior than the learning that takes place in late June, three weeks after seniors have left the building and when the majority of other students are at camp or on vacation. We only need a solution that is better than the alternative.

That sounds like busy work that puts a huge burden on elementary parents, and parents of kids with disabilities.

[Anonymous]

There should be no plan. Everyone should focus on being responsible and getting to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Virtual learning was a disaster and should not be repeated, ever. MCPS should build kore snow days into the calendar (which would be the same thing as going later or attending earlier, unless you want them to get rid of necessary breaks - they are not allowed to have school on some holidays, did you know Easter Monday was a Maryland requirement to have off?).

The result is the same - more days of school, same as we are going to get because of the snow storm

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thankfully my HS students are better with their chromebooks than my middle schoolers were last year. I think the final tally at our middle school was like 480 broken or lost Chromebooks for the year. The worst was the TikTok video that taught kids how to set them on fire.

lol! The TikTok video was really some kind of epic socio-cultural moment demonstrating how very off track we got with “virtual” education. The kids took matters into their own hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Virtual school is a joke, what’s wrong with giving the kids a week off? The sledding was great. The days off were great for on our family. No day is make it break in school, and it doesn’t matter if they extend the school year either since we already have commitments the sat school is supposed to end anyway with plane tickets bought. Somehow I think my kids will remember how to read.

If you want your kids to have a week off, you do that. The rest of us want our kids to get an education and not have make up days. This isn’t a week off as it has to be made up. You sound like you don’t care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When are they going to make this a priority to get the plan submitted?

At the rate they move, I doubt they'll even have it approved by winter 2027. They have to do public consultations, and if one parent complains, they'll say they had parental opposition and won't do anything. Because that's their preference anyway.

Are you saying that no parents complain in the other counties, such as in Anne Arundel?

Of course they do. And I'm sure they have kids younger than grade 3 and with special needs in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and PG County, yet somehow the state of Maryland approved the virtual learning plans they submitted.

But these are all the excuses DCUM gives as to why MCPS can't have a virtual learning plan for snow emergencies, and MCPS does like to make a lot of excuses for its inaction.

The lack of 1:1 devices in all schools is not an excuse DCUM came up with. It's straight from the horse's mouth: https://mocoshow.com/2026/01/29/mcps-explains-why-snow-days-are-not-virtual-learning-days/

According to MCPS, virtual instruction is not an option during these closures for several key reasons tied to access, timing, and state requirements. First, the school system does not currently have one to one remote devices available for every student. Without universal access to devices, MCPS says moving to virtual learning would create inequities and prevent many students from participating fully in instruction.

Mcps has enough devices.

Mcps media specialist here. Mcps has really screwed up their entire approach to Chromebooks. There have been so many issues with bad record keeping, backlogs on broken Chromebooks, not doing inventory of Chromebooks. I could rant about it for a while. It's been terribly mismanaged. Whenever a child damages their Chromebook we are supposed to Bill them but there's no way to actually compel the parents to pay, they just don't get a new one. Theoretically these kids will not be able to a diploma in a decade or whatever they still owe the school money but my guess is that bill will get waived.

The chromebooks are easy to damage as there are no cases and kids pull them out of their bags constantly.

[Anonymous]

No Virtual learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To answer the original question, here is a rough outline of what the MCPS virtual learning plan could look like:

1) At the start of the year, MCPS provides the Virtual Learning Schedule to students. It should probably start on a 2-hour delayed schedule.
2) At the start of the year, teachers provide students with a virtual learning day packet of lessons (5 days' perhaps) focused on course-related skills. This ensures that the lessons could be completed and beneficial at any point in the year (ie. grammar in Language Arts, fractions in math, important figures in history in Social Studies - skills could relate to School Improvement Plans or help to prepare for standardized testing). Teachers are usually required to have 5 days' of emergency plans on file anyway in case of an unexpected plan where the teacher cannot provide plans).
3) Virtual learning commences on the day following the use of MCPS's last 'inclement weather day'.

Option 1: Students log into synchronous virtual classes using their Chromebooks. Lessons focus on the packets received earlier in the year.
Option 2: Students without Chromebooks may log into virtual classes using personal devices. Lessons focus on the packets received earlier in the year.
Option 3: Students without devices, internet, or electricity complete packets at home.

**Due dates for all Virtual Learning lessons are ONE WEEK AFTER RETURN TO IN-PERSON SCHOOL. This insures that students may gain clarification on anything that happened during virtual learning.

This is roughly what Anne Arundel County does.
As we all know, this is not an ideal learning situation. However, it is far superior than the learning that takes place in late June, three weeks after seniors have left the building and when the majority of other students are at camp or on vacation. We only need a solution that is better than the alternative.

Again, that doesn't work for elementary students or students with special needs. "Worksheet" style lessons only work for things like math and writing, and the curriculum changes/advances too much throughout the year to have meaningful lessons that could be picked up at any time of the year. No learning would occur. None.

They also can't cover the regular curriculum because the materials they have to send home don't actually cover the lessons.

And your plan completely ignores students with special needs, as usual for this forum and district.

Yes, because Anne Arundel county famously has no elementary students or students with special needs.

[Anonymous]

The thing is, the virtual learning would just be "check the box, we did it" like the days at the end of the school calendar. It would put an extra burden on teachers and parents (and even more on the many teachers who are parents), extra expense for more devices for MCPS, and it would make 99% of the kids miserable and not really amount to any additional learning. So why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is claiming they can't do a virtual plan because not every school is a 1:1 device school. I don't know if that's true, but that's what they're claiming.

Most MS and HS kids and grades 4 and 5 have Chromebooks. MCPS has a $3bn budget. If that's the real reason they could buy some more ipads for kids K-3. PGCPS did it, and they're a lot poorer than MCPS.

https://www.pgcps.org/globalassets/offices/information-technology/docs---information-technology/prolonged-state-of-emergency-virtual-plan.pdf
As a 1-to-1 district, every student in PGCPS has access to a digital mobile device (Chromebook
or iPad) for use at school. If needed, the student may be assigned a device to take home.
Every teacher has access to a Mac or PC for use at school or home. Using their device,
teachers and students may connect through virtual conferencing programs such as Zoom or
Google Meet. This allows PGCPS to provide synchronous virtual learning in real time as well as
asynchronous learning opportunities.

Bloated salaries??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some new material can be covered depending on length of school closing

At the risk of drawing the wrath of some people, it's really unrealistic to expect the introduction of new material during online learning in these events. Many students may be tasked with child care for younger siblings, be at risk of power outages, have to assist with snow removal/cleanup, etc. If you introduce new material it just forces teachers to potentially waste time having to teach this material twice when it can be done much more efficiently and effectively, one time in person. Maybe you can introduce the next chapter, but I would avoid having any discussion or graded assignments on that new material during these extended closure distance learning days.

What about for AP Physics C and Multivariable? How many of those kids won’t be able to log in? Do they really have to stick to review?

A few days maybe a week of review is better than no review, no?