Education Week never lets us down, keeping pace with the ever-changing face of COVID-19 and its impact on our lives and education in particular. This time around, the organization “scanned all 50 states’ publicly continuous learning directives and guidance documents, tracking trends and identifying points of divergence,” since schooling went remote two months ago.

Among the findings:

Instruction:

  • 17 states recommend specific minimum/maximum times for students to be in remote instruction.
  • 32 have taken steps to release districts from day or hour requirements on instructional time.
  • 22 recommend that teachers hold office hours when they’re available to students and parents.
  • 18 states ask districts to focus on covering “critical” standards, or note that districts can prioritize teaching “essential” knowledge and skills.

Attendance:

  • 20 states don’t require districts to track and/or report attendance to the state during closures, though 6 of these have suggested or requested that districts track attendance.
  • 18 directed districts to continue tracking.

Grading and Promotion:

  • 16 states suggest or mandate a “do no harm” approach to grading, recommending that grades given during the pandemic shouldn’t negatively affect a student’s academic standing.
  • Most states don’t address promotion, or say it’s a local decision; 11 have policies that encourage promotion to the next grade.

Special Populations:

  • All states have addressed how to provide special education during the closures, but only 37 states provide guidance and/or specific educational resources for English-language learners.

For the full text, click here.

With my thanks and good wishes, Carol