Request for Additional Learning Days

Request for Additional Distance Learning Days

LEA Name: The Compass School

Point of Contact: Brandee Lapisky, School Director

Email Address: director@compassschool.org

Phone Number: 401-788-8322

Types of additional distance learning days being requested for approval. As a reminder, LEAs can only seek approval for no more than 5 additional distance learning days (not including days needed for quarantine).

More than four distance learning days that will be paired with educator professional learning days:

󠄊 Yes – Please indicate which days will be professional learning/distance learning days:

󠄊 No

AND/OR

Distance learning days that will be used, if needed, for emergency school closures due to inclement weather or other unexpected emergencies:

󠄊 Yes

󠄊 No

Assurances

Instructions: Provide assurances by marking an “X” in each box next to each item to demonstrate that you have incorporated it into your plan.

X	Utilized a planning team or representative group of stakeholders to create our plan.
X	Our plan includes a description of the instruction that will be provided on each of our distance learning days.
X	Develop a plan to revisit students’ Individualized Education Plans, 504 plans, and multi-lingual learner services specific to distance learning days in partnership with teachers and parents to reflect evolving needs.
X	Ensure that all students have access to the technology necessary to access and complete distance learning tasks.
X	Approved plans will be posted on the LEA webpage.
X	LEA calendar is included in plan with distance learning days clearly identified (if they are to be paired with professional learning days). As a reminder, calendars should also be included with this document for the approval process.
X	LEA calendar will be updated as distance learning days as used.

Explanations

Instructions: Complete the following fields with narratives or attach/link to relevant documents or artifacts.

Describe the type of learning that will be occurring on your distance learning days (synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination). As a reminder, if you are requesting distance learning days to be used during inclement weather or other emergency situations, your plan must include how students will receive asynchronous instruction on these days.

The Compass School would like to utilize distance learning days primarily for weather-related closures when there is ample time to prepare. In the event of an unexpected storm, we will do a regular weather-related closure; a distance learning day will only be called when the storm is forecasted well in advance and there is time to prepare for synchronous/asynchronous learning and distribute the necessary resources.

Asynchronous assignments may include:

A short lesson previously recorded by the teacher
An instructional video paired with an assignment
Short presentations given by students that can be viewed at a later time
Posted assignments that are completed by students and uploaded for teacher feedback
Paper/pencil task or project assigned prior to the distance learning day

At the K-4th grade levels, students will be provided with hard copy materials for their work and resources. At the 5th-8th grade levels, students will use their school-issued Chromebooks to complete assignments provided via playlists and work will be submitted in their Google Classrooms.

Describe how your plan explicitly supports the instructional needs of multi-lingual learners, differently-abled students, and any other student population in need of additional consideration.

Our special educators work in direct collaboration with classroom teachers to prepare instruction and assignments. Instructional materials and expectations will be accommodated according to the students’ IEPs. When applicable, special educators may continue to meet with students virtually for their regularly scheduled service time.

3.. Describe how attendance will be determined on distance learning days.

Attendance will be determined by work completion.

In the event that we have less than 80% schoolwide work completion, the Distance Learning Concept will be revisited to determine if it should be continued or if instead, a

Describe how your plan will be communicated with all necessary stakeholder groups (staff, families, students, community members).

The plan will be communicated to families well in advance at Back to School Nights.

The Director will start flagging for teachers 48 hours in advance that a Distance Learning Day may be called so that they can begin formulating their plans and communicating with one another about the instructional approach.

On the day prior to the distance learning day, the following will happen:

Teachers will preview assignments with students.
The School Director will send an email to families previewing the process in advance of distance learning day.
Students will leave school the prior day with all of the required materials.

On the day of the distance learning day, the following will happen.

The School Coordinator will send a robo call/text alert and will do a RI Broadcasters alert indicating that the school has transitioned to Distance Learning.
Teachers will email families with instructions specific to their grade level for the learning that day.

In the week following the distance learning day, students have the opportunity to submit assignments. We recognize that some may be without power and/or support at home may not have been available on that day. While we anticipate that most students will submit assignments the day of or the following day, we have created a one week grace period window for work submission.