Digital Learning Days Update

April 16, 2020


 

Dear CCES families,

It is hard to believe that we are completing our fifth week of digital learning. I often catch myself daydreaming about campus life. This is my first spring in Greenville, and while I have worked in this field for over twenty years and have a good understanding of the ebbs and flows that come with the end of a school year, this isn’t exactly what I expected my first spring at Christ Church to look like or feel like. What about the traditions, walks across campus, music, athletics, the sound of laughter? My guess is that many of you that have lived a spring at Christ Church are feeling the same and may even long for the normalcy a bit more because you have seen it in action. As for me, I continue to daydream and try to think about what this new reality is teaching me. Grit, resilience, and growth mindset are all attributes that we talk about and work to instill in our students. As someone looking at this with fresh eyes, I see that work paying off over and over again in this environment. Students are adapting, families are pulling together, teachers are learning and tweaking their instruction each day. I see smiles and hear laughter even when it is hard to make sense of it all. Never before have I seen a collective group of this size root for one another. This spring isn’t what I expected, but the unexpected may be just what I needed to help me really see and experience what is so uniquely special about Christ Church. 

In that vein of growth and determination, I have several items to share with our community. Each is outlined below. While attempting to be brief, it may prove to be a difficult task for me to accomplish through this mode of communication. I ask that you hang in there with me. 

Grading and Assessment
There is no doubt that this has been on the minds of our families. How in the world will we continue to grade and assess in a completely different environment over an extended period of time? Each division has established a protocol for grading and assessment that is now included in our Digital Learning Plan on the OCC. I invite you to review the information. In addition to my summary of this information, division directors will provide a more comprehensive overview for families on Friday to include context and details. Our hope is that through these experiences we come out on the other side with additional methods and practices to implement across learning environments - brick and mortar, digital, or a blend of both.

During Digital Learning, teaching and learning in the Lower School will focus on essential grade level, content skills to finish out the 2019-2020 school year. Students will be given the opportunity to practice these skills and teachers will assess through observation, feedback, and student participation and engagement. Traditional numerical grades will not be calculated during this final quarter. Instead, teachers will assess progress of the identified essential skills which will be incorporated into the overall student narrative for the year. In May, families will receive a third narrative report card outlining student progress for the year.  Teachers will conduct end-of-year conferences with parents to discuss summative student progress. 

During Digital Learning, the mechanics of grading have remained consistent in the Middle School and Upper School. What has changed, are the expectations and emphasis on essential skills. The why and how we grade particular assignments has required reflection. The digital learning environment has also required Middle School and Upper School to reexamine assessment practices, particularly end of year exams. Through ongoing dialogue and reflection, it is clear that our traditional end of year exams, outside of AP and IB, are meant for traditional environments. It is safe to say that we are no longer operating in a traditional format. As such, the Middle School and Upper School will look at end of year assessment a bit differently in an attempt to reimagine how students might demonstrate their understanding of material through choice, reflection, engagement, feedback mechanisms, and tasks that are developmentally appropriate and effectively provide added value. This may look different grade to grade and course to course. 

Again, additional details around logistics and preparation will be provided by Division Directors, but our hope is that this provides some clarity on where we are and where we hope to go.

Professional Development Day - Friday, April 24
As we prepare to enter week six of digital learning, we are implementing an additional day of professional development for our faculty and staff. Friday, April 24 will be a professional development day and a day off for students. Our aim is to provide additional respite for families to balance workload, well-being, and screen time while continuing to build in opportunities to support faculty and staff capacity and growth. Regardless of what our environment looks like after May 1, it is safe to say that what we have learned and implemented must be assimilated to keep us moving forward. On Friday, April 24, faculty and staff will engage in collaboration and discussion around digital practices, classroom practices, and the blending of these environments. 

Digital Learning Feedback
In the spirit of continuous improvement,  we asked for your feedback on how we were doing with digital learning after three weeks of implementation. We received 180 survey responses with many representing families with students in multiple divisions. The responses were positive while providing constructive feedback for implementation. Below is a snapshot of the information received and our path forward to address the areas of opportunity. 

When asked about the implementation of digital learning, the majority of responses indicated that we are meeting or exceeding expectations.  

When asked what was most effective about digital learning, our top three strengths overall, and within each division, speak to the importance of relationships and our desire to cultivate the human connection near or far. 

Our areas of opportunity after three weeks of digital learning were warranted and not unexpected. Each area below contains a summary of actions to address each. Our hope is that you already are and/or will see these actions produce positive outcomes. It is all about growth mindset!

School-wide: Schoology Use
Schoology is a solid learning management platform that continues to scale up to meet increased demand. We are seeing the disruptions in service level out and believe the infrastructure allows for instructional continuity and potential growth. Teachers in all divisions are continuing to look for ways to leverage its capabilities and effectively organize materials. The calendar feature is being utilized to improve access and allows for a daily and weekly snapshot of assignments and activities. One particular area that has been a sticking point for us has been the Conferences application within Schoology. If Schoology experienced intermittent service disruptions, we were unable to effectively use the Conferences application, essentially derailing the ability to hold live video conferences to support instruction. This was certainly frustrating for all. Determined to provide a safe and effective means for live video conferencing for our students, we have upgraded the Conferences application to allow for continuous operation. In addition to the preferred method of using the application within Schoology, we now have the capability to use the Conferences application as a stand alone should Schoology experience any disruption in service, accomplishing our goals of safety and reliability. Teachers may be adjusting their instructional design choices to incorporate more live video conferencing opportunities as confidence in the application increases. Please note that we continue to provide daily, embedded support for teachers and families. If you are experiencing any issues with Schoology, we are here to help, so please do not hesitate to reach out.

Lower School: Organization of materials, connection with teachers, connection with peers
Unlike Middle School and Upper School, Lower School teachers and families used Schoology sparingly, creating more of a learning curve as we onboarded to digital learning. Additionally, our youngest students require a great deal of assistance at home, and our families are learning right along with us. However, it is safe to say that we have seen exponential growth. Teachers, students, and families have embraced Schoology as a teaching and learning tool and continue to refine the use of the platform daily. Specifically, the calendar is being used to organize materials, links are being created in a format that does not require downloading, and more intentional, instructional videos are being created to help guide students and families. All teachers in the Lower School are holding live conferences with students, a minimum of every other day, to support instruction and connect teachers and students. Assistants and learning specialists are holding conferences to offer additional support as needed. Third and fourth grades are offering an optional book club and first and second grades will be offering live read alouds with the library assistant next week.  Additionally, families will see more small group breakout sessions during live conferences to allow for additional peer interaction as teachers continue to look for ways to engage students in relationship building. We realize the enormous task parents have taken on, and we want to offer meaningful instruction, support, and choice along the way.

Middle School: Work load, peer connection, student engagement
Middle School is a developmental melting pot with students at different stages of independence and familiarity with Schoology as an instructional tool. The Middle School emphasizes the concept of quality over quantity. Teachers are working on scaling their instruction to focus on essential skills to ensure students have a strong knowledge base while maintaining a sense of overall wellness. Grade levels meet weekly to collaborate, share instructional strategies, and discuss student wellness. Out of these meetings, fifth grade teachers developed a planning calendar for students to add an additional layer of support to plan out their week. A flipped classroom approach is beginning to take shape in the Middle School. Teachers are working toward providing guided instructional models through recordings and support, review, and discussions through live video conferences and breakout rooms - purposeful and effective. Weekly CavTime lessons are often the highlight of the week for teachers and students allowing for connection and engagement. While advisory time is already established, a more concentrated schedule will begin to take shape next week allowing for more teacher-to-student and student-to-student connections. Themed lunch bunches began this week using breakout rooms for students to chat about topics of interest. A faculty member facilitates, but the students are able to take ownership of the experience. The administrative team continues to reach out to students and families to offer additional support and invite you to contact them should you have questions or concerns.

Upper School: Work load, peer connection, student engagement
Upper School was largely primed for digital learning. Well-versed in the use of Schoology as an instructional tool, much of their work has been refining tasks and organization. Similar to the Middle School philosophy, the Upper School is emphasizing quality over quantity while still working hard to maintain and balance rigor and pace. With a variety of sections and levels, course expectations can look and feel different for students and teachers. Teachers have dialed into the essential skills for their courses and cohorts of students. They are using a variety of teaching and learning formats to offer students agency and choice. Additionally, grace and flexibility are routinely granted as students assimilate to the cadence of asynchronous and synchronous learning. To reinforce essential skills and provide opportunities for peer connection and engagement, teachers are aiming to use breakouts more regularly during live video conferences. This allows students the opportunity to fully participate in conversations with one another. In an effort to balance instruction and wellness within the digital environment, CavBlocks continue to take place to provide a sense of community support and comfort while also planning and conversing about the future. Students are engaged individually and in groups more consistently now that a more natural pace has been established. Student and teacher input is solicited and celebrated through events, social media posts, and conversation. To top it off, Mr. Clarke continues to provide adequate entertainment through his various video montages and messages.  Still, as with students of all ages, we know that Upper School students primarily miss interactions with their peers, including the broader circles of those with whom they now realize they miss encountering primarily in class settings 

If you have read this far, I thank you! This is a great deal of information to digest, but it is important to establish a level of trust in the process. Your partnership and feedback are invaluable, and we firmly believe that information and data are only useful if acted upon. We are committed to our students and our community, and we ask that you continue to walk with us arm in arm. Growth comes through conversation and collaboration. If you have questions, concerns, or thoughts, please do not hesitate to reach out.

With an abundance of gratitude,

Dr. Angela Allen
Assistant Head for Academics