Union Area Continuity of Education Plan
Continuity of Education Plan
Planned Instruction
School District – Union Area School District
Superintendent – Dr. Michael Ross
Address – 2106 Camden Avenue, New Castle, PA 16101
Email/Phone – m_ross@union.k12.pa.us / 724-658-4501
Website – www.unionareasd.org
| Goal of Plan |
| To develop a system of providing education to students in the event of a prolonged school closure through online/digital learning opportunities. |
| Overview of Plan |
| The district will utilize Google Classroom to provide instruction and support to students in order to ensure a continuity of education during a prolonged closure. The district understands the unprecedented times that we now face and wants to ensure that students have access to high-quality learning. |
| Expectations for Teaching and Learning |
| Teachers will be expected to post daily instruction, activities, or assessments for students in all classes through Google Classroom. This instruction, activities, and assessments will continue to meet the district’s planned curriculum and scope and sequence for each course. Teachers will utilize a variety of methods to ensure instruction is provided, including recorded videos and screen shares, online resources, and virtual Google Hangouts with students.
Students are expected to login to their Google Classroom daily to receive the instruction, activities, and/or assessments. Work will be submitted to the teacher through Google Classroom. In the event that students do not have access to technology, the district will provide Chromebooks to students. The district will work with students to ensure internet access is available at home, including connecting families with providers and working to establish “hot spot” locations that parents would be able to access while being mindful of social distancing and other health requirements. |
| Communication Tools and Strategies |
| The Union Area School District utilizes an all-call system called One Call Now that is tied to our Student Information System. Administration may initiate an all-call from any web-based device on or off-campus. The all-call system will call, email, and text all guardians, teachers, and employees immediately, notifying them that our continuity of education plan will be put into practice.
In addition to the automated call, email, and text alert, the district will post the notice on our district website. Staff will be informed of the Continuity of Education Plan through a series of virtual faculty meetings. Updates will be sent to parents through the all-call system and direct them to the school website for more details. Administration will communicate to staff through periodic email updates. Teachers will communicate to students through Google Classroom or the teacher’s classroom communication tool. |
| Access (Devices, Platforms, Handouts) |
| The district is one-to-one for students in Grades 7-12, with Chromebooks being able to be taken home. Each teacher of students in Grades 7-12 is expected to have a Google Classroom set up for each of their classes. Teachers will post instruction and assignments in their Google Classroom and update frequently with activities that will be completed by students virtually.
Moreover, the majority of students in Grades 7-12 have access to high school internet or data plans that will allow them to access their Google Classrooms to view assignments. Google Classroom sites are also accessible by parents via their student’s login. If students do not have their own data plan, parents are able to login through their data plan in order to check on student work. The district will provide resources for parents and students who do not have high-speed internet or a data plan, including working with local internet providers to establish service to these individuals. The district will survey and provide devices to any students in K-6 who does not have a device to work on from home. The district will notify parents of how and when the device will be delivered to their home or when they can pick it up from the school. Students in K-6 will utilize Google Classroom for their instruction and work from their classroom teachers. Teachers will notify the office of any student who does not complete the required work and the office will treat the missing work as an absence. Virtual learning activities will be directly tied to the curriculum since teachers are developing these lessons on a weekly basis. Teachers will provide the same accommodations to students that they receive in their classrooms. Students in our autistic support and life skills classrooms will be provided with ability appropriate lessons that meet their individual needs. |
| Staff General Expectations |
| All staff will be expected to be available via email, Remind 101 (parent/teacher communication system), or Google Hangouts (chat system) during the normal school hours. Students in Grades 7-12 may connect directly with their teachers via Google Hangouts (chat) or email. They will be able to ask questions or get help on the virtual assignments.
Students in Grades K-6 may connect with their teacher through their guardian. Guardians may email or text via Remind 101 to ask questions or get help on assignments. Teachers in all grades are able to establish Google Hangouts and Google Meets to work with individual students or small groups of students. All staff is expected to be available during the normal school day and be responsive to chats, email, and Remind 101 messages. Teachers in all grades can monitor student work through Google Classroom and can provide immediate feedback to students during the course of the day. In the event of a power outage or lack of internet services, teachers will notify the building administration and technology department who will post a message to students and parents via email or Google Classroom. This message will indicate that the teacher is unavailable and will be available for questions or to clarify assignments as soon as power/internet is restored. It is important to note that all district teachers have access to a data plan that will enable them to still access Google Classroom, email and Remind 101. |
| Student Expectations |
| Students are expected to login to their Google Classroom classes daily. Students will be expected to complete their work, but a makeup window will allow for students to complete their work in the event of a power outage or Chromebook failure. Students are expected to complete all the work that is assigned for the day. |
| Attendance / Accountability |
| Students will be expected to complete all their work in order to count a full day’s attendance. The teacher will mark the students absent for their class on any day the assignment is not completed. The office will then determine how many periods of work were not completed each day and use that percentage to reflect the student’s daily attendance.
The district will adhere to state and local attendance policies regarding student attendance during virtual learning. Students who do not complete the necessary work will be marked with an unexcused absence. |
| Good Faith Efforts for Access and Equity for All Students |
| The district will provide a good faith effort to ensure that all students will have access to instruction and learning during a prolonged closure. The district will also work to ensure that all students have the necessary resources and equipment to access their learning. Students who receive specialized services will continue to do so through a virtual environment. Special education teachers will frequently check in with students on their caseload to ensure students are able to access learning opportunities and understanding the content provided. Special education teachers will be available to work with students in a virtual environment to provide clarification of material, additional instruction, or review of concepts. Emotional Support students will continue to receive services through a virtual environment including email communication, Google Hangouts and Google Meets. |
| Special Education Supports |
| During the extended closure, the school district will provide special education and related services through distance instruction, online lessons, recorded videos, and/or other modes. During this time, the school district will not be able to provide all services in the same manner they are typically provided. In addition, progress monitoring of IEP goals may not be able to be collected in the same manner they are typically provided. The IEP team will work collaboratively to monitor progress through practices of observation remotely. Parents who have questions regarding Special Education during the closure should contact the Director of Special Education. |
| EL Supports |
| Students who receive EL support will continue to do so through a virtual environment. The teacher will utilize Google Hangouts to provide one-on-one instruction with the student through his or her Chromebook. Progress will be monitored virtually through teacher notes or informal assessments. Parents who have questions regarding EL support during the closure should contact their student’s building principal. |
| Gifted Education |
| Gifted students will continue to receive services through a virtual environment. Gifted teachers will set up Google Classrooms for students and connect with students through Google Hangouts and Google Meets in order to connect one-on-one or in small groups. Students will continue to work toward their GIEP goals. Parents who have questions regarding Gifted Education during the closure should contact the Director of Special Education. |
| Building/Grade Level Contacts |
| Middle/High School:
Mr. Nogay: r_nogay@union.k12.pa.us
Elementary School: Mrs. O’Neill: l_oneill@union.k12.pa.us Special Education:
Mrs. Federici: m_federici@union.k12.pa.us |
Resources
Visit the district’s website at https://www.unionareasd.org/ for the most up-to-date information including:
Google Classroom Help: https://www.unionareasd.org/2020/03/getting-on-to-google-classroom/
School Closure Information: https://www.unionareasd.org/2020/03/school-closure/
Virtual Learning Expecations: https://www.unionareasd.org/2020/03/virtual-learning-expectations/