School leaders exploring more in-person learning opportunities

Despite mounting numbers of COVID-19 cases locally and across the United States, Interim School Superintendent Derek Folan is not giving up on the possibility of more in-person learning in the future.

However, he told the School Committee at its November 12 meeting that there are a number of factors that would need to be considered, including availability of space, transportation, financial impacts, and the input of staff and families.

Two weeks ago, the state of Massachusetts announced a revision to its formula for determining COVID-19 community risk levels, taking into account both population size and COVID test positivity rates. As a result, the town of Canton, which had previously been in the “red” (high risk) category for three consecutive weeks, shifted to the “yellow” category due to its lower positivity rate.

Late last week, the town was moved to the “green” (low risk) category after seeing a drop in its average daily incidence rate from 10.8 per 100,000 people to 7.1 per 100,000. “Going from yellow to green is great news, but we must stay vigilant,” said Folan.

He described remote learning as a last resort and noted that Canton has been doing a “fabulous job” with its hybrid learning model. As for the possibility of moving to a full in-person model, Folan said, “Let’s explore and see if it’s feasible. As an educator, in-person learning is the best experience.”

Folan said that administrators recently began a feasibility study of increasing in-person learning, including potentially adding more days or more periods.

When asked about space availability in the buildings, Folan said that some buildings are “tight,” while others have some flexibility. He also noted that there may be opportunities for outdoor learning under the tent in the warmer weather months.

In a related matter, Folan said that state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley recently met with school superintendents and asked all districts to complete a structured learning time data survey to record the learning experiences of students in grades 1, 4, 7 and 10. “We are very proud of the Canton student experience, as live teaching and many interactive experiences happen daily,” Folan said. “There is accountability during at home experiences in the hybrid model. And our only asynchronous experience is in the afternoon on Wednesdays.”

In other news from the November 12 School Committee meeting …

See this week’s print edition for a full recap of the November 12 School Committee meeting. Fall Subscription Promo: $30 for 1 year or $50 for 2 years for new in-town subscribers. Click here to subscribe today.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=71248

Posted by Mike Berger on Nov 20 2020. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.