What are students expected to do daily during Remote Learning?

Your child’s teachers will communicate activities & tasks for students by 9:00am daily.  For our Early Childhood and Elementary students, this will occur through the online Seesaw platform.  For our Middle School, High School, and STEP students, this will occur through their teachers’ online Google Classrooms.   

Students should check in daily by 12:00pm.  For Early Childhood and Elementary students, this will be a response to their teacher’s morning message in Seesaw.  Middle School, High School, and STEP students will check in through a Google Form that is available on their school website and in Google Classroom.

 

How much time should students be spending each day on their Remote Learning work?

Please see the table below for recommended times for students to be engaged in remote learning: 

 

Is there a specific deadline for students to complete their work each day/week?

It is the goal for assignments and activities to be submitted on the day they are posted; however, we understand that families may have many brand new stressors that they may be experiencing.  There may be days when school activities are not the first priority or when families may not be able to support and guide students through activities. All students will have the opportunity to complete assigned work.  Our goal is for all of us to remain connected, but also to be compassionate and supportive throughout Remote Learning. If your student(s) are struggling to complete their daily work and need additional support or time, please reach out to their teachers.  

What if my student has special education needs or is an English learner?  

Based on the unique nature of the current situation and recommendations on student engagement in remote learning, we are not held firmly to service minutes as they are written in the IEP.  We are, however, held to providing appropriate and reasonable services relative to the circumstances. All special education students can access remote learning activities provided by their classroom teachers.  Special Education Teachers will be connecting with students/families to provide additional support and accommodations as applicable. Related service resources or activities for social work, speech pathology, occupational therapy and physical therapy, as well as vision and hearing will also be provided by your child’s related service provider.   Virtual or teleservice may be provided, which have limitations to confidentiality. More information on tele-special education services for students will be provided to families through individual notices. If your child had an upcoming IEP or 504 meeting, these meetings will still occur either virtually or by phone.  

For our English Learners, Remote Learning activities will be selected in an equitable way, so our learners can fully engage in this from home learning.

Elementary School Sample Lessons & Information

All elementary school students will have work uploaded by their teachers and other staff members into Seesaw. Students and families will receive communication directly from teachers on how to connect to their classroom. For more information on Seesaw for families, visit web.seesaw.me/families.

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Early Childhood (English)
Early Childhood (Spanish)

Kindergarten
Bilingual Kindergarten

First Grade
Bilingual First Grade

Second Grade
Bilingual Second Grade
Challenge Second Grade

Third Grade
Challenge Third Grade

Fourth Grade
Challenge Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade
Challenge Fifth Grade

Cross Cat K-2
Cross Cat 3-5

Multi-Needs/STLR

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Middle School Sample Lessons & Information

All middle school students will have work uploaded by their teachers and other staff members into Google Classroom. Depending upon the subject area, work will be updated daily or weekly for students to complete.

*NEW Click here for a universal guide for daily work in all the subject areas, including a suggested schedule and video tutorials for how to complete assignments.

Here are some sample lessons for parents/guardians to review.

Grade 6 English Language Arts

Grade 7 Mathematics

Grade 8 STEM (Science)

Physical Education

 

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High School Information

All high school students will engage in learning that is uploaded to Google Classroom by their teachers. Certain specialized courses may also use an alternate online option. High school teachers will be planning lessons unqiuely for each course, and parents/guardians & students can contact their teachers directly with any questions or need for support.

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Students and Parents/Guardians for all grade levels can review helpful information and tools to guide online learning from home.

Can teachers and other staff be contacted for support during the typical school day hours while the school buildings are closed?

Yes, our educators will be accessible electronically during school hours and will be responding to questions and requests for additional support. While phone contact may not always be an option, communication will be possible through e-mail and other online platforms. Our staff will be using a variety of strategies to stay engaged in supporting students and families. As this is a new process for everyone, please allow some time for our educators to respond.

Our educators will be consistently loading learning activities online for their classes. Students, please keep actively checking for information from your teachers. Parents & guardians, please continue to review your email and phone messages from your child’s school and/or teachers & support staff.

What is the process to reach out for support from other school staff, such as social workers, deans, counselors, and other service providers?

Students can connect with their support staff by requesting contact and appointments through the attendance check in process.  Support staff are also available through their District emails during regular attendance times, but please allow 24 hours for response.  It should be noted that virtual or teleservices have limitations to confidentiality and privacy. While these privacy risks do exist, our staff will take all reasonable measures to ensure confidentiality and security of information exchanged while supporting your student through a virtual platform.  We are asking students and families to maintain information in a confidential manner, as we would expect for our students who were participating in group sessions while attending school. Students and families should not record any virtual services.

How will middle school grades be handled during rLearning?

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has guided districts to use grading for the purpose of helping students learn and to avoid any negative educational impact in these unprecedented circumstances, including any grades indicating failures (i.e. an “F”).

Students will be rated for semester two as either “Passing” or “Incomplete” for each subject/course based on a combination of their performance before and during rLearning. This approach is based on the strong recommendation of the Illinois State Board of Education.

Our students all work diligently to learn, grow, and achieve, and part of that process is earning grades that reflect this success. We continue to expect all of our learners and educators to exhibit the same high level of engagement and effort in order to make the most of this semester.

How will high school grades be handled during rLearning?

Due to considerations of course credits, grade point averages, and college preparation, the grading process in high school will remain mostly the same. Course grades as of March 12th can only be raised during rLearning, and students will not be negatively impacted by grading during this time per the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). This means that a student’s grade cannot decline due to rLearning.

Students should continue to engage in their daily learning. A semester grade of I (Incomplete) will be given instead of an F in the event of non-participation in learning activities. Teachers and other staff will work diligently with every student and family to avoid this scenario as much as possible.

What happens if a middle or high school student receives an Incomplete grade for semester two?

In this case, the school staff will work to further support the student’s learning. The student would participate in a transition back to school plan that includes a recovery option. Recovery options would be shared with the student and parent/guardian and may include further online or in person learning in the summer, additional school work in the upcoming fall, and/or evening coursework.

How will standardized testing be handled?

All state testing has been cancelled: This includes the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (Grades 3-8), the Illinois Science Assessment (grades 5, 8 and 11), and the Dynamic Learning Map Alternative Assessment (certain special education students in grades 3-12). The Illinois State Board of Education has received a waiver from the federal government to forgo these assessments for the remainder of this school year. 

• For the Standard Achievement Test (SAT) in high school (Grade 11):

ISBE has postponed the SAT school day test and is working with the College Board to identify future dates.  More information on this issue will be shared in the coming weeks. The College Board has also cancelled all national testing dates through the end of May. Summer test administration days remain open for now. Please be assured that both ISBE and the College Board are working to ensure that all students will have the opportunity to complete the SAT. Discussions are on-going around a fall school day administration as the most likely solution to this issue.

 

For up to date information on future SAT test administrations please monitor the College Board SAT updates page:

https://pages.collegeboard.org/natural-disasters

 

What about Advanced Placement (AP) tests in high school?

Earlier this week students enrolled in AP courses should have received an email from the College Board detailing the information below:

“College Board is making arrangements to allow students to complete an online 45 minute exam from home for their AP courses.  Each AP subject will have two different testing dates so students can choose when they would like to take the exam. The content of the exams will be shortened to cover only those skills that should have been taught by early March.  Students will be able to complete these streamlined exams on any device. Beginning March 25 students will also have access to free, live AP review lessons delivered by AP teachers from across the country.”

For up to date information on at-home AP testing please monitor the College Board AP updates page: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/news-changes/coronavirus-update

Where can I seek technical support for a student chromebook and/or other online learning issues?

If the support needed relates to a curriculum website or online learning resource, please contact your teacher first. For issues with chromebooks, internet connectivity, and other technical problems, services will be provided on an appointment basis only. Families should contact StudentHelp@vvsd.org or call 815-372-6988 to make an appointment. 

How do students access their VVSD email account while at home? Can a non-district computer be used?

Every effort has been put in place for students District issued Chromebooks to be functional to access Gmail. Yes, student Gmail can be accessed with a non-district issued device by following these steps.

What is Zoom?

Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service you can use to virtually meet with others - either by video or audio-only or both, all while conducting live chats - and it lets you record those sessions to view later.

Your child may be asked to interact with their teacher through Zoom, an online video chatting option. Your child will receive advance notice of any scheduled Zoom sessions.

Is Zoom safe for my child to use?

While there have been items in the news about Zoom and other online video chat tools being “hacked” by outside content, Valley View is consistently taking steps to ensure that our students will experience a safe and secure learning environment. Teachers can restrict outside content whenever they use Zoom with students in the session settings.

Other Resources:

• Zoom Student Tips for Participating in Online Learning
• Joining a Zoom Meeting for Students

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What is Seesaw?

Seesaw is a platform for student engagement that inspires students of all ages to do their best, and saves teachers time! Students use creative tools to take pictures, draw, record videos and more to capture learning in a portfolio. Teachers find or create activities to share with students.

Early childhood and elementary students will receive their work from their teachers through Seesaw. Teachers can also communicate with students and families through Seesaw as well.

• Seesaw for Families website
• Seesaw Help Center for Families
• Remote Learning with Seesaw - FAQs for Families
• VVSD Seesaw for Families Webinar Slideshow: English  |  Spanish
• VVSD Seesaw for Families Webinar Recordings: English  |  Spanish

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Where can I find information about available community resources?

Our current list of resources can be found utilizing this link: Community Resources 

The Illinois Department of Human Services has launched a support line called Call4Calm that is reachable via text. Individuals who want to speak with a mental health professional can text the word “TALK” or “HABLAR” (for Spanish speakers) to 552-020. Within 24 hours, that individual will receive a call from a mental health professional employed by a local community health center.   People can also text other terms, like “unemployment” or “food” or “shelter” to the same number to receive information on how to navigate and access supports and services. Call4Calm is free, and individuals who use it can remain anonymous.