· 2020-07-08 · Teachers will have increased professional development opportunities prior to the beginning of school. New teachers will begin on August 13 with returning teachers

www.ames.k12.ia.us

When Governor Reynolds announced that schools would close for the remainder of the school year, they also announced that school districts would be required to complete a Return to Learn (RTL) plan to the Department of Education (DE) by July 1, 2020. Those plans must include contingencies for the following delivery models:

• On-Site Delivery - A full return to school • Required Continuous Learning - If school is closed again• Hybrid Learning - a combination of the two if only a certain

percentage of students can attend on a given day

Introduction

This plan is a fluid, guiding document that will continue to evolve and change as the situation around COVID-19 does. The Ames Community School District will communicate additional information about the return to learn in August as updates are available.

Return to Learn // Ames Community School District

» We believe student and staff safety is our highest priority. » We believe students should have access to the most

essential learnings for academics and social-emotional learning with support for mental health needs.

» We believe in transparent, clear, and consistent communication at all levels and with all stakeholders.

» We believe while we are meeting the needs of each individual student, learning must be flexible, inclusive, equitable, and responsive to student needs. Regardless of the delivery model, our plans must meet the needs of all learners, including Special Education, ESL, and ELP learners, as well as the needs of our families.

» We believe relationships are most important during this time and together we can weather this storm.

» Infrastructure » Health and Safety » Academic Standards » Social-Emotional-Behavioral-Mental Health and Basic Needs » Equity and Special Service

The intentional design of the delivery models planned for by Ames CSD staff is to provide flexibility to our system so as to be able to deliver high quality, engaging instruction in a safe environment regardless of the health context in our community. The design is also built to provide flexibility to students and parents so as to have some choice in delivery that meets their needs. Given this, the district’s Return to Learn plan is based on a simple principle: FLEXIBILITY.

The development of this Return to Learn plan was made possible by the amazing work of our teachers and staff. Every corner of our District was represented in the creation of this plan from teachers and nurses to district and building leadership teams. In all, over 150 team members contributed to the following focus areas:

Guiding Principles

Continuous Learning Task Force


The official start date of school is Monday, August 24, 2020. This includes 1st – 5th grade, as well as 6th and 9th graders and all other students at the middle and high school who are new to the District. Here is a breakdown of the staggered start dates across the district:

Teachers will have increased professional development opportunities prior to the beginning of school. New teachers will begin on August 13 with returning teachers beginning on August 18.

• August 24 - 1st-5th grades. Orientation for 6th grade and 9th grade, and all AMS and AHS students new to the district.

• August 25 - Early kindergarten, 7th, 8th, and 10th-12th grade• August 26 - Kindergarten• September 8 - Preschool (same date as before)



Delivery ModelsOn-Site DeliveryA full return of students and staff to school buildings. This delivery model will be done in buildings with face-to-face delivery of instruction for all students given application of mitigation steps described in the plan.

This delivery model will be done via remote learning, either online or packet-based, in the event that schools remain closed due to the pandemic. Opportunities to interact with staff and students would occur virtually.

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2Required Continuous Learning

This delivery model will be done by alternating students between on-site and remote learning. Using appropriate mitigation steps while on-site, most students will attend school 2 days per week and engage in remote learning each week on other days. This model would be used if the state-mandated that schools operate at 50% capacity, for example.

3Hybrid 1 Learning (state-mandated)

This delivery model will closely mirror the on-site model for most students. However, some families may choose to have children remain in a required continuous learning model for personal safety reasons.

How will we decide what delivery model is best for our students? Based on metrics created by Mary Greeley, Story County Public Health, Story County Emergency Management, and Story County Superintendents, a recommendation from Superintendent Risner will be made to the ACSD Board of Directors.

4Hybrid 2 Learning (family choice)

You Have OptionsWe recognize that some students may be unable to attend school in-person due to either pre-existing medical conditions or out of personal family choice. We understand these decisions are difficult ones and families must make educational decisions that are best for their families.

If families are not comfortable sending their student(s) to school, there will be an option to select a required continuous (online) learning program for students to continue their education.

Return to Learn // Ames Community School DistrictReturn to Learn // Ames Community School District

In all delivery models, the district remains committed to meeting the needs of each and every student we serve. Even in an online learning setting, we will continue to provide services that meet the unique needs of our learners. We will work to remove barriers, to foster success and to provide the support needed for all learners regardless of the delivery model. The services will include, but are not limited to:

Equity and Meeting the Needs of All Learners

Special Education

Special education teachers and teams will continue to provide specialized instruction and support in accordance with a student’s individualized education plan (IEP). As needed, a comprehensive “Remote Learning Plan” will be created for each IEP, developed before students engage in required continuous learning, in order to determine how educational services will be adapted, accommodated, or modified to fit individual student needs.

English Learners

EL teachers will communicate with families on a bi-weekly basis to assess needed support for students and families. These teachers will coordinate a main contact for families and plan for ongoing communication that ensures technology support and interpreters, translated instructions and other documents, and multiple modes of communication.

Extended Learning Program

ELP staff will continue to identify students needing enrichment and extension and ensure opportunities for these services for students. Through collaboration with other teachers to provide differentiation, targeted instruction will be delivered by ELP staff with instruction, assessment, and feedback being tailored to meet student needs.

Success / ALP

Using our Early Indicator System, teachers will coordinate with other staff to provide and monitor interventions needed to support student success in each delivery model. In addition to supports delivered during typical instructional time, an after school program to support reading and math skills will be implemented.


On-Site Delivery

Health and Safety Practices Because the health and safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority, the following mitigation steps will be taken in each delivery model when students are called to be in on-site learning. » Students and staff who

are ill or exhibiting any symptoms of illness should not come to school or work.

» Staff and students who have been exposed to a person with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 should follow current CDC recommendations to stay home and monitor their health.

» Parents will be given information of symptoms to look for to screen their child daily before sending them to school.

» Staff will be required to wear a face-covering and the District will be providing multiple, including face shields.

» Students will be required to wear face coverings to the

maximum extent possible that will be provided by the District.

» School health office protocols will create a separate space for the care of students who are ill, while having another space to serve the general health and medication needs of students.

» Social distancing used to arrange classrooms and common spaces (3 to 6 feet)

» No touch hand sanitizer stations will be put in every classroom and throughout the school.

» Signage will be placed around school (wear face coverings, wash hands, keep distance, signs and symptoms of COVID-19, stay home if sick, etc.)

» Staff and students will be taught proper prevention routines that include 1) Home screening processes, 2) How to properly wear a face covering, 3) Hand washing and sanitizing, 4) Processes to maintain social distancing (classroom

routines, flow of student movement), and 5) Importance of staying home when ill.

» Staggered scheduling for large environments as needed (common spaces).

» Discontinue use of traditional drinking fountain stations.

» Virtual staff and student/parent meetings will be held, rather than in-person meetings, to the extent possible (PD, IEP, 504, conferences, PLC meetings, etc.)

» Parents/volunteers will, in general, be discouraged from entering the school building.

Cleaning and Sanitizing » Custodians will conduct

a deep cleaning of each school nightly using hospital-grade disinfectant.

» Custodians will use disinfectant electrostatic sprayers nightly to ensure hard to reach places and materials are sanitized.

» Custodians will clean

This delivery model will be done in buildings with face-to-face delivery of instruction for all students given application of mitigation steps described below. We know the power of relationships, that are critical to student success, are best developed in face-to-face learning. Similarly, the feedback students and teachers get to improve student learning is most efficient and effective in this model. For these reasons, our first and foremost preference for returning to school is to do so with students and teachers together in classrooms.


and sanitize each night frequently touched surfaces and items by staff and students (desks, tables, door knobs, light switches etc.) as per facility guidelines.

» No touch hand sanitizer stations will be put in every classroom and throughout the school.

» Students and staff will be encouraged to avoid sharing electronic devices, toys, books, and other games or learning aids.

» Student belongings will be separated from others’ in individually labeled containers, cubbies, or areas. We will ensure adequate supplies to minimize sharing of high touch materials to the extent possible (e.g., assigning each student their own art supplies, equipment) or we will limit use of supplies and equipment by one group of children at a time and clean and disinfect between use.

» Staff will maintain adequate inventory of building cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment.

» Regular hand washing for students and staff will be promoted

TransportationDurham will be implementing the following safety mitigation

steps for transportation of students » Daily screening of drivers. » Drivers wearing face

coverings. » Cleaning/disinfecting

vehicles twice daily. » Sanitizer available upon

entry to the bus.

Additionally, Ames CSD students will: » Wear a mask when riding

the bus » Students will be assigned

two per seat, prioritizing students from the same household. Students will remain in assigned pairings for all trips.

Food ServiceChartwells, the Districts Food Service contractor, has developed a comprehensive “Return to Open Playbook” for its staff to operate food service as safely as possible for the COVID-19 environment. » Pre-shift health screening

will occur daily » All Chartwells staff will be

wearing face coverings/masks

» Staff who have direct interaction with students such as the cashiers will also be required to wear face shields.

Chartwells has developed guidelines for enhanced cleaning and sanitizing procedures for a COVID-19

event as well as high-touch surfaces. » Signage has been

developed to support safety, hygiene, social distancing, and line flow.

» Signage will remind students to wash their hands, avoid touching their face, and to maintain six feet of distance from others when at all possible by the use of social distancing floor and table decals.

Other mitigation steps: » Pre-packaged meal

components and plastic utensils.

» Meal components will be placed in disposable bags and students will take their meal to their designated dining area. This will allow students to eat in a reduced capacity cafeteria, classroom, or other alternate locations.

» Disposal receptacles will be located near the designated dining areas to avoid returning items to the food preparation areas.

At elementary best practice will be to keep students with their classroom cohorts for meal pickup and dining.

At middle and high school, students will be asked to enter their pin numbers with a stylist, pencil, pen, or other like item to avoid touching the key pad.


Required ContinuousLearning

This delivery model will be done via remote learning, either online or packet based. Opportunities to interact with staff and students will occur virtually. This delivery model may also be utilized for students/families who choose not to send a student back to some version of on-site instruction.

Should the health status of COVID-19 within our community call for school closure, either within a building or for the system as a whole, the district will move to deliver education to students via an online continuous learning model.

If this model is implemented, there will be noticeable differences from the online learning that occurred in most buildings in the spring of 2020:

» Online continuous learning will now be required» Attendance will be taken by teachers» Coursework will be graded and credits will be granted as appropriate» Online learning will consist of both synchronous (live) and asynchronous (on demand) learning.

The framework that follows outlines the current plan for delivering fully online continuous learning, broken down by elementary, middle and high school levels. These plans will continue to evolve and be modified over the summer, and therefore are subject to change.


Elementary Schools

Middle School High School

Delivery Platform

SeeSaw (PreK-2nd) and Google Classroom (3rd-5th)

Google Classroom Google Classroom

Attendance A rubric that establishes expectations for online participation and options for staff response is being developed.

Students will be considered in attendance if they have logged into Google Classroom and completed or worked on assignments. Each school will establish a team to review attendance on a bi-weekly basis.

School staff will contact parents/guardians if the student is not regularly logged in to the platform.

If a student will be absent for the day, the parent should send a message to the teacher via email or call the school to inform them of the absence.

A rubric that establishes expectations for online participation and options for staff response is being developed.

Grading Reporting on progress will be tied to District Essential Standards, assignments, and assessments and will be posted via Infinite Campus. Work will be turned in primarily via Google Classroom. Google forms, rubrics, and other tools for grading may also be used.

Teachers will provide timely feedback through comments on Google Classroom, Google Meet, phone calls, emails, texts. etc.

Office Hours Designated office hours will be established for feedback purposes. Additionally, teachers will check in with students bi-weekly about progress in school and social emotional wellbeing.

Synchronous Sessions

Any synchronous (live) session will be hosted via Google Meet. All sessions will be recorded and district guidance on best practice in hosting and participation in an online class will be taught and monitored by teachers.

Asynchronous Learning

Asynchronous (on-demand) sessions will be hosted through Google Classroom or SeeSaw. Strategies to promote asynchronous learning may include videos made by teachers, readings, podcasts, lessons from Kahn Academy, and more. Staff will provide feedback to student work done in asynchronous sessions, providing follow-up instruction and intervention as needed.

Return to Learn // Ames Community School District Return to Learn // Ames Community School District

Internet AccessAccess to the internet is critical to students and yet many in our community are without adequate access needed for this delivery model. Ames CSD has taken steps to reduce this barrier for students and families and will continue to find ways to partner with families and other community groups to assist our families in ensuring equity of access. If families are in need of internet access, please contact the District Office at: » Email - [email protected] or » Phone - 515-268-6660

The district currently will be purchasing approximately 300 internet hotspots available for check out to families who do not have internet access. These hotspots provide wireless internet connections to 4-5 devices simultaneously, allowing students without internet access to have it available.

The district has also modified network resources at various elementary schools (Edwards, Meeker, Mitchell, Sawyer) to enable internet access from nearby parking spaces. These access points provide families with free internet access from Wi-Fi zones located in school parking lots between 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Those utilizing a Wi-Fi zone are able to do so from their vehicle in order to reinforce appropriate social distancing efforts.

Finally, the district promotes the Connect2Compete plan with Mediacom which provides internet access at a reduced cost to families. For $20 per month, families who have Mediacom lines run to their neighborhoods can contract with the company for internet access. You can find more information at mediacomc2c.com/

Device AccessAmes CSD recognizes that access to a device is not only essential for participation in online learning, but is also a district expectation. Since 2013, the district has engaged in a 1:1 device initiative for all students in grades K-12. Additionally, 2,500 chargers and computer bags have been purchased to assist in providing our lower elementary-aged students the devices needed to participate in online learning should this be needed.

Technology Access

Hybrid Learning

The district’s remaining delivery models are two versions of hybrid learning models. The goal of providing hybrid models is to build in flexibility, both for the system (Hybrid 1) and for families (Hybrid 2). This flexibility is a guiding principle of this planning to ensure that education can continue for all students regardless of family or community health situations.


In the Hybrid 1 model, students attend school on-site for some time during the week and participate in online learning on the days they are not in school in person. This would allow for a reduced number of students to be in buildings while providing a combination of onsite and online learning.

In this model, each primary household in the district would be assigned an A day or B day on which they would attend school on-site. On opposite days, students would participate in online instruction.

Asynchronous (on-demand) sessions will be hosted through Google Classroom or SeeSaw. Strategies to promote asynchronous learning may include videos made by teachers, readings, podcasts, lessons from Kahn Academy, and more. Staff will provide feedback to student work done in asynchronous sessions, providing follow-up instruction and intervention as needed.

Hybrid 1 Learning (state-mandated)

Hybrid 2 Learning (family choice)


Hybrid 1 Hybrid 2

Attendance: In a Hybrid 1 model, on-site days will follow the standard in-person attendance policy, while the online days will follow the same attendance policy as the online continuous learning model.

Attendance: Those students attending on-site learning will have attendance taken at school per the standard in-person attendance policy.

Those students choosing required continuous learning (online learning) will follow the attendance processes outlined for that delivery model.

Instructional Delivery: In this model, instruction will be delivered using a combination of traditional in-person teaching methods and those described in the online continuous learning section of this plan.

On a student’s online day, they will work on asynchronous (on-demand) learning.

Instructional Delivery: For those students attending on-site learning, instruction will be delivered as typically done in classrooms.

For those students choosing continuous online learning, instruction will be primarily asynchronous tasks supported through Google Classroom or SeeSaw. Teachers will have office hours weekly and provide feedback and grades as outlined for that delivery model.

Grounding philosophy around the structure of Hybrid 1:Our students with the highest identified needs should be served most regularly in situations when not all students can come to on-site delivery of instruction daily due to health considerations.

The following is specific to the structure of each week in a Hybrid 1 model.

» Monday/Tuesday: 50% of students in a class (grade level or individual course) will attend on-site direct instruction. The others will engage in asynchronous tasks identified for the week.

» Wednesday: Time will be dedicated to provide staff with needed professional development and to provide focused time around the virtual aspect of the hybrid model including:

» Thursday/Friday: The remaining 50% of students in a class (grade level or individual course) will attend on-site direct instruction. The others will engage in asynchronous tasks identified for the week.

» Planning lessons and planning assessments » Providing feedback to students » Grading student work completed » Making individual student check-ins » Finally, this would also be a time in which any deep cleaning and sanitizing

would be able to be done


Special Services GuidanceRegarding Student Participation Under a Hybrid 1 Model

Our Special Services Team has created a guidance document to represent how limited classroom space in a hybrid model that is adhering to social distancing guidelines will be prioritized.

Four days of on-site attendance is strongly recommended under the Hybrid 1 model.

Does the student participate in Alternate Assessment?

Does the student receive EA support for 50% or more of the school day?

Does the student have emerging English proficiency?

Is the student at a critical stage of development where there is a window of opportunity that will be lost if services are not provided more than twice per week?

Has there been a significant regression during periods of interruption?

Are extended school year services indicated on the student’s IEP?

Two days of on-site attendance is strongly recommended under the Hybrid 1 model if “no” is the answer to each question above.

Does the student primarily use a non-verbal mode of communication?

Does the student receive ESL or SUCCESS/ALP services in addition to special education services?

Does the student receive instruction in the special education setting for 50% or more of the school day?

Four days of on-site attendance is recommended under the Hybrid 1 model.

Four days of on-site attendance might be recommended under the Hybrid 1 model.

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2005 24th Street // Ames, IA 50010 // 515.268.6600

ames.k12.ia.us

· 2020-07-08 · Teachers will have increased professional development opportunities prior to the beginning of school. New teachers will begin on August 13 with returning teachers

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