Continuity of Education Plan

Mt. Lebanon School District has identified the following goals relative to its Continuity of Education Plan:

• Communicate guidance and expectations for faculty, staff, students, and parents in using the School at Home (S@H) model.
• Effectively deliver education using an asynchronous format.
• Provide optional opportunities for students to engage with the faculty and staff in synchronous meetings. 
• Recognize that this model of instructional delivery is new for some and be patient and understanding as faculty, staff, and students develop agency.
• Each faculty member will make a good faith effort to deliver the curriculum as it is intended.
• Ensure that students are provided with a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), to the best of our ability.  
   

The District is sensitive to the evolving faculty, staff, and family situations in our community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and wants to provide an educational experience for our  students, faculty, and staff that furthers continuity of instruction while being understanding and flexible in nature. 

In comparison to Flexible Instructional Days (FIDs), School at Home (S@H) is intended to continue the asynchronous nature of delivering instruction while adding a component that facilitates the “continuity of education” expected by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.  

Faculty will continue to deliver instruction in an asynchronous format through S@H.  In other words, by 8:30 am each morning, instruction, which can include lessons, assignments, projects, assessments, activities, etc., will be delivered to students.  Students then have flexibility throughout the course of the day to use periods of time that are conducive to them to complete the instruction. This approach understands that a student may have a myriad of other educational and personal demands on their time throughout a day.  

Faculty, as they design the learning experience for students, will provide the appropriate amount of instruction, guided and/or independent activities, and types and frequency of assessments.  Each faculty member will make a good faith effort to deliver the curriculum as it is intended, understanding that it may not be possible to get fully, or as deeply, through it.

The District is proceeding with Planned Instruction.  Planned Instruction is formal teaching and learning similar to that which occurs in a classroom setting. Within this process, teachers use planned courses of instruction of new concepts/skills aligned to grade level standards. Teachers assess the learning of their students and make adjustments to instruction based upon student progress. In order to receive grades and credit, students must attend regularly and complete the course requirements.
 

Critical communication with families is occurring through email blasts, followed by a text alert notifying families of the email, and information placed on the District’s website.  The District’s web-site is a critical component of the communication plan, as it offers families the ability to translate information into a preferred language.  

The Superintendent of Schools livestreams a morning update that includes a Mindful Moment for families; these broadcasts are then archived on the District’s web-site. 

Instructionally, communication about Planned Instruction activities occurs through faculty posting information in Clever (elementary) or the PowerSchool student/parent portal referred to as Dashboard (secondary).  Teachers use recording channels, like Youtube, as a portal to place instructional videos, as well as Google Suite Tools like Google Chat or Google Meet to meet with students in real-time.

Students who expressed a need for a device were provided a Chromebook by the District.  There have been multiple waves of distribution so that any student who expressed a need had that need met.

The District has made information available to families about Internet resources from commercial providers.  The District is trying to purchase a number of MiFi devices should there be a family in need of Internet services, understanding though that these devices are not readily available and subject to manufacturing and shipping delays. 

The grades K-5 program is utilizing Clever as its means to communicate with students about Planned Instruction.  The grades 6-12 program is using PowerSchool and its student/parental portal to communicate with students about Planned Instruction.  The K-12 program is using G-Suite tools to facilitate students’ learning. 

General expectations for faculty include:

• Instruction will be a continuation of the curriculum. Faculty will utilize an Essential Curriculum Framework to guide the delivery of instruction. 
• Big Ideas, Core Concepts and Competencies, and Essential Questions aligned to Standards and Assessment Anchors and, where appropriate, Eligible Content will be the faculty’s focus. 
• Assignments that are not technology dependent are appropriate in subject areas that lend themselves to such activities.  
• Where appropriate, faculty will use formative and/or summative assessments to gauge the students’ progress. 
• Faculty will have lessons (instruction, assignments, projects, assessments, activities, etc.) posted for students by 8:30 am each morning. 
• Faculty will be available using an “Office Hours” model between the hours of 8:30 am - 11:00 am and 1 pm - 3 pm. 
• Office Hours will be used to facilitate the teaching and learning process:
  • Responding to student or parent/guardian inquiries via email or virtual (synchronous) meetings
  • Planning and preparation 
  • Creating and posting lessons, assignments, instructional resources, video tutorials, etc. 
  • Grading assignments
  • Participating in meetings as necessary, i.e., Staffings, IEP, 504, etc. 
  • Collaborating with colleagues
  • Participating in training, as needed

Students are expected to participate in learning every weekday.  In accordance with Planned Instruction and in order to receive grades and credit, students must attend regularly and complete the course requirements.

Instruction is being delivered in an asynchronous format.  Students are expected to fully participate in the planned instruction provided by their teachers and will be assessed accordingly.  

Students are considered present at school each day unless an absence excuse form is submitted by the parent by 8:30 am on the day(s) in which the student will not be able to participate in the instruction. Make-up of student work as a result of an excused absence will be consistent with district policy. 

Beginning April 6, 2020, the Mt. Lebanon School District will begin the implementation of School at Home (S@H) instruction with all of our students in order to provide continuity of educational services during the school closure.  The School District will continue to provide students with disabilities with a free appropriate public education (FAPE) providing special education services to the maximum extent feasible during this time. Students with disabilities will also have access to instructional materials and specially designed instruction remotely. Related Services, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language will continue to be provided remotely as well. Examples of methods  that may be used to provide specially designed instruction and related services remotely include Google Classroom, Google Meet, or Zoom (video conferencing), phone calls, Dashboard, email, worksheets, videos, and/or consultation or planning with parents to monitor progress. The student’s special education teacher and related service providers will contact families to discuss how instructional materials and services will be provided to the student. 

During group services through an online platform, it is not always possible to ensure student privacy. During virtual group instruction, students’ names and faces may appear on a screen. Further, the virtual group instruction format could provide opportunities for individuals in other students’ households to observe the therapy sessions.  As a reminder, the District will not share health and educational information with third parties without written parental consent.  

The District plans to move forward with providing group virtual instruction, when appropriate, unless the District receives written notification of a family’s desire to opt out due to privacy concerns.  By a parent/guardian allowing their child to participate in group virtual instruction, they agree and understand that their child may be viewed by others in the course of the delivery of services.  If the parent/guardian does not consent, they are to contact the District’s Director of Special Education, Dr. Heather Doyle, via email at hdoyle@mtlsd.net.

If a parent/guardian has any concerns about their child’s ability to access online programming or virtual services, they are to contact their child’s special education teacher to discuss resources and/or alternatives for the implementation of your child’s program.

Students with disabilities will have access to instructional materials and specially designed instruction remotely. Related Services, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language will continue to be provided remotely as well. Examples of methods that may be used to provide specially designed instruction and related services remotely include Google Classroom, Google Meet or Zoom (video conferencing), phone calls, email, Dashboard, worksheets, videos, and/or consultation or planning with parents to monitor progress. The student’s special education teacher and related service providers will contact families to discuss how instructional materials and services will be provided to the student. 

The instruction delivered by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit K-12 ESL Program will continue for the duration of the school closure, and while being delivered remotely, the ESL Program Specialists assigned to the students prior to the closure will continue providing English Language Development instruction to the students via the platforms identified by the school district (ex. Google Classroom, etc.). 

The curriculum used by the program is available digitally; therefore, students will be able to continue their progress through the content and standards as they would have previously, and online assessment will allow the teachers to track the students’ progress. The ESL Program Specialists are available for ongoing support to both the students and their families and will collaborate with the students’ classroom and content area faculty to assure that the students are able to successfully transition to remote instruction in all of their subject areas. Supports for translation and interpretation will be used where necessary and appropriate for both students and families.
 

Mt. Lebanon High School - Principal (Acting) Mr. Joel Thompson - jthompson@mtlsd.net
Jefferson Middle School - Principal Dr. Sarah Shaw - sshaw@mtlsd.net
Mellon Middle School - Principal Mr. Chris Wolfson - cwolfson@mtlsd.net
Foster Elementary School - Principal Mr. Jason Ramsey - jramsey@mtlsd.net
Hoover Elementary School - Principal Ms. Nicole Giehll - ngiehll@mtlsd.net
Howe Elementary School - Principal Dr. Michelle Murray - mmurray@mtlsd.net
Lincoln Elementary School - Principal Mr. Ron Kitsko - rkitsko@mtlsd.net
Markham Elementary School - Principal (Interim) Mr. Bob Mallery - bmallery@mtlsd.net
Washington Elementary School - Principal Dr. Melissa Nelson - mnelson@mtlsd.net

Mt. Lebanon School Districts S@H information is available at https://www.mtlsd.org/academics/schoolhome.
Resources for faculty and staff are available at www.mtlsd.org/Staff. 
Resources for students and parents/guardians are available at https://www.mtlsd.org/academics/schoolathome/techathome