eLearning

eLearning is learning utilizing electronic technologies to access educational curriculum. eLearning content can be published online through a learning management system (LMS). An LMS allows for course creators to streamline eLearning content into one easy-to-access location. eLearning involves the use of technology and innovation strategies to engage students in their learning, create a collaborative environment, and promote digital literacy/digital world skills.

Flexibility and grace are important words at this time, especially depending on the nature of the emergency situation. These words not only are directed to our students, but to all adults as well. Teachers are providing feedback to students through a range of tools (i.e. Google Classroom, conferencing, email). Additionally, several software resources are used to provide immediate feedback as a student is working through problems (e.g. digital textbooks, IXL, etc.)
 

BCSD students in preschool to first grade use SeeSaw and second through twelfth grades use Google Classroom. 

Because eLearning days are regular workdays, teachers should be available to students and parents during school day hours. However, alternate schedules may be used to include daytime and evening hours if this better accommodates the needs of students. District and school staff must also be available to staff for support and continued work during contracted work hours. Reporting of time and expectations are directed to the staff’s direct supervisors. 

For any eLearning day used, the district certifies that each eLearning day will be 5.5 hours for students in kindergarten through grade 8 and 6.0 hours for students in grades 9-12, or a minimum of 200 minutes of daily instruction. Lessons provided should require a minimum of 200 minutes of instruction (video, reading, listening); the remainder of the time is for student engagement, studying and work completion, etc. These times are cumulative across subjects.Instruction must be provided in the form of online meetings and/or provided videos. Packets may only be used as appropriate for age or accommodations to provide materials for student work. They may not be used in lieu of virtual instruction. Individual schedules are developed and communicated directly to families by the schools.
 

• Serves as a tool for the 4 Cs (creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking)
• Prepares students for 21st Century Learning Experiences
• Prepares students to compete in the workforce, demonstrating global awareness
• Provides students with experience and practice exercising acceptable use and good digital citizenship
• Extends learning beyond the classroom walls, providing 24/7 access to learning

Districts that meet the criteria for an eLearning district as determined by the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) may use up to five eLearning days to allow for the make-up of short-term disruptions to in-person teaching and learning interruptions (e.g., power outages, water main breaks). An eLearning day is used on the specific day that schools would otherwise have had to close due to an unforeseen emergency or when a make-up day would normally be used. eLearning days are designed to offer more flexibility to avoid loss of instruction due to school closings or to manage necessary make-up days that are already included in the school calendar.

An instructional day should not be classified as eLearning unless in response to emergency situations such as inclement weather or utility interruptions that would typically cause a school closing.
 

Yes. BCSD eLearning assignments are designed to be a logical continuation of learning experiences used in the classroom, and should maintain important educational momentum.

We know that students will need them and take breaks. Individual teacher schedules may build in the time, but eLearning days are practical opportunities for students to practice the skill of time management. Flexibility for when students start work during the eLearning window is needed due to the nature of this being an emergency situation. This also means that students determine when breaks are taken and whether to work in an uninterrupted stream or to break the learning experiences up during the day. “Brain break” activities that include movement and music may be included to encourage taking breaks and refocusing. Students will have 5 school days to complete eLearning assignments. 

Since eLearning is an extension of what is happening in the classroom, in real-time, questions and guidance for eLearning schedules and assignments should be directed to their child’s teacher.  Schools will communicate general procedural guidelines, but teachers will have the details pertaining to assignment expectations. 

Parental support for eLearning would be similar to the support your student needs for regular homework assignments. More parental support would be expected at the early elementary grades. eLearning assignments are designed to be completed by the student with little or no parent involvement required unless specifically stated by the teacher.

Some material in the coursework may be new, but accessing the work and using technology should be something students are used to doing independently. Students experiencing problems or frustrations should be encouraged to contact their teacher. BCSD encourages parents to use this opportunity to learn more about their child’s daily school activities.

BCSD Communications Department will notify staff, students, media, and business partners (Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, etc.) of eLearning day decision and status. The district website and all social media platforms will be updated to reflect schedule changes. Teachers and staff will facilitate and support instruction during eLearning.  Multiple means of communication should be available to both students and parents regarding eLearning assignments.

• Email: During an eLearning day, teachers should have their email open for quick responses. An automatic reply when teachers are not immediately available will let the sender know that the message has been received and a response will follow shortly.
• Mass Communication / Classroom Communication:  Teachers are able to send out communication through the district standard platform for announcements and providing additional information to all students.
• Phone: Teachers are encouraged to provide students and parents with a way to be reached by phone.

Teachers, counselors, and instructional aides are working collaboratively to ensure that all students, including those receiving Tier 2 and/or Tier 3 interventions, students who are homeless or become homeless, students who are homebound/home based, students who receive accommodations (through IEPs, 504 Plans, or ILAPs), and Multilingual Learners have equitable access to learning opportunities and support in overcoming any barriers that may arise.

How do we service students receiving Tier 2 and/or Tier 3 interventions?

Students receiving Tier 2 and/or Tier 3 interventions will continue to receive targeted support aligned with their identified needs during eLearning days. Teachers and interventionists will collaborate to provide appropriate materials, virtual or offline learning activities, and strategies that reinforce the intervention goals. Progress monitoring will continue as feasible, and families will be kept informed of their child's progress and any adjustments to intervention plans.
 

How do we service students who are homeless or become homeless?

Students who are homeless or become homeless during the emergency will be directed to the school’s McKinney-Vento Liaison to address the student’s situation.  BCSD understands that emergency situations can have an impact on a student’s ability to be in their regular home.  Schools that need additional guidance will contact the district’s McKinney-Vento Liaison.

Each school’s McKinney-Vento Liaison is responsible for actively monitoring student interaction with virtual learning.  If it is found that students who are homeless are struggling to access instructional materials, the school’s McKinney-Vento Liaison will work with each student and their teachers to devise a plan that ensures that there is no lost instruction.

How do we service students who are homebound/home based?

Teachers that are providing services to students that are placed on medical homebound or are receiving home based instruction will need to make any needed adjustments based on the type of emergency that is taking place.  Teachers must communicate any changes to families and the school’s principal to ensure continuity of instruction.  Each school will monitor the impact on instruction of homebound/home based students, including those with disabilities, ensuring that required services outlined in their IEP or 504 Plan continue to be met.

What if my student receives accommodations?

All students who have accommodations through an IEP, 504 Plan, or Individual Learning Accommodation Plan ( ILAP) will be provided with or have access to those accommodations during eLearning days. The Team Lead will work with families,MLP teams and IEP teams ahead of eLearning days to clarify expectations for learning and how support will be offered. ILAPs have a contingency section to add other steps for servicing MLs if needed. 

Will there be offline support for students whose accommodations cannot be met through online learning?

For students with disabilities who do not use an LMS for learning or for whom an LMS is not appropriate, teachers will provide parents with appropriate educational materials and learning activities for student use. Language for eLearning days/LMS usage should be outlined within the accommodations section of the student's IEP/504/ILAP. 

I have a Multilingual Learner, how will my child receive the support needed?

For ML students, teachers will provide parents with appropriate educational materials and learning activities for student use per their Individualized Language Acquisition Plan. BCSD will be proactive in establishing an appropriate instructional delivery model to determine how MLs will be serviced on eLearning days. This may include time outside eLearning day/window/MLP teacher office hours for students to complete the work.

How does eLearning for weather closure account for attendance? Will eLearning assignments be graded?

BCSD will measure attendance by student activity within the LMS or within designated assigned offline work. If a student is not actively participating within the LMS, or does not complete assigned offline work within 5 school days after the return to in person instruction, they will be counted as absent for that day. Grading of eLearning assignments or activities will be consistent with everyday expectations. All eLearning assignments are considered meaningful to a student’s learning; therefore, students will be expected to complete all work.

How do we report eLearning Days to SCDE?

Reporting of an eLearning Day(s) is done through PowerSchool and the Calendar and Closure System.

• PowerSchool: The attendance code should be set for virtual instruction.
• Calendar and Closure System: Select “Closed – eLearning” to differentiate the closure from one with no instruction being provided.  Documentation of family announcements will be saved for audit purposes.

The Calendar and Closure System is located in the SCDE Member Center. This is where districts are required to report school or district closures, as well as plans to make up closures. During hazardous weather, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division uses this application to report school closures to the Governor, state agencies, and statewide news media. For these reasons, it is imperative that closure reporting via the application be completed in a timely manner. The public facing report of closings can be found at www.SCSchoolClosings.com.

How are state and national assessments impacted by virtual learning?

In the event that the district or a school is operating remotely, there will not be any state or national assessments administered to students.  The District Testing Coordinator will be in contact with the vendor and SCDE, if needed, to adjust the district’s testing calendar.  Once the testing date has been rescheduled, information will be shared with the School Testing Coordinator.  This includes i-Ready diagnostic testing, Mastery View Predictive Analysis (MVPA) testing, etc.

How do I handle administering a classroom assessment?

Assessments that are teacher-driven are at the discretion of the classroom teacher if they would like to administer it.  It is important to think about the quality of data that would be collected from the assessment if it is administered remotely and if it is an accurate picture of what the student is able to achieve.

How do I approach administering an assessment for students with testing accommodations?

Students, regardless of where the assessment is administered, are entitled to receive any testing accommodations that are listed in their IEP, 504, and/or ILAP.  If you plan to administer a classroom assessment, you must ensure that the student has access to their testing accommodations.  Classroom teachers may need to collaborate with special education teachers, multilingual learner program teachers, and the school’s Section 504 coordinator to ensure assessments include the appropriate student accommodations.

I would like for my students to work on their i-Ready individual learning pathway but they already started their diagnostic assessment, what do I do?

If students are in the middle of an i-Ready diagnostic assessment when we are placed on remote learning, the student will likely not be able to work on the subject that has the active diagnostic.  Teachers will want to reach out to their School Testing Coordinator with any questions.  In order to stop the assessment and place them in their individual learning pathway will cause them to have their assessment reset and start over.  Due to the impact on assessment data, teachers will need to make other plans for the content area actively being tested.

NOTE:  Since this plan satisfies a student’s completion of a full school day, each virtual learning day in alignment with this plan is calculated as a normal school day for determining state testing windows.

Will students need and have access to the internet?

Many BCSD students and teachers have the ability to access digital learning away from our schools. Using eLearning does not mean that all households must have internet access. BCSD understands that emergency situations can have an impact on a student’s ability to be in their regular home and this may impact access to the internet as well. 

What can be done if technology is not working on an eLearning Day?

Due to this being an emergency situation, teachers and staff can submit help tickets in One-to-One Plus for technical assistance, and they will be addressed as the appropriate staff is able to address it.  If the problem is widespread, BCSD will communicate the issues and any solution via a BCSD Technology Alert email or the mass communication platform if warranted. If the problem is not with BCSD, teachers will work with the students when they return to school. One-to-One Plus ticket system can be found in Classlink.

What software programs are available to assist my students? 

Beaufort County School District offers many educational software and resources to support teaching and learning. The 1EdTech Dashboard curates and describes these tools, indicates the appropriate audience for each, and provides access instructions. The dashboard can be found on Classlink for teachers to access. 

What if I need help with a software program, or I need training?

Teachers and staff can submit WebHelpDesk tickets, email, or call an EdTech Coach for EdTech assistance, and they will be addressed as the appropriate staff is able to address it. They can also visit the Edtech in Beaufort County Schools website for general assistance, tutorials and information. The website can be found in Classlink for teachers to access.    

What if a student needs help with a software program?

Students should direct their needs through their classroom teacher who can submit WebHelpDesk tickets, email, or call an EdTech Coach for guidance.