On April 9, 2020, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) shared decisions the district had made regarding a number of school-related topics. This week’s update provides additional details on a few of those topics. As the COVID-19 pandemic remains a fluid situation, additional decisions may be made or plans finalized between now and our last day of digital learning on May 20.
Four Days for New Assignments; Flex Fridays Allow for Review
Beginning April 17, GCPS will follow a flexible schedule on Fridays that will continue through May 8. These “Flex Fridays” will be a lighter “school day,” but will count toward the full 180-day school calendar. Teachers will be available to work with students. However, they will not give students any new assignments on these days. On Flex Fridays, teachers will have time to work with students individually, provide opportunities for students to make up assignments or redo previous assignments, and review material taught.
Grading
Last week, GCPS shared that teachers will continue to teach the AKS curriculum and to grade student work during Digital Learning Days (DLD). That ongoing instruction, assessment, and grading help teachers provide feedback and identify areas in which students are being successful as well as areas in which they may need extra help. Knowing how students are doing today is essential to ensuring they learn what is needed to prepare for next school year.
Student learning during DLD is important. GCPS is taking steps to make sure students are as successful as possible during DLD. If at any time during the remainder of this school year a student’s grade in a class falls below the grade he or she earned in that same class during first semester, or lower than the student’s average in the class on March 12, the teacher will take a number of things into consideration before finalizing the student’s grade. These considerations include the potential impact of the change in learning environment from in-person to online; whether the student had adequate and appropriate opportunities to relearn material or redo assignments; and if the student took advantage of available opportunities to make up work and demonstrate mastery of the AKS.
Summer School
Since it may not be safe to hold face-to-face summer school for high school students, GCPS will offer two summer school sessions through Gwinnett Online Campus (GOC). Session 1 will take place June 1–23 and Session 2 will be held June 15–July 7. Information about courses and how to register is available on the GOC website. In addition, high school students can take Health and PE virtually through Community School programs associated with GCPS high schools. Students also can take Credit Recovery courses with online teacher support. (Go to https://bit.ly/GCPSCreditRecoverySS for information about this option, including requirements and available courses.) None of the summer school options require face-to-face contact.
Seniors
Plans are moving forward to hold graduations virtually in May, followed by traditional ceremonies in mid-July if conditions allow. Seniors received information this week from their schools about what they need to do to be included in their school’s virtual graduation. Students should follow the directions provided for picking up their cap and gown as these guidelines were developed to limit physical contact and to maintain social distancing. They also received instructions for submitting a digital photo of themselves in their cap and gown and for confirming the correct spelling of their names. Additional details about the virtual graduation and possible in-person ceremonies in July will be shared as additional decisions are made.
Tutor.com
GCPS encourages students to take advantage of Tutor.com. There are three easy ways to access this resource using the Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL) website (gwinnettpl.org).
Students can use their GCPL library card number to sign in to Tutor.com, OR
Students who have taken part in the library’s Branch Out program can use their Student ID as their Barcode/Username and their birthdate (MMDD) as the Password. (Example: If your birthdate is February 14, your Password is 0214.) OR
Students who not have an account with the library can click here to request one online. The student will receive an email confirmation with instructions within 48 hours of the request.
Additional information about GCPS’ COVID-19 response was shared at the April 16, 2020, Virtual School Board Work Session. You can view a recording of the Work Session at www.gcpsk12.org/vbm.
GCPS will continue to provide updates on these and other topics. Check your school or district website for additional information.