Shaler Area School District
K-6 Continuity of Education Plan Update Grading, Assessment, Curriculum & End of Year Activities
April 15, 2020

Dear Shaler Area families,

As reported to you on Thursday, April 9, 2020, Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera have extended the state mandated school closure through the end of the 2019-20 academic year. While we understand that this comes with a mix of emotions, please rest assured that Shaler Area School District is making all necessary plans to complete this school year in the best possible manner, given our current circumstances. The last day for all students in the Shaler Area School District will be Friday, June 5, 2020.

Below you will find updates on several pertinent topics. We look forward to working with you to provide the best education possible for each and every student. As always, we are here to serve you. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teachers, principal, or either of us.

Grading and Assessment

As we implement the planned instruction model in our Continuity of Education Plan, grading in this new environment looks different than we are used to at Shaler Area School District. Due to the extended school closure, we will be modifying our grading model effective Monday, April 20, 2020. Our teachers will continue to work with students/families to address the need for assignment extension based on individual circumstances. As a result, the District will suspend Board Policy 213: Assessment of Student Progress for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

As previously reported, the calendar has been modified, so that the third nine weeks ended on March 13, 2020. Students have had every opportunity to send teachers anything that may be needed to close out the third nine weeks. If you have any specific concerns, please contact your child’s teacher or principal.

Grades K-6 (Primary and Elementary School)
Completion of assignments is mandatory for students. For students in grades K-6, teachers will not assess student work on a Pass/Fail or traditional grading scale for the 4th nine weeks. Rather, student work will be evaluated based upon engagement and work completion. We believe that during this unprecedented time, the focus of our youngest learners should be on content exposure and engagement vs. traditional grading methods. Teachers will directly contact the parent/guardian of any student who is not actively engaging. Students in Grades K-6 will not receive a Report Card for the 4th nine weeks.

Curriculum Sequencing

The District is currently identifying the key curricular concepts that will be taught through the remainder of the school year. Our focus will be to address the most critical/essential topics that students will need to be exposed to moving into the next grade level. These identified skills will be the focus of our Remote Learning lessons. As a reminder, our staff is adhering to the following guidelines when planning lessons for our youngest learners based upon best practices for online learning.

o 15 - 30 minutes per subject area for K-2 students o 25 - 45 minutes per subject area for 3-6 students

Please know that the District is actively putting plans into place for the transition to occur at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year to ensure that all students receive a well-rounded education despite the state mandated school closure.

End of the Year Activities

We understand that there are many questions about end of the year activities at all of our schools. Unfortunately, the District has not made a final determination regarding many events (including move-up events, classroom celebrations etc.). We will continue to follow the directives of the Governor’s Office, PA Department of Health and CDC. Most of these events will need to be held in a different format than originally planned in order to adhere to strict Social Distancing Guidelines.

Please know that the Administration is committed to providing opportunities to celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of our students and know how important that this is for our entire school community. School Principals and District Administration will continue to provide updates as available.

Item Pickup

We have received many questions regarding picking up remaining items that your child may have at the school. Please know that we are working on procedures for students and/or parents to do this safely. Our goal is to gather as many of your child’s items as possible into one pickup so that we can reduce the number of trips to school and limit the exposure for all involved. In the coming weeks as plans become available, a follow-up email will be sent with details.

State Assessments (PSSA, Keystone Exam & PASA)

On March 19, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that it is canceling all state assessments, PSSA testing and Keystone exams for the 2019-20 school year as a result of COVID-19. This includes the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA).

Kindergarten Registration

Due to the mandated school closure, Shaler Area School District will be accepting online registrations for students entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2020. If you have a child who will be 5 years old ON or BEFORE August 31, 2020, your child is eligible to attend Kindergarten. The following is the link for the Kindergarten Registration Portal: https://forms.gle/D3mY2fR4oCC2ro348 .

District Website

To help our families stay informed, we will continue to share relevant information and resources on our website: http://www.sasd.k12.pa.us/COVID-19.aspx. Please continue to use this site as a resource during this closure.

The safety and security of our students is our number one priority. We also emphasize that family always comes first, especially in the midst of these challenging and turbulent times. Please know that we recognize the challenges many families are facing, and we are here to support you and will do whatever we can to meet the needs of our community. Please stay safe and healthy, and as always, thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Sean C. Aiken Superintendent of Schools

Bryan E. O’Black, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent