As a result, Keller ISD and Northwest ISD have announced plans to continue administering academic instruction to students through online or e-learning options. All students engaged in online learning will now be graded via a pass-fail grading system, according to district officials.
“At the end of the semester, we will have a system to convert those letter grades into number grades,” NISD Superintendent Ryder Warren said. “The vast majority of students are doing a great job. The only thing we need to do is keep it up.”
Curriculum and instructional staff from each district first committed to the development of online learning platforms following the spring break holiday.
District officials have also sought to distribute Chromebooks, Wi-Fi hot spots and other technological necessities to parents and students. NISD alone has given out 1,000 hot spots, Warren said.
“We have had so many staff members that have come together to put a plan in place for our parents and students,” said Michael Griffin, NISD assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
The remote learning plans NISD staff have developed are now the district’s “new normal,” she said.
District remote learning plans allow for the continued education of students through learning opportunities designed to help students review and further extend their learning, officials said.
With a goal of extended learning in mind, Keller ISD officials are still operating an e-learning support site in order to provide teachers with various lessons, ideas and other instructional support, according to KISD Communications Coordinator Nicole McCollum.
“KISD knows how important it is for our pre-K-12 students to continue to learn and grow,” McCollum said. “We know that not every student has the same tools and access to online learning. Because of this, [normal] grades will not be taken, and students will not be penalized for incomplete assignments.”
Officials from both districts agreed that schools will be ready to reopen for the 2020-21 school year in August unless further guidance is provided by county, state or federal authorities.
"Continuous learning is absolutely necessary for our kids to be ready for [the] next level,” Warren said. “We have to buy in, and students have to keep plugging in on that work.”
