With all publicly funded schools in Ontario being closed until at least May 4, 2020, the Peel District School Board has announced a new plan in order to reach out to students. A Community of Care: The Peel District School Board’s Learning and Support Plan is a guide that will help teachers provide lessons to students remotely, keeping students on their education path.
The plan includes an outline for all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12, and teachers are delivering a set amount of weekly lessons by grade grouping:
- Kindergarten – Grade 3: Five hours of work per student/week, focusing on literacy and math
- Grades 4 – 6: Five hours of work per student/week, focusing on literacy, math, science and social studies
- Grades 7 – 8: Ten hours of work per student/week, focusing on literacy, math, science, and social studies
- Grades 9 – 12: Three hours of work per course per week for semestered students / 1.5 hours of work per course per week for non-semestered students. Their focus is on getting credits for graduation.
“We know that students and families may be worried about learning from home. What will it look like? How will I be assessed? Will I graduate? What is expected of me as student, as a parent? How can I support my child if I’m an essential worker? There are many questions, and we’ve tried our best to answer most of them in our Community of Care Plan,” says Peter Joshua, Director of Education of the Peel District School Board in a letter to students and families.
He continues, “We know that distance learning will not be simple or easy for everyone. Some will embrace this style of learning and others will see it as yet another challenge they have to overcome during an already difficult time. As a board, we will do everything we can to support everyone in our community—students, staff and families—throughout these closures.”
The plan also covers other topics such as grade-level expectations, responsibilities for students, teachers and parents/guardians, assessment, reporting and evaluation (where you’ll learn about midterm marks and report card expectations), supports for graduating students, alternatives to distance learning, equity of access to technology and Wi-Fi, parent engagement and learning resources for families, supports for students with Special Education needs and English Language Learners, Continuing & Adult Education and Alternative Programs – Learning to 18, and mental health and community supports.
A PDF version of the plan outline can be viewed here.
