Alabama Schools Chief Explores Ways To Teach Students During An ‘Incomplete Year’
Many K-12 schools in Alabama have been closed for more than a week due to the coronavirus. Right now, plans call for students to return to school on April 6. But State Superintendent Eric Mackey says it’s unlikely that will involve traditional, face-to-face teaching in a classroom. Instead, education leaders are trying to figure out how to teach students as COVID-19 spreads. Mackey spoke with WBHM’s Andrew Yeager.
Teaching in a time of Coronavirus
Mackey says they’re considering a number of options, from online learning to correspondence courses, which involves sending packets back and forth. He says the best methods will vary by district.
“We have some school districts now that could go digital, online delivery for close to 90% of their students,” Mackey says.
Others districts may be set up for online learning, but only for particular grades. Another consideration is whether students have reliable internet access at home. Mackey says some students may have to return to finish course work over the summer, but he doesn’t anticipate it would resemble a traditional summer school set up.
Mackey has surveyed superintendents and formed a task force to evaluate options. He’s expected to make a recommendation on how to proceed to Gov. Kay Ivey by March 30th. He adds parents will have sufficient notice to plan.
Mackey says there’s no truth to the rumor students will have to repeat the school year.
“That is not an option,” Mackey says. “We’re going to make sure that we get students what they need so they can progress.”
A top priority is making sure high school seniors can graduate. Part of that is helping students finish incomplete credentials. For instance, finding a way for Advanced Placement students to finish lessons so they’re prepared for tests. The College Board announced last week students could test using an online exam at home.
It’s also a consideration for those on a career and technical education path. For example, a welding student has work that must be performed in person.
“We may graduate them, but then they come back in the summer and finish their credential test,” Mackey says. “We want to graduate students either on time or as close to on time as possible.”
Fighting an Extreme Case of the Summer Slump
Studies have documented school children generally lose knowledge and skills over the summer break, often referred to as the “summer slump.” The shut down due to coronavirus effectively extends spring break to three weeks. With that, along with a likely move to alternative instruction methods, Mackey is very concerned about the impact on student progress.
“This is going to be, in many ways, an incomplete year. Even with our best efforts of moving online, correspondence courses, some summer school things, it’s going to be an incomplete year.”
Mackey encourages parents to engage with their children at home. He says there are many resources online that may not be part of a traditional school curriculum, but can promote learning.
Alabama schools have seen disruptions before with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the April 27, 2011, tornado outbreak. But Mackey says those events did not affect the entire state, and the state is more familiar with natural disasters.
“The real struggle we have now is the anxiety over we don’t know when this will be over and what the end game will be,” Mackey says. “The thing we hope we learn from this are some lessons about the future. How can we be, as a society, prepared for these kinds of interruptions.”
PBS LearningMedia offers videos, interactive features and lesson plans that can support learning at home.
United Nations nuclear agency again condemns Iran for failing to fully cooperate
The resolution comes after the agency said Iran has defied demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
Alabama carries out nation’s 3rd nitrogen gas execution
An Alabama man convicted in the 1994 killing of a hitchhiker cursed at the prison warden shortly before he was put to death Thursday evening in the nation's third execution using nitrogen gas.
Trump names former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his new pick for U.S. attorney general
After former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, President-elect Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his next pick for U.S. attorney general.
Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth
The woman who accused then-Fox News host of sexual assault in 2017 said that she "remembered saying 'no' a lot," according to a police report. Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense.
Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes
Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.
In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence
As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.
