Capistrano Unified School District Reopening Plan Summary And Webinar Recording

Press release from the Capistrano Unified School District:

June 16, 2020

Dear CUSD Families,

I have included an executive summary of our Reopening Recommendation which will be presented to the Board tomorrow night. At the bottom of this notice, you will find a link to provide written comments, view tomorrow night's board meeting, and view a recording of the webinar we did for families this afternoon.

Executive Summary

Like many California school districts, the CUSD board voted to close our schools in the middle of March 2020. This sudden closure gave teachers and other staff very little time to prepare for unprecedented changes in the way our students would be educated. The District worked throughout spring to strengthen Distance Learning and support students and families in this learning model and will continue to work with administrators, teachers, and staff to improve any future virtual learning model that may be necessary.

In early May, Superintendent Vital directed District leadership, administrators, and others to begin working on an educational plan for 2020-21. The resulting plan, outlined in this document, is not an emergency or crisis education program, and it bears no resemblance to the Distance Learning of the 2020-21 school year.

With over sixty days until school opens, CUSD Trustees and staff cannot know what conditions will exist in Orange County on August 18, 2020; nor can we know what conditions will exist throughout the 2020-21 school year. Orange County could move into Stage 4 sometime during the year, or we could return to an earlier stage. In addition, COVID-19 outbreaks in single schools or classrooms could force temporary closures of specific schools or classrooms. The plan being presented was designed to allow our teachers to be able to provide high-quality instruction to students whatever the immediate future brings.

To accomplish this complex task, CUSD intends to use consistent curricula throughout the District for the entire 2020-21 year. The curricula will be comprehensive, rigorous, and adaptable to either a classroom or an online setting. The use of consistent curricula will provide equitable access to rigorous instruction for all students, regardless of whether they are learning in a classroom or at home. And because the District recognizes that the Spring closures resulted in learning loss for some students, the 2020-21 year will emphasize standards, particularly in math and literacy, that is essential for students to master.

In summary:

Grades K-5 parents will choose one of these:

• Program A: 100% on-campus learning
• Program B: 50% on-campus learning and 50% home supplementary activities
• Program C: 100% online with teacher support provided

In a traditional modern elementary classroom setting, teachers provide academic instruction (math, literacy, science, and social studies) for approximately half the school day. The remainder of the day includes activities such as seatwork, art, music, recess, and lunch. While important, the supervision of these activities does not necessarily require a credentialed teacher. Therefore, in order to meet the Stage 2 requirements for distancing and smaller class sizes, the option proposes that smaller classes of elementary students spend one half of their day with a credentialed teacher and the other half of the day either with another teacher or staff member who works closely with the teacher to provide additional learning opportunities (Program A) or at home with a parent or another adult (Program B).

Program C, the 100% online option, will allow elementary families to use the same established and proven curriculum that will be used in 2020-21 CUSD classrooms. Though this curriculum is designed for home use, it is not a homeschool curriculum. While an adult must make sure that students are completing the lessons, parents will not be required to teach. Trained teachers will provide support to students who are using the curriculum at home.

Grades 6-12

Parents with students in grades 6-12 will choose either:

• Program A: 50% on-campus learning and 50% online independent study
• Program B: 100% online with teacher support provided

Please note that the 100% on-campus learning model will not be available for middle and high schools due to lack of sufficient classroom space to house smaller groups of students as required in Stage 2. As our plans develop, we will explore and communicate our ability to provide supervision, outside of class time, for younger students of working parents).

In Program A, students will be on campus 2 1/2 days per week with the remainder of their academic time spent in online study or home supplementary activities.

In Program B, a 100% online learning program will allow families to use the same established and proven curriculum that will be used in 2020-21 CUSD classrooms.

Though the curricula used in the two program choices for Middle/High School are designed for home use, they are not homeschool curricula. While an adult at home must make sure that students (particularly younger students) are completing the lessons, parents will not be required to teach. Trained teachers will teach students using the online curriculum.

While a great deal of thought, consultation, and effort have already gone into the main features of the 2020-21 reopening schools plan, it is still a work in process with many details to be resolved. We will continue to update our parents, students, staff, and community as our work progresses.

Reopening plan recommendations will be presented to our Board of Trustees tomorrow night at our public Board meeting. Our Board of Trustees will discuss the plans and provide guidance to staff.

• You can view a presentation of this plan here
• You can provide written comments on the plan to all Board members here
• You can view a live-stream of the meeting here
• You can watch a recording of today’s Reopening Schools Webinar for Families here

That’s it for tonight!

Sincerely,

Ryan Burris
Chief Communications Officer

This press release was produced by the Capistrano Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.