Students Go Weeks Without Schoolwork as ‘Distance Learning’ Standards Vary
The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit analyzed distance learning guidelines for dozens of school districts across California and found education standards vary from district to district, creating a learning gap for some students.
It’s been seven weeks since the coronavirus forced most California schools to shut down for the year and many students have learned to adapt to the new normal of Zoom classrooms and virtual assignments. But parents and educators tell NBC Bay Area some students haven’t learned much of anything since school closed, causing those students to fall behind their peers.
Right now, the state is allowing each local school district to develop a distance learning plan that works best for their communities and has canceled all standardized tests to help reduce stress on kids. The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit reached out to more than 70 school districts across the state and asked to see their education plans during the shelter-at-home to compare what students are learning. More than half responded and our review found significant inconsistencies from district to district, creating a potential learning gap for students.
Many districts developed their plan within the first two weeks after closing and require teachers to:
- Assign reading and math lessons daily
- Make lesson plans available to administrators for quality review
- Interact with students and set-up regular office hours
- Track attendance to identify students who need more help
Other districts took more than a month to create a plan and issued contradictory guidelines for teachers which include:
- No content requirements
- No assessment or review of teacher lesson plans
- Discourage teaching through live video lessons or speaking to students 1on1
- No attendance tracking or student assessment
LEARNING LOSS
Students Go Weeks Without Schoolwork as ‘Distance Learning’ Standards Vary – NBC Bay Area