The TDSB has just released its tentative back to school plan.
NEWSTALK1010 is going through the over 70-page report that the board will discuss this afternoon at 4:00 p.m.
The board states in the report that it's concerned the Ministry of Education's "hybrid" or "adapted" model — a mix between in-person and remote learning — would force parents to choose between educating their children and their own employment.
About one-third of students feel they don't have what they need to proceed with full-time online learning.
But the TDSB does have a remote learning plan in place if that's what ends up being decided, and parents will have the option to opt for remote learning.
The board is calling on the province to provide a robust staffing plan to accommodate as many students as possible in-person, while complying with public health advice. It also wants more funding to cover extra COVID-19 costs like PPE, staffing and transportation.
All parents and caregivers are being asked to fill out a survey indicating their child's intention of returning to school in-person and any transportation needs.
Here is what the three elementary models would look like:
- Educators teach cohorts of 15 students and cover all subjects
- Not enough qualified staff to maintain delivery of Core French, French Immersion, Extended French
- May result in many split grade classes
The TDSB has also provided options on adjusting cohort sizes depending on grade level, for example, Grades 4 to 8 would have cohorts of 20 students.
The final option under this model would be to have full class sizes, although there's nothing mentioned about physical distancing.
- Classes divided into cohorts A&B (no more than 15 students per cohort) and attend in-person on alternating days (Wednesdays alternate between cohort A&B):
Here's what remote learning days would look like for cohorts A and B:
- Kindergarten • One Synchronous lesson per day (20-30 min.) • One Synchronous Check and Connect per day (20-30 min.)
- Grades 1-3 • One Synchronous lesson per day (40min.) • One Synchronous Check and Connect per day (30-40 min.) • Independent Asynchronous Tasks (up to 1 hour)
- Grades 4-6 • Two Synchronous lessons per day (40min.) • One Synchronous Check and Connect per day (40 min.) • Independent Asynchronous Tasks (1 hour)
- Grades 7-8 • Two Synchronous lessons per day (40min.) • One Synchronous Check and Connect per day (40 min.) • Independent Asynchronous Tasks (up to 2 hours)
For those in cohort C who opt to be fully remote:
- Each school will have a designated teacher(s) to support the students who are fully remote.
- Designated fully remote teacher(s) would have the equivalent with system averages and class size caps as per collective agreement. There may be combined grades to meet scheduling needs.
- Fully remote students will be assigned to Cohort A or Cohort B to connect with online learning from non-classroom teachers to be attached to Google Classroom/Brightspace that aligns with the assigned cohort.
Structure of Day:
● 300 Minutes of learning opportunities provided for students ○ Large Group Instruction 40-50% of the day (dependent on the grade level) ○ Guided Instruction, Synchronous Check & Connect, Asynchronous Independent work on Google Classroom 50-60% of the day (dependent on the grade level) Focus of Curriculum
● Programming is based on the full Ontario Curriculum
● Units of Study should be interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary
● All learning opportunities begin from a place of creating belonging for the students
● Synchronous learning, recorded and posted on Google Classroom/Brightspace for asynchronous opportunity
● Small group learning to follow up on inquiry, literacy and numeracy, and other curriculum areas Staffing
● One teacher allocated per cohort (according current collective agreements and class size counts)
Prep Time:
● Prep will be delivered through the conventional prep schedule timetable ● Prep focus on French and The Arts (Music, Visual Arts, Drama & Dance) or Physical Education & Health