Idaho schools launch online-only classes for the fall. Here’s how one will work.
Sending their children back to school remains one of the top concerns of Idaho parents as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to climb.
Schools around the state still plan to open their doors in the fall, and Idaho Gov. Brad Little said he expects schools to reopen for in-person education.
But Treasure Valley schools are also preparing another option — a separate and fully online school for those who don’t feel safe returning to the classroom.
The Boise School District started accepting applications for its online-only school last week. And as of Tuesday morning, about 1,700 of Boise’s 25,000 students had already enrolled.
Providing online-only education at a mass scale remains uncharted territory for public schools. Boise has provided the most details about its online plan so far, and it plans to make a decision of opening or moving fully online Aug. 3. So the Idaho Statesman posed some of the most commonly asked questions from parents.
HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR THE ONLINE SCHOOL?
Any Boise student in kindergarten through 12th grade can enroll in the Boise Online School until July 31 by completing a form on the district’s website. That soft deadline gives Boise an idea of how many teachers it will need to run the online school.
Students can still enroll in the online school after July 31. Starting Aug. 1, parents will need to contact their traditional school to process the request.
Boise’s school year begins Aug. 17.
Debbie Donovan, who has led the district’s online learning plans, said Boise will allow students to move online, or back into traditional classes, until early September.
After that, Boise prefers students wait until the end of a quarter or semester. But it will consider each request on a case-by-base basis.
“We are going to be pretty flexible the first few weeks of school because we know some are hoping to go to in-person (school) and give it a shot,” Donovan said.
CAN I ENROLL MY STUDENT IN BOTH IN-PERSON AND ONLINE CLASSES?
Not with the Boise Online School. But a student can enroll part time with a traditional Boise school and the Idaho Digital Learning Academy, a state-run online school.
Donovan gave the example of a student whose passion is ceramics. He or she could attend Timberline High for that one class and then enroll in the Idaho Digital Learning Academy for English, math, science and any other classes he or she needs.
Contact your school’s counselor to pursue that option.
HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM ONLINE CLASSES IN THE SPRING?
Boise, like every other school district, switched to online classes with little to no time to prepare when the coronavirus first appeared. It couldn’t ensure every student had access to online material, so it froze students’ grades, only offered optional work and reviewed previously covered material.
That emergency remote learning is gone. The district ordered a laptop or iPad for all of its 25,000 students to solve the access problem. And it believes it has enough mobile hotspots for families without internet access, allowing for a different learning experience in the fall.
Students will now have daily class schedules, mandatory assignments and new lessons designed for their grade.
“There will be much more teacher engagement, much more structure for the students, and (they’ll be) progressing through the curriculum,” Donovan said. “Kids will be expected to learn, and teachers will be providing those opportunities.”
WHAT WILL ONLINE CLASSES LOOK LIKE?
Boise will use three online learning platforms for students. Students in kindergarten through second grade will use SeeSaw. Students in third through sixth grades will use Google Classroom. And students in seventh through 12th grades will use FuelEd.
Those platforms allow students to interact with their teachers, complete exercises and turn in assignments. FuelEd, for example, offers videos, practice exercises and flashcards to review lessons.
Donovan said the online classes will offer a mix of live lessons led by a teacher, small group work and independent learning.
“We don’t want them to be on a computer from 8:45 to 3:15,” Donovan said. “… There’s kind of a mix in there with some screen time, but it’s not all-day screen time.”
WHAT IS NOT OFFERED ONLINE?
Boise designed its online classes to offer the same curriculum as its traditional schools. The seventh-grade English class at East Junior High covers largely the same material as the online seventh-grade English class.
But Boise cannot offer every class online. Fine arts programs like music and choir don’t work virtually. And Boise’s online platforms don’t offer advanced foreign language classes or every AP class.
Donovan said anyone searching for those electives should contact their school counselor to review options. She said students could take a college-level foreign language class, for example.
WHAT IS A PARENT’S ROLE IN AN ONLINE CLASS?
Parents will need to take an active role in their student’s online education. But they are not expected to become a teacher or geometry expert.
“They are not required to be the teacher. They are just there to monitor and supervise,” Donovan said. “And if they see something not going well and maybe a student wouldn’t bring it up, maybe they would then email the teacher and say, ‘My son did not get this lesson at all and is struggling here.’ ”
Parents of elementary school students (sixth grade and below) should expect to spend four hours a day helping or monitoring their students. Parents of junior high and high school students (seventh grade and up) should expect to spend up to two hours per day.
Boise plans to release videos to help students and parents navigate the online learning platforms.
“Some parents have worried about, ‘Do I have to know this content?’ ” Donovan said. “No. It’s more about, ‘Don’t forget to log in today,’ and keeping up on all their coursework and communicating with those teachers.”
WHO WILL TEACH THE CLASSES?
Every class will be led by Boise School District teachers. Those teachers will receive training on how to deliver lessons online and use the learning platforms.
The district advertised the online teaching positions to existing employees in June and plans to start hiring this week, Donovan said.
HOW OFTEN WILL MY STUDENT HAVE ACCESS TO HIS OR HER TEACHER?
Daily. Boise will build a structured schedule like a traditional school with periods. A student could have math the first period, English the second period and science the third, for example. His or her teacher will be available during those periods.
Teachers will also have office hours for additional support.
“The teachers will be connecting daily with students in every subject, every period,” Donovan said. “That will look different depending on the day or the subject. They might do a Google Meet for all of the class, or the next day they might just do a small group.
“But every day there will be a connection with a teacher and their classes.”
HOW WILL MY STUDENT RECEIVE FREE OR REDUCED MEALS?
Boise will continue to offer free or reduced breakfast and lunch to online students. Parents can pick up grab-and-go meals at their student’s traditional school.
It is still working out the details for distribution to avoid sending a parent with students in elementary, junior high and high school to three different sites, Donovan said.
CAN MY STUDENT STILL COMPETE IN SPORTS, EXTRA CURRICULARS?
Yes. Online students are eligible to play for teams or extracurricular activities at their traditional school. Donovan said those sports or activities could provide students with the socialization they miss.
“Maybe they don’t feel comfortable coming back to school,” Donovan said. “But yet they feel comfortable coming and participating in cross country.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
