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Home My WebLink About2020-10-19-LHS-min V -i il G 1--i S (", or LEXINGTON 1"10 0 L Andrew Stephens, Ed.D. (781) 861-2320, ext. 69103 Principal astephens@lexingtonma.org November 2020 To: The Lexington High School Site Council From: Andrew Stephens Re: October Meeting LHS School Site Council met on October 19th via Zoom. Present: Andrew Stephens, Cathy Swan, Karen Griffiths, Sam Offsey„ Erin Barett, Angela Chang, Khoi Le, Elizabeth Curtin, Suzanne Lau, Lyn Yang, Jen Roney, Nancy Shepard, William Richardson Absent: Katie Cutler Guest: Ruche Londhe Approved the September meeting minutes Updates *Student Feedback -we're in the second week of real hybrid and I had 3 tests today -that is just crazy -two tests were open note -math was regular test but I didn't have math last week and then I had a test -First 2 weeks there was no content and then next 2 weeks were introduction to content and then boom- here we are -feels like I am really busy -much better than the spring -afternoon sessions go the smoothest -everyone is remote and it is a lot easier to get everything working *Teacher Feedback -grappling with assessment when half of class is at home -how do you continue to assess when the old way of coming in and proving what you know is no longer an option -how do you accommodate kids who need more time? -maybe all assessments take place at home and don't count in Aspen -assessments are becoming formative so students and teachers understand what student knows but not put in Aspen -other forms of assessment for Aspen -writing assessments -teachers collaborate but each teacher decided how to assess *RLA -we have over 600 kids in RLA -kids are switching from Hybrid to RLA -not a surprise -not like school used to be -some classes have 2,3 or 6 kids in a class at school and everyone else is at home -it is difficult -what do kids want to get out of this? *Staffing -how many are remote? -currently 16 teachers are remote -15 were on FM LA or leave- up to 12 weeks -some have been out longer -some areas are easier to get long term coverage -we are averaging 3-5 FMLA asks a week -there are 220 teachers in school -when a teacher is remote, it is difficult to get coverage -if a student has a remote teacher and they are hybrid, they still have to come to school *Tech Updates -students were given headphones -teachers were instrumental in passing them out -looking at other forms of technology to make teachers'job easier and easier for kids who are at home and in class -room microphones -many teachers have bought their own devices -blue tooth -PTO fundraiser -mini grants -so far the 10 gig bandwidth is going ok *Book Pickup -books are being put under uniform universal system -bar code -this will make it easier to pass out and check in books and keep track of them *Homework -No homework schedule went out -very difficult with a 4 week rotation -this comes from the curriculum office -can we revisit for LHS? -can we cancel for this year? -was told no -now some teachers will only see a particular class once in 3 weeks and it will be a no homework weekend -very frustrating for teachers and students -how is school communicating to students if homework is taking longer than guidelines -teachers are asking kids more about how the pace is going -this pace is new for teachers too -talk to your teacher *We will have to revisit dates of remaining School Council meetings -need to change them so they don't overlap with faculty meetings -change meeting time to 6:00-7:30 *Incident -there was a student party over the weekend -administration thinks they have most, if not all, of the participants so felt they didn't need to shut the whole school down -these students will quarantine for 2 weeks -there is an approach but not a protocol for this -protocols are in place for something you have been through and this is unchartered territory Implications *How do you deal with the changing demographic of kids changing from Hybrid to RLA? -there is a seamless transition -no missed work *Currently we are at mid quarter and you should have a good idea where a student stands but have little to go by because we'e only been in school 2 weeks -Q1 will only count for 10% of year end grade *Imagine a world without grades -this can be an opportunity to start to get students motivated to learn and be smarter but not play the GPA game -at some point would love to change the way students are motivated -must agree philosophically *We are in the weeds with Covid -we need to get back to the School Improvement Plan -what does a graduation of LHS look like? *Metrics are not the same right now -this could be an opportunity *Counselors at high powered colleges are saying they will be looking differently at kids -when colleges change then high schools can change *Assessments have run the gamut -15 different quizzes to keep security -graded forums -writing assessments -essays -what is the purpose of learning? *One School Model/Polysynchronous AP Exams for LHS Students *why can't kids take AP World Language Test if they aren't in the AP class? -in the past kids have done this -kids in class register first -if there is room in language lab then others can take it -this has stopped -space is a premium -this year is different -content issue -test has to be ordered by Nov. 13th but no cancellation fee -can't these kids sign up and then if no space is available, cancel? -can' -don't see any scenario that we are coming back fully so we will test with social distancing rules so our capacity at every testing site is cut in half -we have 2000 AP exams to administer but have half capacity *College Board has not been forthcoming about how the test will happen but says it wants in school testing -can we have several sittings of the same test? -will have to figure out space issue anyway and all kids have headphones so perhaps they could have access to space -don't have the space or equipment for world language -could we make it possible if it becomes a non issue? *Dr. Stephens will take another look and see what he can do to accommodate kids who are not enrolled but want to take an AP exam -can't make any promises -it is a scale issue -we are the 7th biggest school in the state -need to look at it in terms of equity and access -will have to figure out space issue anyway and all kids have headphones so perhaps they could have access to space -don't have the space or equipment for world language -could we make it possible if it becomes a non issue? *Can a kid take an AP exam in Chemistry if they are taking Honors, not AP? -no- you will be assessed on labs that you are not doing Meeting adjourned Next meeting is November 16th 6-7:30 via zoom