Fall 2020 Planning Guide to School Opening

• Definitions of traditional, hybrid, remote

Traditional: All students can be in their classes for face-to-face instruction every day of the week.

Hybrid: Students will not physically be in school every day during the week.  Each week, learning will take place synchronously when the students are present for face-to-face instruction and asynchronously when the students are learning remotely.

Remote: All students are learning entirely remotely without any face-to-face instruction provided.

• Teaching and Learning expectations if we needed to switch models at any point during the school year

At any point throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the instructional model could change.  No matter what model we are in, school will return to a more traditional format.  Teachers will be grading student work and teaching more of the curricular goals.  The amount of time spent per course will equal face-to-face instructional minutes so students should expect to spend more time with school work in a closure.

An essential part of our hybrid model is that students have the technology, access, and understanding that work will happen asynchronously.  It may be necessary for students to complete certain assigned work asynchronously before attending class face-to-face.   

• Fully remote learning options for students/families opting for this model

This is a fully remote option for students and families with East Penn teachers and East Penn curriculum

This option is not only for students with higher risk of severe illness, but for any student/family in the East Penn School District who is not comfortable returning for Fall 2020 in the yellow or green phase.  Our goal is to match our online students with East Penn teachers in the coursework they requested for 20-21.  This option will be more rigorous than our emergency Continuity of Learning Plan last spring. 

• Online learning during closure

In the event of a closure, everyone should expect a different type of learning experience than we had in the spring of 2020.  School, even though it will be online during a closure, will return to a more traditional format.  Teachers will be grading student work and teaching more of the curricular goals.  The amount of time spent per course will equal face-to-face instructional minutes so students should expect to spend more time with school work in a closure.

There will be an expectation that students engage in the school work assigned by their teacher.  All of our students will have district-issued devices.  Students in grades 6-12 will also move from Google Classroom to Schoology – a more robust learning management system. 

• Vespa is our own internal cyber program that we manage using outside curriculum from multiple e-learning vendors and certified PA teachers. Vespa students are East Penn students.

Our internal cyber program has a program of studies from K-12 that is not our East Penn curriculum, but is aligned to East Penn’s scope and sequence for grades K-12. For more information about VESPA, click here to visit VESPA website.

Classroom activities for certain areas like Music, HWF, Tech Ed, and FCS will be adjusted through planning with department chairs, teacher leaders, administration, and the Office of Teaching and Learning based on current health and safety guidance.  This work will take place during the summer in preparation for the school year.  As decisions are made, they will be updated here.

Click here to view our Family Tech Resources Website

• Secondary technology (Schoology)

Students grades 6-12 will use Schoology, a learning management system (LMS)

All students will have access to a device on a 1:1 basis

• Elementary technology

K-5 students will use Google Classroom and Seesaw

All students will have access to a device on a 1:1 basis

• Summer Learning Options

K-12 Keep Your Brain Charged

K-5 Summer Learning Ideas

K-8 iReady Reading and Math available through August

Please remember, students in grades 6 through 12 have summer reading requirements.

Middle School Summer Reading Page

High School Summer Reading Page

• Trainings/videos

As we approach the start of the 2020-21 school year, we will provide resources for our students to learn more about our health & safety practices to minimize risk.

• East Penn will continue to support our students with disabilities regardless of instructional model.

For more information, please visit our Teaching and Learning Supports for Students with Disabilities.

• Gifted programming may take place either virtually, co-teaching in the regular education classroom, or in a pull-out setting.

• Upon the reopening of school for the 2020-21 school year our priority is to complete pending initial and reevaluation reports.

For more information please visit Gifted Programming