https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id en-us 2020-11-03 15:28:25 UTC 2026-03-18 21:53:59 UTC hello@padlet.com skipoffenhauser https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/886588971 2020-11-03 15:31:23 UTC https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/886588971 stephanie_jensen https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/903014368 My observations are similar to others who have posted. Kids and families do well if they can. There are many obstacles, adult mindset included regardless of COVID that impede the success of our learners. The pandemic has made these barriers even more apparent. Even when basic needs such as food, clothing and housing are tackled along with providing access to devices and internet, other difficulties are presented that are more complex and layered. This includes the day to day care and management of the learning schedule with ongoing work schedules. Having adequate access to consistent and affordable child care is another real concern. The D and F article made me think back to the importance of focusing our family engagement efforts with the guidance of the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships by Mapp and Kuttner. The framework emphasizes both the capacity building of staff and families to work in a trusting partnership. Relationships must begin with genuine trust- and respect-building between home and school. The framework also outlines a number of process and organizational conditions that promote positive outcomes along with allocating time to enhance the skills of both staff and families.  ]]> 2020-11-09 06:33:48 UTC https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/903014368 https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/905268857 The traditional grading system is flawed and inequitable. It is built to favor and reward students with more resources. Erich mentioned that academic grading can vary between staff in the same department and school to school.  A letter grade can be influenced by student behavior and learning attitudes. The averaging of scores dropping a grade below what the student is a brutal reminder that the inequitable barriers exist everywhere. Performance on high-stakes tasks that are riddled with embedded inequalities drive a faulty system. I have a student at Cascade Middle School and he is thriving in their version of standards-based proficiency grading. He is given opportunities to practice and improve, including retaking tests to address the specific areas in which he  struggles. He can still fail, but it would be by his choice and by working hard not to succeed. The system is set up to help him even with the smallest amount of effort on his part. Tammy's last line, "The grades don't reflect what a student can do, it reflects the student's access to the learning." sums up the problem perfectly.]]> 2020-11-09 17:45:53 UTC https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/905268857 https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/906417551 We need to move to a proficiency model. My daughter thrived at REALMS to a great extent because she got to focus on skill and capacity building, not on grades. She genuinely learned rather than worked for a grade. Poor grades generally only motive students who are motivated by grades. Poor grades lead to disengagement for students who are not motivated by grades. Learning needs to be the focus.]]> 2020-11-09 22:52:36 UTC https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/906417551 https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/910343874 “The attendance figures and interim assessments don’t reflect the desire or capability of students,” said L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner in remarks broadcast Monday. “They’re eager to learn and every bit as capable as they were before school facilities closed. But the struggle to cope with COVID-19 and online learning for children and their families is very real.”]]> 2020-11-10 19:52:56 UTC https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/910343874 https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/914154500 “Grading students right now is essentially grading their home resources, which includes not only the physical structure and availability of a space to ‘do’ school, but also adults who can support and supplement remote offerings.” If we are truly willing to talk about equity, then we need to rethink how we are doing school right now, and what we are paying attention to. This quote highlights what we are seeing in our school, from low income families, to the working middle class, to our linguistically and culturally diverse families. It can not be business as usual right now. ]]> 2020-11-11 20:03:51 UTC https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/914154500 https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/922080241 “This significantly complicates high school graduation, college and career preparation, and college admissions,” she said. “California’s students will be experiencing the impact of COVID-19 for years to come.”

The ramifications of this window in time will be felt by the generation. The inequities that we see in the current education model will broaden over time. ]]> 2020-11-13 22:51:13 UTC https://padlet.com/skipoffenhauser/qfiddh4mruswr2id/wish/922080241