school reopening 2020:remote learningguidance · web view2020/08/20 · utilizing google classroom...

Last Updated 8.18.2020

School Reopening 2020:

Remote

Editor’s note: The Remote Learning Guidance was developed to help educators plan for the new school year. The district has made these materials available to families for educational purposes. While some resources are viewable, many will require a CPS account and will not be accessible to families.

Table of ContentsIntroduction

How to Use This GuideISBE Fall 2020 Learning Recommendations

Remote Learning ExpectationsExpectation #1

Summary of ExpectationsDevice and Password Information

Expectation #2Elementary School

High SchoolExpectation #3

CurriculumScopes and SequencesAddressing Learning LossSocial-Emotional SupportsPhysical Activity SupportsAssessing Student Learning

Expectation #4Expectation #5

Device DistributionChicago Connected - Supporting the Need for BandwidthSY21 Technology Modernization ProgramSummary of Expectations

Expectation #6

Return to Table of Contents REMOTE LEARNING GUIDANCE

cps.edu/

Summary of ExpectationsExpectation #7

School LevelDistrict LevelSummary of Expectations

Grading ExpectationsProviding Feedback to StudentsEnsuring Student Access to ContentExpectations for Non-Teaching RolesAccessing School Buildings and Work Schedules

Building Access Prior to September 8Purposes for which staff are permitted on siteStaff protocolsPurposes for which students are permitted on siteStudent protocols

Building Access During First Quarter

A Day in the Life of Remote LearningA DAY IN THE LIFE OF REMOTE LEARNING STUDENT: JACOB, 4TH GRADEA DAY IN THE LIFE OF A REMOTE LEARNING TEACHER: MS. PERKINS, 4TH GRADE

Grade Level Considerations

Considerations for Serving All StudentsDiverse Learners

Additional Resources to Support Diverse LearnersEnglish Learners

Supporting Families and Social and Emotional NeedsUnderstanding English Language ProficiencyEL Content InstructionAdditional Resources

Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS)Additional Considerations

Counseling ConsiderationsSchool Counseling Planning for SY21

School Counseling Delivery for SY21Tier 1 SupportsTier 2 SupportsTier 3 Supports

Social-Emotional ConsiderationsKey Resources


IntroductionAt Chicago Public Schools (CPS), our mission is to provide a high-quality public education for every child in every neighborhood, that prepares each for success in college, career and civic life. What we currently face as a district, city and nation does not change that mission.

This past spring we were forced to rapidly pivot into an instructional model none of us had ever imagined before. While we are proud of the work done this past spring to swiftly respond and meet the needs of our students, there is an opportunity and a need to strengthen remote learning. The feedback we heard this spring was consistent across students, parents, teachers and school leaders. In this next phase of remote learning, we need to:

● Consistently provide live instruction to students.● Attend to students’ needs and seek to engage them. ● Provide one platform to facilitate student and parent engagement. ● Capture attendance. We need clear expectations for teacher engagement

during remote learning.● Help teachers implement remote learning best practices that are responsive

to student needs.

In sum, these lessons tell us that with remote learning, students must engage in rigorous tasks and have comparable academic experiences as they would with in-person instruction. Opportunities that would typically be afforded to students in a regular school day—direct instruction and support, peer-to-peer interaction, small-group instruction, structured intervention, and multiple means to demonstrate mastery—must be made available in remote learning.

As we plan for remote learning, we must focus on ensuring that students receive a quality instructional experience that is responsive to this moment, but continues to prepare students to meet their long-term goals. To do so, the SY21 Remote Learning Guidance is anchored in the following instructional priorities for the year ahead. Collectively, as a district we must commit to the following:

Whole Child

#1

Prioritize social-emotional skill development, relational trust, and building strong classroom communities as the foundations for learning. We must be attentive to the wellbeing of students and staff by providing strength-based comprehensive supports.


Academic Excellence

#2

Provide all students grade-level, standards-aligned instruction, regardless of their starting points. All students are capable of progressing to the next grade level and mastering that content. Focus on below grade-level work only when necessary for a student to complete their grade-level work. In place of isolated remediation, learning should be accelerated through just-in-time supports embedded in prioritized, grade-level, standards-aligned content.

Academic Excellence

#3

Ensure curriculum materials are high-quality and provide coherent academic experiences for all students. High-quality, coherent curricula that can be used in a digital or non-digital environment offer essential support to teachers as they design learning experiences that prioritize regular collaboration between students to make sense of multiple perspectives and deepen their understanding of content. Note: Curriculum Equity Initiative resources will be shared in August.

Student Centered

#4

Increase the relevance of instruction. Leveraging students’ lived experiences and expertise facilitates motivation and deep engagement in content where students are doing most of the thinking. Similarly, curriculum choices prioritize authentic and meaningful content that is responsive to students, our current moment, and our world today.

Continuous Learning

#5

Use assessments that meaningfully connect to the curriculum and provide teachers with the information needed to help students access priority grade-level work. Teachers and students need assessments that will support them in moving all students forward with grade level learning. Assessments should reflect the critical abilities of the subject and grade level standards and ask students to apply these abilities to situations that are authentic to the discipline and are relevant to students’ lives.

Equity

#6Anchor instruction in equity to meet the needs of all students.Focusing on the most disparately impacted students provides a strong foundation for instruction for all students and will help to address the opportunity and achievement gaps that have widened during the pandemic.

While the SY21 Instructional Priorities Guidance provides more in-depth school and educator information on how to enact these priorities, this Remote Learning Guidance will provide clarity around policies, expectations, best practices and additional resources to ensure that remote learning creates the conditions needed to advance the priorities stated above.


How to Use This Guide

This guide will support schools in understanding the expectations of remote learning. During remote learning, the goal is to provide students with an instructional experience that is comparable to in-person instruction. This guide is organized into the following sections:

● ISBE Fall 2020 Learning Recommendations● Remote Learning Expectations● Remote Learning Specific Guidance● Considerations by Grade Bands● Considerations for Serving all Students

School leaders and educators should read this guidance in detail as it provides updates to remote learning expectations and useful information on how to strengthen the remote learning experience for all students.

ISBE Fall 2020 Learning RecommendationsIn its Fall 2020 Learning Recommendations, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) states that “all instructional programs, whatever their form, for fall 2020 must be designed with an emphasis on continuity of learning despite the impacts of our national health crises and social unrest.”

The CPS SY21 Remote Learning Guidance shares this focus on relevant and responsive learning aligned to grade-level standards for all students, no matter the


How to Use This Guide

mode of engagement. It also includes at least three hours of daily synchronous learning (K-12), with increased expectations for older students as developmentally appropriate. Other key ISBE learning recommendations include:

● A mix of real-time, flexibly timed, technological, and non-technological options to meet students’ needs.

● A common platform where students can access work and find support and resources (for both online and non-online work).

● A clear plan for communication and student engagement, with multiple methods of communication to reach as many caregivers as possible, involving the school, teachers, students, and caregivers.

The following CPS SY21 Remote Learning Expectations incorporate these recommendations and build on the lessons our students, families, educators, and school leaders learned during remote learning in the spring of 2020.


Remote Learning Expectations

The expectations stated below are informed by lessons learned, stakeholder feedback, ISBE guidance, and emerging best practices. The aim is to ensure that students experience rigorous, quality learning on a daily basis, engage in experiences that prioritize their social-emotional wellbeing, and that students and families have a clear understanding of expectations and how to successfully engage in remote learning.

During remote learning, schools and educators are expected to:

1. Use the Google Education Suite to facilitate remote learning. 2. Provide daily remote learning that meets instructional minute requirements for all

content areas or courses for all students. Ensure all educators are available to provide live video instruction and are synchronously available to students during the entirety of the contract day.

3. Focus on grade-level, standards-aligned instruction and students’ social-emotional needs.

4. Submit and monitor student attendance daily.5. Ensure all students have digital access. 6. Ensure clear communication with families and students. 7. Establish effective structures to facilitate professional development, staff

collaboration, planning, feedback, and continuous improvement in the remote environment.


Remote Learning Expectations

Expectation #1: Use the Google Education Suite to facilitate remote learning.

Change in Expectation

This past spring, we directed schools to use tech tools that were familiar to them in order to minimize the amount of change students experienced. This year, we are requiring that all schools utilize Google Suite tools to facilitate remote learning.

Google Suite for Education is the district-supported learning platform. By utilizing a common platform, we can ensure that:

● Parents and students receive streamlined information about how to access remote learning.

● We provide centralized support to teachers, students and parents to ensure the advancement of best practices.

● All student and teacher interactions comply with our Acceptable Use Policy.● We have greater insight into remote learning activity in order to improve our

shared practice and provide transparent, comprehensive updates to all stakeholders.

During remote learning, schools are expected to leverage Google Suite tools on a daily basis to coordinate the daily student instructional experience.

The following Google Suite tools should be leveraged in the ways described below:

Google Classroom should be leveraged as one platform to house all essential information for your class. Utilizing Google Classroom will minimize stress and confusion for parents and students while providing teachers with a centralized communication hub. While not all learning takes place within the “walls” of the Google Classroom, all learning should flow from it.

Classroom Stream is the social hub of Google Classroom and the first thing you see when opening a Google Classroom. Teachers can use the Stream to make announcements and post updates to students. Students, if enabled, are able to share resources or ask questions.

Classwork in Google Classroom is where you assign and organize assignments, quizzes and materials. Topics should be used to organize what can easily become a chaotic list of random tasks. When topics are designed thoughtfully, students should always know exactly where to look for information.

Classroom People is where you’ll find all students who have been added to your Classroom. Note that Google Classrooms will be created automatically for each course in Aspen on September 1. Students will be added based on registration information in Aspen by the first day of school. You also have the option to invite


parents or guardians to receive daily or weekly summaries.

Google Meet should be used in conjunction with Google Classroom to facilitate all synchronous learning opportunities. Throughout the day, Google Meet is the tool that students and teachers will use for all synchronous engagement, including whole group lessons, small group instruction and questions. Google Meet for Teachers provides step-by-step instructions on how to set up a video conference with students using Google Meet. Google Meet for Students is a quick guide teachers can share with their students on how to use Google Meet.Google Chat can be used for two-way text communication in situations where Classroom discussions are not practical. Chat can be used for either direct messaging to communicate with a colleague or student, or by using a room to have an ongoing conversation with your team or a group of people that can change over time. Google Chat for Students is a quick guide teachers can share with their students.

Google Calendar can be used in conjunction with Google Classroom to provide students with an overview of their assignments and due dates.

GMail is the only approved email platform in CPS. It can be used to communicate with students and their guardians to provide additional support.

Google Drive can be used to store, share and collaborate on documents (e.g., Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Keep) in one secure place without space limitations. Teachers and students can keep files organized and work collaboratively on documents in real time. You can easily share documents with students via Classroom, email, link or publish them to the web. Documents in Drive can be quickly accessed on a laptop, desktop or tablet/mobile device.

Google Docs can be used to create, edit, share, and print documents while bringing your documents to life with smart editing and styling tools to help you easily format text and paragraphs. Collaborators can edit the same document at the same time, ensuring you'll always have the most up-to-date version. Using Google Docs, teachers can provide real-time feedback to individual students, groups or whole classes working independently or collaboratively on documents. Through the commenting function, students and teachers can engage in feedback loops around the content teachers and students provided in the document.

Schools and educators should use Google Suite tools for all synchronous portions of daily instruction, and use Google Classroom to issue assignments and share materials. Schools and educators are not limited to using only Google Suite tools. Schools and educators can use supplemental educational technology (ed tech) tools. To identify approved ed tech tools, schools may access the Ed Tech Catalog—CPS’ list of ed tech tools with active data sharing agreements. The list can be found in the Knowledge Center, linked here .

If a school or educator is interested in using an ed tech product that is not in the Ed Tech Catalog, and if that product consumes student data such as student email, gender, birthdate, location, etc., then a signed data sharing agreement is required and must be confirmed prior to the tool being utilized. Additionally, ed tech


products that require student rosters will need to go through a district-approved rostering portal (either Clever or RapidID). The ed tech team will work with your school to identify the appropriate route. Questions about educational technology, including data sharing agreements, procurement, implementation, rostering, etc. should be directed to the ed tech team at [email protected].

Before making multiple-year commitments with vendors that are not approved as part of the district’s ed tech pools, schools should also be aware of the Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA) amendments aimed at protecting student and teacher data collected by third party ed tech solutions, which come into effect July 2021. The district is working diligently to ensure that CPS is in compliance with the new standards and that student and teacher data is protected and safeguarded at the highest level. More information will be provided in the year ahead. In the meantime, please see details of this new law here.

Schools and educators that wish to use additional tools that go beyond Google Suite tools are still required to ensure that students start their school day using Google Meet or Google Classroom and use Google Meet for the synchronous portion of daily instruction.

Student and teacher activity in Google Suite will be central to the data reports made available to school leaders and community stakeholders. This data will enable schools and the district to engage in continuous learning to ensure that we work together to strengthen remote learning.

Summary of expectations:

● All students must access Google Classroom or Google Meet on a daily basis in remote learning.

● All students and educators must use Google Meet for synchronous instruction. ● Schools are expected to utilize Google Suite for coordination of remote learning. If

schools choose to use supplemental tools, they must comply with the Acceptable Use Policy and data-sharing requirements.

● Schools should monitor Google Classroom and Meet activity in order to inform continuous improvement efforts.

Remote Learning Quick Tips

Best Practices● Selecting the appropriate communication tool to connect with

students remotely.● Utilizing best practices for CPS email and creating a Google Group .● The core Google apps as well as some CPS learning apps, such as

Clever, Checkpoint and Skyline, are all accessible in one place at https://cps.edu/portal. This can save time, since a user only needs to log in once.

Device and Password Information


Students can use any personal device that can connect to the internet to participate in remote learning. The Chrome web browser is recommended for accessing CPS web resources.

For students who have received a CPS-issued device, please refer to the following guidance to get started:

● Chromebook Quick Start Guide [Arabic | Chinese | Polish | Spanish | Urdu]

● iPad Quick Start Guide [Arabic | Chinese | Polish | Spanish | Urdu]● Windows Laptop Quick Start Guide [Arabic | Chinese | Polish | Spanish

| Urdu]

All students are issued a CPS account upon enrollment; however, students who have never logged in to their account will need to activate the account before they can access their email and other CPS applications. Set up student accounts using the directions below:

STEP 1: Ensure the student is scheduled in Aspen. Accounts are available 48 hours after scheduling.STEP 2: Create a temporary password for the student in the Account Management Portal. (PK-3 student accounts don’t require challenge questions.) See this Quick Guide for more information.STEP 3: If needed, share the temporary password securely with the parent or caregiver. Parents can change the password using these step-by-step instructions.

For non-emergency technical support, please use this form to report problems or request assistance. For immediate assistance, please call the IT Service Desk at (773) 553-3925.

Expectation #2: Provide daily remote learning that meets instructional minute requirements for all content areas or courses for all students. Ensure all educators provide live video instruction and are synchronously available to students during the entirety of the instructional day.


This past spring we set recommended durations for daily student engagement. This year we are expecting students and teachers to be engaged for the entire duration of a typical school day.

To ensure that remote learning provides students a comparable instructional experience to that of in-person learning, it is expected that educators are available to students during the entirety of the instructional day. Families and students have


made it clear that they need access to their teacher in a reliable and consistent manner. Further, students need access to instructional time that meets the district’s minimum instructional requirements.

We recognize that it is not developmentally appropriate to expect students to participate in six hours of direct screen time. The table below summarizes thresholds for student synchronous and asynchronous engagement. Asynchronous engagement could include small group instruction, student small groups, independent work, or additional meaningful supports and interventions. Teachers are to be available during the entirety of the instructional day.

Elementary School

Subject/Content Area Grade PK Grades K-2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8

Literacy- daily Synchronous: 60

Asynchronous: 60

Gross MotorAsynchronous: 30

Synchronous: 60

Asynchronous: 60

Synchronous: 60

Asynchronous: 60

Synchronous: 40

Asynchronous: 20

Math-daily Synchronous: 40

Asynchronous: 50

Synchronous: 45

Asynchronous: 45

Synchronous: 40

Asynchronous: 20

Science- daily Synchronous: 20

Asynchronous: 20

Synchronous: 30

Asynchronous: 20

Synchronous: 40

Asynchronous: 20

Social Science- daily

Synchronous: 20

Asynchronous: 10

Synchronous: 30

Asynchronous: 0

Synchronous: 40

Asynchronous: 20

Academic Enrichment

Synchronous: 10

Asynchronous: 10

Synchronous: 10

Asynchronous: 0

Synchronous: 40

Asynchronous: 20

Specials (Arts/PE/Library)

N/A Synchronous: 30Asynchronous: 30

Total 150Synchronous: 60Asynchronous: 90

360Synchronous: 180Asynchronous: 180



High School

Maximum Total Student Minutes in Day

% Synchronous Learning

% Asynchronous Learning

Per Course Consistent with minutes 80% 20%


agreed to in schedule approved by

vote

Please see schedulin g memo for further details on scheduling expectations for the fall. Additionally, schools should be aware that it is required that each school's schedule include a structure for school counselors to push-in to virtual instruction time to co-teach social-emotional learning and postsecondary advising content for each grade level. Resources to support school counselors in this work can be found in the Counseling and Postsecondary Advising section of this document. Total number of minutes for co-taught school counselor lessons is to be determined by the principal in collaboration with the school counselor(s) in their building, but should be scheduled for no shorter than 15 minutes at a time.

It is also recommended that an expectation is set for all teachers to integrate daily SEL-focused activities in instruction as community-building, check-in questions, mindfulness activities and other stress and coping techniques, along with SEL skills development lessons and academic integration.

Resources to support teachers in this work can be found in the SEL section of this document.

The schedules above detail the amount of time students should engage in synchronous or asynchronous activities.

Teachers are to provide direct support to students during the entire instructional day. During asynchronous time, teachers should provide additional small-group instruction, structured intervention, support for students in asynchronous tasks and formal office hours for families and students.

The expectations above account for a full instructional day. This does not mean that students should be in a six-hour Google Meet call with an educator lecturing the entire time. Instead, the day should be split into instructional “chunks” to allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning aligned to the guidance provided above. See the Grade Level Consideration Supplement for model schedules.

An important shift for remote learning is to encourage students and teachers to use their webcams whenever possible. It is expected that when teachers are providing synchronous instruction, their camera should be on. If educators do not feel comfortable streaming video from their home, or need a device with a camera, they should work with their administrator in order to meet this expectation. An educator may stream lessons from the school building rather than their home. Using cameras is important in building a true community within a digital classroom. Having students’ faces present in their classroom helps us pick up on visual cues that we all rely on to check for understanding. When students use their webcams,


teachers can also employ “thumbs up” or other visual cue strategies to check for engagement. To protect privacy, encourage students to sit with their backs to a blank wall in their home or use a virtual background in Google Meet so the camera is not capturing personal information.

Finally, given the expectation that remote learning represents a full instructional day, schools should set consistent school-wide schedules that ensure no overlap between classes, just as they would for in-person instruction.

Summary of expectations:1. Schools must meet minimum instructional minute requirements as

summarized in this document, including time for social-emotional learning and postsecondary advising. Schools must set coordinated, fixed schedules that mirror an in-person instructional day.

2. Teachers must be synchronously available to students for the entire duration of the instructional day.

3. When delivering synchronous instruction, teachers must utilize their webcam when available.

4. Schools must provide students with an appropriate balance of whole group, small group, intervention and peer-to-peer interaction, just as is expected during in-person instruction.

5. During asynchronous time teachers should provide additional small group instruction, provide structured intervention, be available to support students in asynchronous tasks, or host formal office hours for families and students.


Synchronous learning is when class interactions happen in real time, at the same time. Students may virtually attend class together via video conference, livestream or chat. Synchronous does not have to mean whole-group learning; teachers can and should use synchronous time for small group instruction or other practices that allow for maximum student engagement. As a district, we will use Google Meet for synchronous meetings.

Asynchronous learning is when students interact via the digital platform or hard copy materials without real-time interaction. Students engage in class materials and complete work at their own pace, typically within a given timeframe, often using discussion boards to drive peer-to-peer engagement.

Remote learning should be a blend of synchronous contact and asynchronous study/work.

During asynchronous portions of the day, teachers should be available to students. Teachers can use this time to answer student questions, facilitate additional small group instruction, lead structured interventions, or host office hours.

In order to ensure effective communication and interaction between


students and teachers, the following practices should be prioritized.

● Prioritize two-way communication when in synchronous meetings; use the face-to-face time to check in with students, encourage sharing and discussion, and engage in collective problem-solving.

● Keep assignments and directions simple.● Make short recordings of instructions and examples for students to

view when needed.● Ensure your schedule allows students to take regular breaks from

synchronous meetings. Students (and teachers) need to get up, move away from the computer, move around and stretch.

● Divide your class into groups for targeted, small-group instruction to encourage more active participation from all students.

● Differentiate assignments in Google Classroom to personalize learning opportunities.

For a list of sites, apps and extensions that facilitate synchronous and asynchronous learning, please visit this site and use the Search By Task function.

Expectation #3: Focus on grade-level, standards-aligned instruction and students’ social-emotional needs.


This past spring we focused on instructional activities that reinforced standards. This year, all teachers and students will engage in daily instruction that addresses students’ social-emotional needs and is aligned to grade-level appropriate standards.

This year with remote learning, teachers should provide students with daily instruction that addresses their social-emotional needs and is aligned to grade-level appropriate standards. Further, as stated in the introduction, schools should focus on addressing the SY21 Instructional Priorities. For further information on the priorities, please see the SY21 Instructional Guidance-Overview and visit cps.edu/SY21PL for information on how to access over 80 professional learning sessions designed to support the advancement of the SY21 instructional priorities.As detailed in the SY21 Instructional Guidance-Overview, schools and educators should attend to the following key areas:

CurriculumEach school’s focus should be on utilizing curriculum that can be used across digital and non-digital environments. Using this strategy is essential to providing the flexible support that students need throughout the year. Many instructional-material providers have shifted their content to be more accessible through digital platforms. If schools currently use any of the instructional materials included in this resource, you may be eligible to access materials that can be more easily implemented in a


remote or hybrid setting.

Additionally, curricular materials are available through an early release of content from the district’s Curriculum Equity Initiative. While the full comprehensive curriculum will not be available until SY22, draft resources can be shared through Google Classroom to supplement existing instructional materials.

For more support in effectively using curricular materials, including the Curriculum Equity Initiative resources, see Priority 3 in the SY21 Instructional Guidance.

Scopes and SequencesTo support all students in engaging in grade-level, standards-aligned content, decisions about the prioritization of standards must be made. Each set of content area standards are different in their design and intended use. It is essential to review the guidance for each content area. Some will require shifts in the sequence and pacing of standards while others are best addressed through staying consistent with the sequence used in previous years.

Prioritized Standards/Modified Scope and Sequence: A. Common Core (K-12 Literacy and K-8 Mathematics from Student Achievement

Partners)a. CPS Literacy Elaboration b. High School Mathematics

B. Arts (Discipline-Specific Standards)C. Health D. Libraries E. Physical Education F. Science G. Social Science

For more information on prioritized standards and modified scopes/sequences, see Priority 2 in the SY21 Instructional Guidance-Overview.

Addressing Learning LossWe know we are entering SY21 with students having had incomplete educational experiences this past spring. Students will start the year with different levels of learning loss and unfinished learning. However, this is true most years, as students are in a constant state of refining their understanding of concepts and skills. This year, we will need to be intentional about addressing unfinished learning in a way that accelerates student progress tied to grade-level standards. Traditional approaches to remediation—such as small-group, skill-based practice disconnected from Tier 1 instruction—should be replaced with strategic just-in-time supports. This year will not be about trying to “catch up” on last year’s content. Instead, student


learning will be accelerated through an intentional focus on providing the scaffolds students need to access grade-level standards.

For more information on planning and facilitating instruction to address unfinished learning within grade-level standards, see the SY21 Instructional Guidance-Overview.

Social-Emotional SupportsStudent success comes from both academic skills and social and emotional skills—they are interlinked. Educators create the context for academic, social, and emotional development through the learning climate we create. Every interaction we have with our students and each other contributes to that climate.

Building supportive relationships, creating welcoming and predictable learning environments, and fostering social-emotional skill development are key strategies in attending to social and emotional needs during times of change and uncertainty. This is especially true for students and staff who may feel distress, anxiety and fear. To provide the social and emotional support that our school communities need right now, schools should strive to: (re)build a sense of community, teach SEL skills and share SEL information and resources with families. See the Social-Emotional Learning section for further details.

Physical Activity SupportsRegular physical activity not only helps improve overall health and fitness, but can help reduce anxiety and stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as improve students’ concentration, classroom behavior, motivation, engagement in the learning process and academic performance.

When schools implement a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program, they can support students in achieving the nationally recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Physical education is the cornerstone of CSPAP. When students are not in physical education, CPS recommends that they engage in daily classroom physical activity for a minimum of 10 minutes per day. See the Physical Activity at Home guide for more information on how to meet this recommendation.


Assessing Student LearningStudent assessment is important for helping teachers, students and families understand how well students are learning and can help inform further support to advance students’ academic progress. Teachers should use assessments that meaningfully connect to the curriculum and provide teachers with the information needed to help students access priority grade-level work. Teachers and students need assessments that will support them in moving all students forward with grade-level learning. Assessments should reflect the critical abilities of the subject and grade level standards and ask students to apply these abilities to situations that are authentic to the discipline and are relevant to students’ lives. Key examples of these principles in practice include:

● Content-connected assessments, designed and delivered through Checkpoint, aligned to priority grade level standards to diagnose unfinished learning and inform instruction.

● Clear expectations for success and the routes to get there, allowing students to show what they know, who they are, and what they bring to the learning experience.

● Formative assessment practices that allow for strong minute-to-minute or day-to-day instructional decision-making.

● A variety of assessment formats to surface student thinking, valuing process and product.

● Ongoing, specific, and useful feedback to empower students to advance their grade-level learning.

Schools will be able to access the forthcoming SY21 Student Assessment Reopening Guidance to help them plan for and implement high-quality, learning-focused assessment practices during remote learning. This will include guidance on the use of the Checkpoint Student Assessment system, the district’s assessment platform that can be used in a remote or in-person environment to deliver high-quality, standards-aligned assessments for formative or summative use in grades K-12. Teachers have the flexibility to use ready-made assessments, create their own assessments within the system, or upload existing assessments that they are already using.

The Department of Student Assessment will also support schools in remote assessment administrations of the district’s vendor-provided benchmark assessments (e.g. NWEA, Amplify, STAR). More information will be provided about state- and district-required assessments in SY21 prior to the start of the school year.


1. Provide daily instruction centered on grade-level, standards-aligned content by leveraging clearly articulated curriculum and aligning to prioritized standards.

2. Enact instructional strategies that address potential learning loss by focusing on acceleration over remediation.

3. Provide daily instruction that attends to students’ social-emotional needs.


4. Provide students opportunities for daily physical activity. 5. Use assessments tied to content to monitor student learning and inform

instructional decisions.


Expectation #4: Submit and monitor student attendance daily.


This past spring, we did not require students to log in or report attendance. This year, students are required to log in according to their program/schedule and actively engage in remote learning in order for attendance to be recorded. Accordingly, teachers will report attendance on a daily basis.

As has been stated previously, remote learning should approximate a typical school day. Attendance will be taken on a daily basis. In elementary school, attendance will be taken by the homeroom teacher once daily, as is traditionally done. In high school, attendance will be taken by course, as is traditionally done. Attendance will be recorded in ASPEN using the traditional attendance module.

To be marked as present, students must:

1. Log into the synchronous learning platform, either Google Meet or Google Classroom, in accordance with our transition to full G Suite adoption.

2. Students must remain engaged and active through the duration of all synchronous learning portions of the daily lessons.

Possible evidence of engagement and activity include participating in class discussion through video or chat, completing assignments, or engaging in an ed tech tool.

To mark attendance, teachers are expected to:

1. Take attendance in ASPEN at the start of the day or class period, as is traditionally done during in-person instruction.

2. Update attendance in ASPEN at the end of the day or class period based on student participation, as is traditionally done during in-person instruction. Schools should follow their normal protocol for updating attendance records during the school day. Elementary schools should develop internal systems for monitoring attendance in departmentalized grade levels such as middle school.

Thresholds for when a student is marked as tardy, half-day or present will remain comparable to a normal school day.

Attendance is calculated as present days over membership days. Elementary students have attendance taken once a day. High school students have attendance calculated per period. Note that it is expected that each high school class will have a synchronous portion every day.

This school year, it is essential that teachers, students and families view remote learning as normal school. Participation in remote learning is not optional. For this reason, we are requiring that students log in on a daily basis. Just as is done in a regular school year, schools must enact systems and structures to guarantee daily student attendance. For example, phone and email messages should be sent to


parents of students who are not logged in within two hours (at most) after the start of the school day. School intervention teams should prioritize reaching out to students who do not attend school by participating in remote learning. Schools should see the SY21 Attendance Guide for detailed information on taking attendance in SY21, including for students who do not log on.


1. Teachers will take daily attendance in ASPEN based on student participation in synchronous learning.

2. Schools must enact intervention systems to support students who do not participate in remote learning.


During remote learning last spring, attendance was often taken by simply logging in to the various digital platforms. During SY21, we are prioritizing active engagement in the synchronous Google Meets. Here are a few simple ideas to assist with digital attendance:

● Google Forms can be used as entry and exit tickets. ● Use the chat box in Google Meet: ask your students to say “hello” at

the beginning of class and “goodbye” at the end.● Participation in real-time formative check-ins via Nearpod, Pear

Deck, or another interactive method can ensure engagement and provide teachers with additional feedback opportunities as well.

Expectation #5: Ensure every student has digital access.


Due to the digital divide, we could not rely on only digital learning content during remote learning last spring. This year, we commit to ensuring that every student will have access to digital devices and connectivity. Remote learning will be fully virtual.

During remote learning in SY21, students will be learning digitally and we will ensure all students have access to devices and connectivity.

In the spring, the district distributed approximately 128,000 computing devices and will continue to work with schools to identify and provide computing devices to any students who still need them. To support this effort, the district will distribute an additional 36,000 new computing devices to students and support schools as they disseminate any remaining devices they received from graduating students.

Additionally, through Chicago Connected, the district is extending hotspot coverage for Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS) and expanding high-speed


internet access at no cost to approximately 100,000 CPS students. Letters, emails and individual follow-up calls have been made to eligible families and additional outreach will be ongoing as needed. Chicago Connected recently selected 35 Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to support outreach activities, provide newly-connected households with digital literacy resources, and connect households to additional services.

In order to ensure that all students have access to a device and connectivity, schools are expected to be responsive and proactive to the district-provided guidance on device distribution and connectivity protocols.

Device DistributionTo simplify the device distribution as much as possible for the start of school, students who already received a CPS device last year should keep that device for the duration of the school year. As a reminder, students should only return devices if they are transferring or graduating to a new school, graduating from high school, or otherwise leaving the district. Refer to this document for guidelines on the equipment intake process.

ITS has provided each school a roster of students that should be prioritized to receive devices based on this data and/or have devices that are nearing end of life. We are continuing to rely on principals to review their school’s roster to identify students who still need access to a digital device.

Chicago Connected - Supporting the Need for BandwidthLast month, the district announced the launch of the Chicago Connected program. Through community partnerships, we have secured funding for internet access for up to 100,000 students in 60,000 households. Students have been chosen as eligible for Chicago Connected based on socioeconomic and programmatic elements, therefore, eligibility cannot be transferred between students.

This year’s service period runs through August 31, 2021 to accommodate the standard school year and summer school. Student eligibility for Chicago Connected will be reassessed every June. If a student becomes ineligible, they will be given 60 days notice and guidance on other available internet options.

Each principal has received a roster that identifies enrolled students who are eligible to participate in Chicago Connected.

SY21 Technology Modernization ProgramDue to mandated school closures last spring, ITS had to postpone the Technology Modernization program. Once we have ensured a smooth start to the school year, we intend to move forward with a modified program in SY21 by reaching out to the schools that were postponed last year after the first quarter. In the interim, ITS will focus on providing devices to schools in order to serve any student in need that we were unable to address during last year’s 100,000+ device distribution efforts.


Summary of Expectations:1. Follow district guidance to ensure that all students have access to digital

devices and connectivity.


Expectation #6: Ensure clear communication with families and students.


This past spring we focused on communicating with families on how to engage in remote learning. This year, once families understand how to engage in remote learning, schools and educators must prioritize communicating student academic progress and how families can support student learning.

To start the school year, a school’s number one priority will be to establish a consistent means of communication with families. Schools should plan to utilize the following avenues for regular communication:

● Phone● Email● Text (for families that opt-in)● Encourage parents to visit their school’s website and visit the new, parents

page on CPS.edu.● Google Classroom - Refer to this section on using Guardian Summaries from

Google Classroom.

Please note that any other communication tool has to be approved as part of our Acceptable Use Policy.

In order to facilitate all of these forms of communication, schools need to ensure that they have updated contact information and that parents provide the needed consent to receive texts and robocalls.

Schools also need to identify a central location for resources and schedules and clearly communicate academic engagement expectations and procedures. This will be especially important given the changes in remote learning expectations.

Schools should provide parents with clear directions on how to access and use all remote learning materials. If your school uses digital tools that offer parent reports, invite caregivers to sign up. In addition, provide families with daily or weekly suggested schedules.

Above all, recognize that parents and caregivers are likely to have questions and need ongoing support. Develop a plan to address these concerns and consider ways to hold virtual office hours or offer telephone support for parents and caregivers.

While robocalls and websites provide an easy avenue to disseminate information, schools should seek to find ways to establish two-way communication with families. This can be done at the classroom level through email or Google Classroom. Schools must also establish a means by which families can communicate with the school leadership team in order to express concerns or feedback on the progress of remote learning.

Once schools establish a consistent means of communication and ensure that all community members know how to access remote learning, the focus should move


to supporting student learning.

Provide direct training to families and other caregivers in how to support remote learning, such as through curriculum academies and/or information provided in home language that focus on:

● How the curriculum works. ● What kind of lessons will and will not come home. ● How families/caregivers can communicate with teachers and collaborate with

them to support student learning.

Teachers should send regular communications to families at least weekly. Teachers should also designate a portion of asynchronous time to family-facing office hours to answer parent or student questions about remote learning expectations and assigned work. Teachers should be responsive to parent communication by responding to emails or other forms of communication within a reasonable amount of time. School leaders can work with their PPC to establish a reasonable expectation for response time to parent communications. Schools should provide parents with regular updates on student grades and work due and should consider copying parents on any student-directed communication.

Finally, schools must establish coherent systems of communication. Schools should take into consideration that if a student sees four to seven teachers in a given period of time, receiving seven different emails from teachers on a Monday morning can be overwhelming.

Prior to the start of the school year, the district will provide centralized communication to parents and families on remote learning expectations and how to engage in remote learning.

Summary of Expectations:

1. Schools must ensure that they have working contact information for all families.

2. Schools must establish a consistent system to communicate with families by establishing a central location where information will be shared and as a means for two-way communication.

3. Teachers must provide families with weekly updates, provide office hours on a weekly basis and respond to parent communications within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the school.

4. Schools should establish systems to streamline family communication.


Encourage parents and guardians to opt-in to receive daily or weekly Guardian Summaries from Google Classroom. These summaries help parents keep track of completed, missing and upcoming assignments;


announcements; and questions recently posted by teachers.


Expectation #7: Establish effective structures to facilitate professional development, staff collaboration, planning, feedback, and continuous improvement in the remote environment.


This past spring we focused on reacting to an unexpected crisis, with an emphasis in supporting all stakeholders in transitioning to remote learning. This year, we will focus on the continuous improvement of remote learning with clarified structures for transparency and shared accountability.

The demands on school leaders and educators are great this year. School communities must be ready to meet the expectations set out in this document, implement the SY21 Instructional Guidance and attend to the school-based CIWP goals.

Meeting these complex challenges will require the district and schools to provide meaningful and well coordinated opportunities for professional learning, staff collaboration, feedback and data-informed continuous improvement efforts.

School LevelSchools should maintain established structures to facilitate staff collaboration and planning. Teachers should continue submitting lesson plans and unit plans for feedback and review. Additionally, schools should continue structures such as grade level meetings, course meetings and instructional leadership team meetings. These teams can help support curriculum and assessment selection along with built-in time to consistently monitor data to inform school-wide planning and instruction.

Adults in school buildings will require thoughtful collaboration time that also includes social and emotional support. Schools should consider additional structures such as building in time for staff forums and listening sessions to better understand the problems teachers, parents and students are facing during remote instruction.

Schools should seek to establish routines and procedures for a clear and coherent planning process across all content and grade levels. This process should include structures for horizontal and vertical planning for teachers to align their instruction and understand the impact on student learning from last year’s instruction. Below outlines important steps to take.

● Identify priority standards at each grade level.● Establish criteria for standard mastery. ● Implement diagnostic assessments to understand student needs and inform

their planning.● Map out how students will have access to and demonstrate standards

mastery across synchronous instruction, asynchronous instruction and ed tech platforms.

● Align planning across grade levels and departments.


● Create a coherent schedule for students and families that incorporate remote learning expectations across content areas.

● Engage in a continuous learning cycle.

Remote learning poses several challenges, such as isolating teachers from their colleagues and students and requiring teachers to figure out how to transition their best instructional practices to a remote setting. It is critically important that schools leverage their teacher teams, teacher leaders and teacher mentors to support one another instructionally during this time. Teachers will require professional development in:

● Quality Instruction in a Remote Setting: Identify best instructional practices through continuous learning cycles. Use a shared professional learning platform to highlight resources available and allow teachers to present/share their work across the school.

● Meeting Student Needs: Support teachers with meeting the needs of diverse learners and English learners.

● Technology Support: Identify members of your school community who have the expertise and availability to support teachers’ digital learning and technology support needs.

Along with these supports, school leaders should continue their practices related to providing teachers with meaningful and ongoing support and feedback. To ensure this is possible, school leaders should require all educators to make Google Meet links available to them. These links should be shared internally between the school administrative team and teachers so as to ensure that Google Meet links are not made publicly available.

Additionally, school leaders should leverage Dashboard to lead data-informed cycles of continuous improvement. In Dashboard, school leaders will be able to access:

● Student and Teacher Google Activity● Gradebook Activity● Student Attendance

District LevelAt a district-level, we will provide the following professional learning supports to help schools transition to remote learning:

● Instructional Technology Support: Learn how to select, integrate and maximize technology to design meaningful remote instruction.

● Content-Specific Support : Access tools and resources to help articulate the key practices, strategies and standards in content that should be included in remote instruction.

● August Professional Learning to support teachers with: ○ SY21 Remote Learning Expectations○ Tech-Readiness○ High Quality Remote Instruction


Week 0 Professional Learning (8/31-9/4): We are offering multiple learning opportunities for teachers and school leaders to prepare for the three levels of readiness for the start of school.

● Pre-Packaged Modules : Departments have created decks and facilitation guides that school leaders can add to their professional development plans for the week of 8/31.

● Synchronous Sessions : Teachers or teacher teams can jump into synchronous sessions across the entire week of 8/31 to participate in additional professional development sessions.

● Drop-In Clinics : Teachers or teacher teams can drop into clinics where they can meet with central office/department staff to ask questions regarding the SY21 Remote Learning Expectations, Tech Readiness, or High Quality Remote Instruction.

In addition, the district is commiting to providing a central structure for regular resources to support remote learning practices. The district will utilize our bi-weekly teacher newsletter to provide educators with updated professional learning resources and opportunities and a survey link where educators can submit problems. The Office of Teaching and Learning will use these submissions to inform ongoing support provided to school leaders and educators.

Summary of Expectations:

1. Schools should maintain established structures to facilitate staff collaboration and planning.

2. Schools should seek to establish routines and procedures for a clear and coherent planning process across all content and grade levels.

3. Schools should facilitate procedures to ensure teachers can engage in regular cycles of observation and feedback.

4. School leaders should leverage Dashboard reports to lead data-informed cycles of continuous improvement.


● Consider creating a collaborative Google Classroom just for your staff or grade level team. Your Classroom can be organized to share best practices, disseminate information, encourage discussion, and quickly check in with teammates.

● Join a colleague's Google Classroom as a co-teacher or even as a student! Seeing the classroom workflow from the student perspective makes it easier to troubleshoot when technical issues arise and promotes empathy for the student experience.

● During each meeting, make time for teachers to share remote learning wins. Encourage a space for sharing of innovative lessons, tools used to help students manage time and resources, or creative ways to include student voice and choice in learning.

● Create a Google Chat group for your staff or grade-level team. Chat can be a quick way to encourage collaboration, share resources, answer


questions or troubleshoot tech issues. Chat is easily searchable, making it easy to find previous topics and responses.


Additional ConsiderationsIt is critical for remote learning in SY21 to be comparable to in-person learning in terms of the rigor of instruction, expectations for staff members, and schedules and procedures. However, we are still adapting together to a new way of learning and teaching, and we are committed to setting clear, transparent expectations for the year ahead .

Grading ExpectationsISBE’s original grading guidance considered the sudden and unexpected impacts of COVID-19 on all students and provided students and districts every available flexibility regarding grading to ensure that grading “did no harm” to students. Now, ISBE recommends that districts return to their regular grading policies and procedures and implement or modify them to best meet the needs of their students.

In line with ISBE guidance, we will return to our regular grading system during remote learning this year, which means standard letter grades will be issued based on mastery of content. All grading expectations set forth in the Professional Grading Standards and Grading Practice Guidelines for Chicago Public Schools Teachers must be honored.

Within our regular grading system, we recognize that there is opportunity to strengthen grading practices across the district. As a district, we must move away from the cultural practice of using grading as a tool to measure compliance or task completion, and instead uplift equitable grading practices focused on student knowledge and mastery based on ample and frequent teacher feedback and support.


Additional Considerations

We recommend that school leaders, teaching staff and PPC should work together to ensure that students experience consistent expectations, including balanced work loads, policies on accepting late assignments and retake policies. Schools should put measures in place to ensure that students are not overwhelmed with assignments in a given period of time.

Providing Feedback to Students Teachers should seek to provide feedback to students on the assigned learning activities at least once per week. Just as they would in the classroom, teachers can utilize rubrics and exemplars to clarify expectations on a specific task and identify areas of success and areas of growth within student work. When possible, students can provide feedback to their peers on their work and teachers can provide self-reflection prompts for students to think about their own progress.

Ensuring Student Access to Content Remote learning is not optional, and students are expected to participate in remote learning on a daily basis. However, there may be individual hardships that students experience that challenge their ability to engage in the synchronous learning portions of a daily lesson. Students who do not participate in a synchronous learning portion of a lesson should be counted as absent. However, that student should be supported in accessing the missed learning. Teachers have the option to record the synchronous portion of daily instruction and make it available to students via Google Classroom for up to two weeks, or students should have access to asynchronous content from that lesson.

If a student missed class, they should be allowed to submit assignments for normal grading at a later date. Students should be graded on mastery of content and should not be penalized on assignments for missing synchronous learning. Participation in synchronous instruction is expected, but if a student is experiencing chronic challenges accessing synchronous instruction, this should be viewed and treated similarly to a student who is struggling with chronic attendance issues. Schools should use a team-based approach to uncover and address root causes of the student’s absence.

Expectations for Non-Teaching RolesAs is detailed throughout this guidance, all staff members should carry out their typical job duties while in the remote learning environment. Additional guidance and suggestions will be provided for how to support and maximize all team members in a remote environment.

Accessing School Buildings and Work Schedules

Building Access Prior to September 8School staff and students may enter school buildings for the following purposes, and must abide by the below protocols. External service providers are not permitted on site prior to September 8 except in select cases which must be determined by the district.


Purposes for which staff are permitted on site● Teachers: to collect materials or other items● Teachers: to set up classrooms to teach remotely from the school building● School administrators and staff: to hold or participate in professional

development● Clerks: to complete enrollment and registration activities

Staff protocols● School principals must create a building entry schedule for staff which allows

teachers to sign up for time slots. Entry times must be scheduled in advance and staggered in order to mitigate building entry bottlenecks.

● Teachers and staff must swipe in upon entry to allow for proper contact tracing.

● Teachers and staff must wear face coverings in all common spaces.● All staff must maintain at least six feet of distance from all other individuals

whenever possible.● All building entrants must adhere to principal-directed space requirements at

all times. At any given time, total occupancy of a space must not exceed 50 total, or no more than 25 percent of the space capacity, whichever is less.

Purposes for which students are permitted on site● Retrieve materials (e.g. devices, art supplies).● Participate in sports programs.

Student protocolsStudents are only allowed to enter the building for sports programs, following the guidelines outlined by the Office of Sports Administration (OSA). Otherwise, schools should set up tables outside and designated staff should retrieve items for students.

Building Access During First QuarterMost school staff, including teachers, will begin the year with the option to either work remotely or at school. This may be subject to change based on individual circumstances. During the first quarter of SY21, the following staff are expected to report to work in person unless on an approved leave of absence or granted an accommodation.

● Principals, assistant principals, and administrators in charge.● Nutrition support employees.● Custodial and engineering staff.● School security employees assigned to food distribution sites.

We recognize that employees face demands in their personal time in addition to professional expectations. Employees are welcome to apply for a leave of absence if they do not feel they can meet the expectations of remote learning. Leaves of absence and accommodations must be applied for and approved by the Talent Office, per the processes outlined at our Absence and Disability website.


A Day in the Life of Remote LearningEnvisioning what all of this guidance looks like on a daily basis can be a daunting task. The vignettes below provide a picture of what a highly effective remote learning experience can look like for a student and teacher. Following these vignettes educators can find grade band specific considerations that educators can and should use to plan for the year ahead.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF REMOTE LEARNING STUDENT: JACOB, 4TH GRADEJacob starts his day with his homeroom teacher, who will engage with him for two learning blocks throughout the school day; humanities in the morning and STEM in the afternoon. To start his day, Jacob will log into his Google Calendar and access the day’s first synchronous lesson by clicking the invitation for class. Once inside the class, Jacob will mute his microphone and await instructions from his teacher. During the morning block, his teacher will start the class with a welcoming ritual and review the norms and expectations for the day. Following the welcome, his teacher will lead a 15-20 minute mini-lesson on the instructional target for the day's prioritized standard(s). During the lesson, Jacob’s teacher may ask him to participate by answering questions using the chat feature, making notations on Jamboard, using hand signals or other virtual engagement strategies. After explaining the learning task for the day, to support his understanding of today’s lesson, Jacob will transition into a separate link to meet with his group to work on the assigned learning task. Once they are in their group, each student has been assigned a role to ensure their time together is thoughtful and collaborative. Using a shared Google Doc, the small group will work together to practice the learning target and complete the assigned task. If today is his turn for guided reading, Jacob may leave his small group for 15 minutes to meet with the teacher for targeted instruction. After 30 minutes of collaborative group time, Jacob’s group returns to the whole class Meet and participates in a share of the key takeaways from the day’s lesson.

After the share, Jacob’s teacher facilitates a short movement and/or brain break. As the year progresses, the students themselves have opportunities to lead these short energizers between subjects. Following the brain break, the group transitions into a 30-minute whole group social science lesson. During the lesson, Jacob has opportunities to engage in discussions with his classmates through the chat features or by unmuting himself when called upon. Once the teacher has done a check for understanding, she previews the work that students have been assigned to do during the asynchronous block. Once all students have an understanding of the day’s tasks, they are released to work independently. On some days, Jacob may confer with his teacher during the asynchronous time to talk about his goals, clarify misunderstandings and/or get feedback from his teacher. On other days, he will use that time to complete his weekly learning plan.

After the morning’s independent/asynchronous time, Jacob and his classmates will have a 60-minute period to eat lunch and take a break. They are encouraged to go outdoors or do movement activities to recharge for the second learning block of the day. Directly following lunch, Jacob will prepare to log back into Google Meet for his synchronous session with his “specials” teacher. Today, he has physical education. His teacher will lead the class through a 30-minute “live” session focused on the priority standards. Before leaving the virtual classroom, his PE teacher will give the class an overview of the activities they are to complete during the 30-minute asynchronous PE block.


After PE, Jacob will return to the virtual classroom with his homeroom teacher for their STEM block. This block mirrors the humanities block above, except the students will focus on math and science content. Similar to the morning, the teacher will engage students in a whole group mini-lesson before breaking out into small groups and/or independent practice, then returning for a whole group share and wrap up. Once again, the teacher will provide an overview of the independent tasks that students are to complete during their final asynchronous block for the day.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A REMOTE LEARNING TEACHER: MS. PERKINS, 4TH GRADEPrior to the start of the week, Ms. Perkins has developed a weekly learning plan for her class that includes a schedule of lessons, activities, and instructional tasks for the week. She posts it on Google Classroom where students and caregivers can access it anytime/anywhere. Ms. Perkins logs into the Google Meet for the morning literacy block and waits for students to arrive. As students log in, she greets them individually and reminds them to mute themselves in case they have forgotten. She takes attendance as students join. Ms. Perkins is thoughtful about attending to students’ SEL needs and launches a welcoming ritual to set a positive culture and to set the stage for social-emotional learning. Following the welcoming ritual, Ms. Perkins reminds students of the norms that they co-created during the first week of school. This week, Jacob is the “norms checker,” so she reminds him to take notes on how well the class adheres to the norms. He will report out at the end of the day.

Ms. Perkins launches instruction with a whole group mini-lesson that is aligned to the priority standards for the grade level. Following the mini-lesson, she explains the instructional task that will allow for students to engage with the content within their small groups or individually. If students are being grouped for an activity, she assigns student roles for their small group time. Once it is clear that all students understand the task, she releases them into their groups. As students are working in their groups (or individually), Ms. Perkins pulls two small groups for guided reading for “just-in-time” scaffolds to support their understanding of the grade-level content. Between her two groups, she pops into the other Google Meet sessions, where the rest of the class is working, to check for understanding and to ensure they are on task and making steady progress toward completing the learning task. After 30 minutes of independent time, the group returns to the main Google Meet to do a whole group share and wrap up.

Ms. Perkins then engages the students in a one- to two-minute movement break before launching into her social science synchronous lesson. As the year progresses, the students themselves have opportunities to lead these short energizers between subjects. Following the brain break, the group transitions into a 30-minute whole group social science lesson. During the lesson, Ms. Perkins engages the class in discussions through the chat features or by having them unmute and speak when called upon. Following the lesson, Ms. Perkins does a check for understanding and previews the work that has been assigned to complete during the asynchronous block. Once all students have an understanding of the day’s tasks, they are released to work independently.

Following the morning block, Ms. Perkins will have 135 minutes available to meet with students, complete lesson planning, develop learning activities, meet with grade level partners, or complete other administrative tasks. Of that time, she must be available to her students for 75 minutes. Ms. Perkins has decided to create a weekly conference schedule, where she uses 60 minutes of that time to have conferences with 6 of her students, in pairs. She schedules 2 students at a time with each pair of students having an assigned day and time slot to meet with her. During those conferences, they discuss the students’ goals,


progress toward assignments and/or review feedback that has been provided. Ms. Perkins also uses that time to check in on the students’ social-emotional health and well-being. At times that conferences are not scheduled, Ms. Perkins is available for office hours for any students or caregivers who would like to check in. Following the time she is available to students, Ms. Perkins has a full 60-minute preparation period for lesson planning, administrative tasks, and/or attending grade level meetings. She then takes a 45-minute lunch break to recharge for the remainder of the day.

Following lunch, Ms. Perkins returns to the virtual classroom for the STEM block. This block mirrors the humanities block above, except the students will focus on math and science content. Similar to the morning, Ms. Perkins will engage students in a whole group mini-lesson before releasing them into small groups and/or independent practice, then returning for a whole group share and wrap up. Once again, she will provide an overview of the independent tasks that students are to complete during their final asynchronous block for the day.

During the final asynchronous block, Ms. Perkins has an additional 65 minutes of time that she is available to students. On Mondays-Thursdays, she designates this time to provide Tier 2 interventions to small groups of students. On Fridays, she holds office hours and/or offers live feedback to students. Students know and understand that they can reach out to her during this time.



To see grade band specific considerations that educators can and should use to plan for the year ahead, click on the links below:

● Pre K Considerations ● K-2nd Grade Considerations ● 3-5th Grade Considerations ● 6-8th Grade Considerations ● 9-12th Grade Considerations



Considerations for Serving All Students

Diverse LearnersSchools should plan to continue to support their students with diverse learning needs during the remote learning period. Students with disabilities should continue to receive special consideration and support from professionals with deep knowledge of their strengths and needs. Special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and related service providers are all critical collaborators in developing equitable remote learning opportunities for diverse learners.

During the remote learning period, special education teachers should use existing school structures to collaborate with general education teachers and modify remote learning materials to provide increased access for students with disabilities. Additionally, related service providers will consult with administrators and teachers to provide disciplinary expertise in providing remote learning opportunities for individual students based on their specific needs.

Students who receive special education services when school is in session receive supplemental supports and services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This additional layer of support will be necessary to maintain remote learning opportunities during this time. For each student with an IEP, schools should identify a designated, school-based member of the student’s IEP team to collaborate through a weekly check-in with the student.

Each student who is supported by an IEP or 504 Plan should have a Remote


Considerations for Serving All Students

Learning Plan completed that outlines how services will be supported during the remote learning period. Information for school staff on how to implement the new Remote Learning Plan in SSM are located here. Additional guidance for diverse learner students and teams can be found here.

Additional Resources to Support Diverse Learners● To supplement the Digital Resources Guide, the CPS Office of Diverse Learner

Supports and Services (ODLSS) will maintain a Remote Learning Resource Guide for Diverse Learners with specific resources for students with disabilities.

● Educators who would like support with modifying learning activities can consult with their Special Education Administrator via email or Google Meet.

● Educators who would like additional support around procedural best practices can consult with their ODLSS District Representative via email or Google Meet.

● ODLSS will continue to host comprehensive professional learning opportunities during the remote learning period and will also share webinars and on-demand professional learning opportunities offered by online partners.

English LearnersSchools should provide English learner (EL) services in line with the Bilingual Education Services required during regular classroom instruction. When a school has an enrollment of 20 or more ELs from the same language background, a Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) program for each language classification represented by those students is to be provided. TBE programs include English as a second language (ESL instruction) to support English language proficiency development, and services to support equitable access to core content, which includes native language instruction. Schools with 19 or fewer ELs from the same language background provide a Transitional Program of Instruction (TPI) to those students. In addition to ESL instruction, the supports provided to ensure meaningful access to core content include sheltered instruction strategies and native language support (when available).

Review examples of schedules and instructional approaches for ELs here.

In order to maximize access to these services, ELs should be placed in classrooms with EL endorsed teachers (bilingual or ESL, as appropriate), who are able to provide required components of services..

When services have to be provided by a resource EL teacher, collaboration between the classroom and the EL teacher is essential in the planning and delivery of instruction in order for ELs to continue receiving appropriate services remotely.

Supporting Families and Social and Emotional NeedsELs comprise a large portion of our student population, and while a large number of ELs are in the primary grades, all grades in most schools include ELs.


Since ELs may be new to the English language and American culture, schools should consider what specific efforts may be necessary to support EL students academically and socially. The Bilingual Advisory Committee (BAC) structure mandated at each school can assist administrators, parents, and students with communication and outreach efforts to ensure they are doing well mentally and physically. The CPS Office of Language and Cultural Education’s (OLCE’s) Community Relations Representatives unit is available to answer questions and support schools communicating with parents, and EL Network Specialists can assist with questions from parents regarding their child’s access to bilingual education.

Understanding English Language ProficiencyELs should continue developing their language and content knowledge concurrently. This way, instructional supports such as native language access, scaffolds, and differentiation in their projects/learning opportunities allow them to gain the most from their instruction. It is imperative for schools to know who their EL students are and understand their proficiency in English.

If you do not have your EL students’ English language proficiency scores, you can obtain them from your school’s English learner program teacher (ELPT) or principal. It is important to note that a particular student’s proficiency in listening may differ significantly from their proficiency in reading, speaking, or writing. A student’s ACCESS scores estimate proficiency in each category and should be used to intentionally plan their instruction.

For more on how to interpret your EL students’ language proficiency scores in order to differentiate and support instruction, please review the following resources from the OLCE:

● ELD 2.0: Understanding and Using Language Proficiency Scores to Plan Effective Differentiated Instruction

● E-ELD 2.0: From the Pre-IPT to WIDA Can-Dos (for preschool teachers)

EL Content InstructionUse informal assessments and background knowledge of your EL students to plan and assign possible learning tasks.

Use native language texts and multimedia learning opportunities to ensure content attainment and enhanced learning. Allow students to use their native language to demonstrate their learning. Please refer to our instructional resources page in the OLCE KC. These resources include sample units and lessons for ESL and bilingual Spanish instruction.

To maximize remote learning experiences for ELs, we recommend school teams do the following:

● Utilize familiar materials and resources.● Review provided/suggested resources and modify them according to English

language proficiency levels. ● Provide multiple options for students to demonstrate knowledge/skills (e.g.,


student drawings, videos and games).

Additional Resources● WIDA Teaching Multilingual Learners Online

○ This resource includes instructional ideas for teachers and students based on the WIDA’s Guiding Principles. For example:

■ Principle 4: Multilingual learners’ language, social-emotional and cognitive development are interrelated processes that contribute to their success in school and beyond.

What teachers can do: Host daily and weekly individual, small-group or whole-class meetings to maintain, sustain and expand a sense of community and reduce isolation.What multilingual learners can do: Share their experiences in making the transition to online learning, celebrate milestones and encourage their classmates.

● Google translate extension ● Lextutor (How to use Lextutor Guide)● Text Compactor

Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS)Below is guidance for supporting the needs of students in temporary living situations, including communication, access to services and learning environment considerations.

For children and youth experiencing homelessness, school may be the most reliable source of food, education, health and mental health services, adult supervision and safety during the day. Therefore, it is especially critical during this time that your STLS liaison—or another adult in the building that has the strongest connection with the student—contact the caregiver or student once a week to discuss and support student and family needs. If the student has an unexcused absence, or does not log in, the family should be contacted immediately. These communications should be in addition to the teacher's daily interactions.

Please prioritize your most vulnerable students and families, especially:● Unaccompanied youth living without parents—reach out multiple times per

week, including one call from the STLS liaison at minimum.● Students living in shelters.● Highly mobile or doubled-up families.● Families receiving yellow bus transportation due to disability of the caregiver.● Youth in Care.

Given the mobility of our STLS students, we recommend that your STLS liaison ask the caregiver to provide contact information for a family member or friend in a more stable living situation to be used in the event that you lose contact with the family.

Many of our students and their families are at risk of losing housing, and the economic impacts of COVID-19 may lead to greater instability. Therefore, schools should continue to monitor students for signs of homelessness and connect students to STLS support if they become homeless during the closure. Students may be identified as being in a temporary living situation based on common signs of


homelessness, information provided by the student/parent or self-disclosure.

When a student is identified as being in a temporary living situation, their eligibility for STLS should be determined based on the McKinney-Vento Act definition of homelessness. Students who are eligible for STLS are entitled to immediate enrollment in their school of origin or the attendance area school for where the student is temporarily residing. Documentation, such as proof of residence or birth certificate, are not required to enroll students in temporary living situations in school. Once enrolled, the student is eligible for STLS services. In order to ensure the district is accurately serving students in temporary living situations, please enroll all students eligible for STLS in the STLS record in Aspen.

STLS families rely on your school not only for education, but also for access to basic necessities such as clothing, transportation and housing services. The STLS Department will be working with city agencies and community partners to ensure families continue to have access to these supports and will provide your STLS liaisons with links to services and guidance for students and caregivers.

To help support any student- or family-specific concerns, the STLS Department is available to both schools and families at 773-553-2242 and [email protected], Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Highly-mobile families may only have the ability to hold onto their most valuable belongings and lack storage access. Be sure to supply them with all the school supplies necessary to complete the non-digital activities and make hardcopies of the material available to them as frequently as possible.

Additional ConsiderationsWhen enrolling STLS students, parents may not have valid or current identification. All standard enrollment documentation is waived for students living in temporary situations.

Please keep in mind that STLS students likely will not have a consistent or adequate space to set up a learning environment. Therefore, consider space limitations when planning projects and other activities, and make recommended modifications for small spaces when possible. For digital group communication, please keep in mind that doubled-up students and students living in shelters will likely have difficulty finding a private and quiet space to work.

Additionally, due to both the circumstances that led to the housing instability and the impact of the stress related to living in a temporary situation, a majority of our STLS students need trauma or additional SEL support. If these students are not already involved with the programs offered by your school, please work to get them integrated into available programming. For more information, schools can contact the STLS Department at [email protected].

Counseling Considerations


School Counseling Planning for SY21SY21 will be unprecedented in many regards, which makes the need for school counseling programs to work in alignment with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model even more imperative. School counselors are expected to work 6.25 hours per school day and perform all appropriate job duties according to the ASCA National Model through remote means. School counselors will need to prepare their annual calendar, create program goals and utilize an action plan early in the school year in order to be prepared to serve students. The more preparation and planning a school counselor can do for this remote start to the school year, the more successful they will be in meeting the needs of their students and stakeholders. With the support of their administrative team, school counselors will be required to complete the Evidence Based Implementation Plan (EBIP) to facilitate their preparation and delivery of services for the year. Modifications to the EBIP requirements have been made to reflect the remote start to the school year;see the EBIP Guiding Document for full details.

School counselors will need to be flexible and responsive as they plan for SY21. Given that this school year will begin at home, set goals and targets for delivery that strike a balance between meeting the needs of students and reflecting the limitations of our current societal state. Leverage technology and remember that now more than ever, school counseling work is reliant on the collaboration with various stakeholders. Take advantage of the Google Classroom: For Counselors by Counselors (Class Code: hq6g7nb) as this will continue to be the primary resource for sharing tools, lesson plans, resources and much more. The “Planning and Beyond the Domains - Hyperlinks to Resources for School Counselors” document may also support your planning and delivery for SY21.

School Counseling Delivery for SY21:

Tier 1 Supports

Student Engagement: In collaboration with administrators and teachers, school counselors are expected to create a plan for re-engagement. In support of re-engagement, the Office of Social and Emotional Learning has developed “Plug and Play Decks for School Counselors (e.g. rebuilding community, recognizing trauma)” which are accessible below in “Social-Emotional Considerations”. Additionally, ASCA recently worked with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) to develop "Reunite, Renew and Thrive: SEL Roadmap for Reopening School." Even in this remote model, consider the “culture and climate” of the school setting for students and provide Tier 1 Supports such as virtual quarterly awards assemblies, self-care drop-in hours, and Google Meet lunches where students can interact with one another as well as school staff.

Instruction:Classroom lessons across the three domains of academic, social-emotional, and postsecondary should remain a primary, tier-one focus for school counselors during


this school year. Efforts will need to be made to provide lessons in virtual sessions by coordinating with core teachers to allow for inclusion. Lessons may need to be broken down into smaller segments of time, pre-recorded, and modified to meet the needs of students (consider technological limitations, students’ developmental stages, and diverse learner/EL needs).

Postsecondary Advising:Postsecondary exposure and advising must occur at all grade levels. From elementary to high school, the goal of education is to position each student for economic prosperity and social mobility by exploring and taking concrete steps towards postsecondary success. During remote learning, school counselors, teachers and postsecondary teams can leverage college and career events, lesson plans, virtual tours and Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) to support this work. High school counselors and postsecondary advisors can review the Guide to Postsecondary Supports for High School Students, which includes specific next steps, updates during COVID-19, tools, step-by-step projects, and activities that students must do to ensure postsecondary preparation and completion of both the Financial Aid and Learn.Plan.Succeed. graduation requirements.

Recommended Supports for Tier 1 by domain:● Academic Domain (Hyperlinks to Academic Resources):

○ Co-teaching, standards-based, developmental classroom lessons focused on the academic domain (i.e. GoCPS, transitioning to high school, transcript reviews and how to prepare for standardized tests e.g. SAT, NWEA etc)

○ Connection to resources for engagement and tutoring○ Culture and climate building events (see examples above under

“Student Engagement”)● Postsecondary Domain (Hyperlinks to Postsecondary Resources):

○ Lessons to guide ILP Task Completion (6th-11th grade) ○ Lessons to engage students in KPI Task Completion (12th grade) ○ Lessons or grade level events to support Learn.Plan.Succeed. and

Financial Aid graduation requirements● Social-Emotional Domain (Hyperlinks to Social-Emotional Resources):

○ Lessons on mental health and wellbeing ○ Create and distribute weekly SEL Activity Banks ○ Support teachers to include SEL standards and practices ○ Support Trauma Sensitive School Experiences ○ Student Engagement Supports, see the Plug and Play Decks for School

Counselors (e.g. rebuilding community,recognizing trauma) included in the “Social-Emotional Considerations” portion of this document.

Tier 2 Supports

Small groups:Small groups will remain an important service provided by school counselors during SY21. Be considerate of the Acceptable Use Policy and abide by the content outlined in Tier II Intervention Guidance for Remote Learning, when determining how to select students for small groups as well as how to implement them.


Remember, small groups can be done for any domain, academic (such as a study skills group), postsecondary (such as an Undocumented and DACA status student group) and social-emotional (such as a group for students who’ve experienced COVID-19 in their household).

Tier 3 Supports

Counseling:Given the trying times and the remote return to schools, students and families are experiencing additional stressors and the need for school counseling, referrals and resources to support at a Tier 3 level will be ever-present. For individual student sessions, please follow Legal Guidance for CPS Mental Health Professionals. Regarding interventions requiring immediate or emergency intervention, please utilize the Guidance for Responding to Mental Health Concerns during Remote Learning content to ensure school counselors are able to respond to crises in an ethical way that is compliant with the district's policies.


Social-Emotional ConsiderationsBuilding supportive relationships, creating welcoming and predictable learning environments and fostering social-emotional skill development are key strategies in attending to social and emotional needs during times of change and uncertainty, especially for students who may feel distress, anxiety, fear, or other challenging emotions. To provide the social and emotional support that our school communities need right now, schools should strive to: (re)build a sense of community, teach SEL skills, and share SEL information and resources with families.

Key Resources:● CASEL’s Reunite, Renew, and Thrive: SEL Roadmap for Reopening School

provides a wealth of resources and guidance for engaging with social-emotional learning through an equity lens.

● The CPS SEL in Remote Learning website provides specific guidance for adapting social-emotional learning in remote settings.

During the first few weeks of school:● Engage students in designing welcoming, safe and predictable daily routines

and rituals. Foster relationships with and among your students using rituals and routines like those detailed in the Classroom Meeting Handbook.

● Develop and operationalize shared agreements and expectations. Co-constructing learning environments with social-emotional learning and equity at the center begins with setting a mutual understanding of how students will work together, communicate and interact.

● Carve out time in instructional schedules for regular class or small group circles for students to share their experiences. Making time for regular healing circles can help students and families to process the difficult events and emotions of the current moment and to provide mutual support.

○ CPS Restorative Practices Guide and Toolkit: Circles ○ Holding class or small group circles ○ Hosting Virtual Circles ○ Self-Care Circle Script ○ Responsive Circles for COVID-19 ○ Circle Scripts for Black Lives Matter at School

For additional resources and guidance for supporting students’ SEL needs, please review the SEL Remote Learning Guide and OSEL Curricula and Programs for Remote Learning.

Responding to students’ mental health needs is more important than ever. For many students, schools are places of psychological and physical safety. During this time of uncertainty and disruption, our students may feel a sense of loss, grief, anxiety and depression. Students who are exposed to chronic stress and trauma are especially vulnerable.

In responding to a student concern via email or virtual learning, the school should follow the current district recommended practices as though it occurred in a school building. If you are concerned about a student’s safety, well-being or mental health, immediately follow your school’s crisis and/or MTSS referral process, or


share your observation/report with the school principal. Work together with your school leaders, clinical providers and behavior health team to implement the appropriate supports. For additional guidance on how to respond to concerns for a student’s well being, please consult this guidance.

Responding to challenging student behavior may be another situation that school staff may encounter in these changing learning environments. Challenging behaviors are normal in new and stressful situations. The coronavirus health crisis, civil unrest and remote learning are potentially stressful for our students. While it is essential for teachers to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment for all students across any format, challenging behaviors also present an opportunity for teachers and school staff to respond to the underlying feelings and needs communicated through these behaviors and to repair harm when it occurs.

The CPS Student Code of Conduct remains in effect and administrators should refer to the Guidelines for Effective Discipline as they respond to student behaviors. School administrators can refer to the Student Discipline Guidance: Return to School and Remote Learning when responding to challenging student behaviors during remote learning. Training will also be available for school leaders to support this work.
