South Orangetown Central School District

Remote Learning Plan

SOCSD’s Hybrid Learning Plan provides for students to continue their learning through in person and/or online instruction. This model will ensure that students have equitable access to our curriculum and programs, including live sessions, pre-recorded videos, posted assignments and activities, and homerooms at each school. Instruction will remain aligned with the outcomes in the New York State Learning Standards. SOCSD will utilize our district curriculum maps and make adjustments as deemed necessary to support our students re-entering and moving forward.

Our reopening plan is based on a hybrid learning model with 50% student capacity with social distancing. Groups will physically attend school for full weeks, on alternating weeks:

  • Group A is students with last names beginning with A-K. Group A will attend the first week of school in person (September 8-11).
  • Group B is students with last names beginning with L-Z. Group B will attend the second week of school in person (September 14-18).

Our district has purchased the premium version of Zoom that has been integrated with our online classroom environment to enhance the teaching and learning experience. This functionality has enabled teachers to group students for small group work and discussions and to conference with individual and small groups of students.

  • Teachers are required to use Zoom video conferences with their students whether they are in person or at home. These live lessons or activities will be streamed to any students who are learning from home. Teachers will continue to create and post lessons or activities.
  • Teachers’ live sessions with students will be held during normally scheduled class. However, SOCSD is considering shorter class periods to accommodate social distancing during arrival and dismissal.
  • SOCSD is developing Hybrid Learning Guides for teachers and students/parents regarding the expectations for Hybrid Learning (In Person / At Home). The guides will be distributed before school opening.
  • During lessons, teachers will be able to step away from the camera when giving a lesson and enable screensharing from the Smartboard.
  • During lessons, students can interact with physical materials away from the screen to complete work and activities.
  • Students can disengage from screen/camera to complete an activity then rejoin for the share and closure of the lesson.
  • The schedule of assignments or lessons for students will be posted and shared on Thursdays for the following week.

Additional items students and families can expect this fall in a distance learning or hybrid learning environment:

  • Consistent scheduling
  • Live, daily instruction for all students, whether participating in person or virtually
  • Trauma-based approach to instruction with an emphasis on social-emotional learning

Teachers and instructional coaches are working to become even more familiar with many of the learning applications and resources we are using such as Google Classroom, Schoology, FlipGrid, Zoom, and some newer applications such as Seesaw.

Students with Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and our English Language Learners will receive their support in accordance with their program requirements. The District is taking steps to ensure that students with IEPs receive the services they need and our students who are English Language Learners will also receive their services. We have an excellent special education and English as a Second Language teaching staff as well as the Pupil Personnel Services team, including school-based social workers and counselors that work directly with these and other specific student populations to ensure that they are not falling behind. This is even more challenging in a remote learning environment, but again, our team learned a lot last spring and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to work with these students in person when school begins.

SOSCD will implement a 1:1 mobile device initiative this fall and has surveyed our school community to ensure that all students will have access to digital devices and internet connectivity at home.

Please see www.socsd.org/reopening for further information.