Nova Scotia releases details on 'learning continuity plans' for students

Teachers, parents and students are slowly getting a picture of what the next month of learning will look like, even as public schools across Nova Scotia remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A day after Premier Stephen McNeil said schools and regulated daycares will stay closed until at least May 1 as the province attempts to limit the spread of COVID-19, the government released its comprehensive learning plan to teachers and administrators.

The document outlines a plan for the next month, as well as workload and grading expectations for students, all while leaving room for adjustments along the way in what education officials have acknowledged is an unprecedented situation.

"As we introduce these new guidelines for teaching and learning, we are aware that we will have to be nimble and ready to adjust our course as public health information informs our actions," the document says.

"Our current situation is challenging for everyone, but in Nova Scotia we know that we are fortunate to have skilled and dedicated educators whose professionalism often exceeds expectations."

Plans and workload vary by grade

Teachers have started contacting students to determine who has access to computers and high-speed internet. They'll also spend the next few days reviewing what outcomes have been completed so far and what is still required to help students complete their year.

From there, they'll format plans in two-week blocks. According to the document, work should begin to be issued next week.

The plan breaks down expectations and planning in broad strokes for groups of grades:

• Students expected to graduate this year, for example, can expect three hours of work per course per week. A similar workload can be expected for students in grades 10 and 11.
• For grades 7 to 9, learning will centre on provincial curriculum outcomes for mathematics, language/literacy, science and social studies, with possible room for other courses. Students can expect a total average of 10 hours of work per week.
• For grades 4 to 6, work will focus on language/literacy and mathematics/numeracy outcomes of the provincial curriculum. Teachers are encouraged to incorporate science and social studies outcomes through cross-curricular learning, and other subjects when it's possible. Students can expect an average of five hours of work per week.
• The focus for grades Primary to 3 will be on language/literacy and mathematics/numeracy outcomes of the provincial curriculum. Teachers will assign an average of five hours of work per week per student.

Education Minister Zach Churchill said he expects there will be bumps in the road along the way, but he also said everyone working in the system is committed to finding ways to make things work for students, regardless of their needs. That includes using the SaltWire Network's flyer delivery service to get work packages to students without access to high-speed internet every two weeks, something he expects will apply to about 30 per cent of students.

Churchill said his department is also working with the Health Department to determine if educational assistants can provide respite for parents who need it. The minister said officials want to hear from parents, students and teachers as the plan progresses.

"These are uncharted waters for us and for people in my position across the country and we want to make sure that we're responding to the needs of our kids," he said in an interview with CBC's Information Morning Cape Breton.

"We're going to have to roll with the punches and improve as we go."

As of Tuesday, there are 147 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

Exams are cancelled, report cards will be issued

According to the learning plan, elementary report cards and individualized program plan (IPP) reports for March/April currently underway will go to all students, however, mid-semester high school report cards won't happen. All students will get an end-of-year report card.

Students in grades Primary through 9 who are on track to pass to the next grade will "continue on that track," with teachers providing feedback on their work. All provincial assessments are cancelled for this school year.

Teachers will assess the progress of students in grades 10 to 12 and assign final grades based on work done up to March Break and whatever can be accomplished between now and June, according to the plan.

"High school students are expected to complete their modified and reduced course work to the best of their ability," said the document.

There will be no final exams in any course. The plan says the Labour and Advanced Education Department continues to talk with university and Nova Scotia Community College officials to "ensure that students' future options are not negatively impacted."

Nova Scotia Teachers Union president Paul Wozney said that although there are huge challenges for everyone involved, teachers are accustomed to adapting on the fly and will find ways to help their students succeed.

"It's just kind of what we do," he said.

"To the degree that it's possible to support students' learning from home," Wozney said he expects to see the resourcefulness and creativity of teachers and students shine. He's asking people to be patient and kind as the new system is set up and he realizes answers might not always be immediately available.

"We know why people have a sense of urgency about these questions, but we're going to get down to business and get down to the work of supporting students and working with parents," he said.

According to the plan, teachers will have office hours and communicate to students how and when they can make contact. Churchill said inclusive education supports would remain in place, as would mental-health supports, which can be accessed by contacting teachers or principals.

A need to be nimble

Tim Simony, board chair of the Public School Administrators Association of Nova Scotia, said principals and other administrators are focused on trying to help people cope with the uncertainty and unknown of the situation.

"People need a lot of reassurance right now because, you know, there's a public health concern that is very scary and very high profile in the media and high profile in people's minds," he said. "And being able to reorient themselves around what this new perspective for education looks like is the challenge."

Being adaptable and nimble will be key to making the system work, said Simony.

"There's going to be lots of differences that there needs to be allowances for to make this work, because there is no pattern and there is no template to just hand to anybody, whether that's a family, a student or a teacher, to say, 'This is what you need to do.'"

As part of the new system, the province has made a variety of resources available online for parents and families, and also for teachers.

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