Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski (WNG file photo)
WESTFIELD – Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski sent the district’s remote learning plan to families this week, with a start date of April 13. He said the 14-page document, which is based on the guidelines set by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), is intended to give families as much information as the district can, although not all decisions have been made statewide.
“It answers every question. I’ve received a lot of feedback about the plan,” Czaporowski said, adding that from there, the principals from each school will develop their plans with input from faculty.
Some of the key questions Czaporowski has been getting are around grading. The superintendent said that the schools will close out the third quarter and second trimester based on the work done up until the date the school closure began. The last semester will be credit/no credit.
According to the plan, “at Westfield Intermediate School, Trimester 2 ended at the same time as the school closure. Grades will be calculated based on work that has been submitted.
“At Westfield Middle School, Westfield High School, and Westfield Technical Academy, all work that was assigned prior to February 28 will be graded as submitted and calculated toward Quarter 3. Any work assigned from March 2 – March 13 that has been submitted can be counted towards improving the student’s grade. Any missed work from March 2 – March 13 will not count against the student’s grade. Teachers will remove attendance as a criteria for student grades from March 2 forward.
“All remote learning work that is completed in Trimester 3 and Quarter 4 will be graded on a credit/no credit basis. Each teacher will assign credit/no credit for Trimester 3 and Quarter 4 at the end of the school year.”
For students taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes, the College Board is giving online lessons from their end, which are available online at collegeboard.com to complete AP courses at home. “They have figured they (students) missed 25% of the school year. If kids want to take the test at home, they can,” Czaporowski said.
The May 2 SAT is canceled. Czaporowski said he is not certain yet if the College Board will give SATS online.
As for the MCAS, Czaporowski said he is still waiting for DESE Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley to make that decision. He said legislators have discussed this and may give the commissioner the flexibility to make the decision himself.
“I have advocated for canceling. I don’t think it would be fair to give that to our students who are already experiencing stress and anxiety,” Czaporowski said. Passage of the MCAS tests are a requirement for graduation in Massachusetts.
School vacation week beginning on April 20 to April 24 will be observed, with no remote teaching during the week. Czaporowski said the majority of teachers have already been working with the students on home lessons, and doing Zoom meetings. “What we have to remember is that a lot of teachers have families as well.” he said.
The complete WPS Remote Learning Plan is available at www.schoolsofwestfield.org.
The district also sent a survey to families asking whether they needed computers in order for students to be able to do remote learning at home. The survey ended April 1, and Czaporowski said they had 1,000 takers. The administration met on April 2 to divide the devices up for each school and will be notifying families of the date and time to pick them up next week.
Czaporowski said all social distancing guidelines will be observed, and the schools will have the assistance of the Emergency Medical Corps, and Fire and Police Departments if needed at the pickup to help keep people safely apart.
The Emergency Medical Corps was also at the schools on April 2 and 3 as teachers returned in shifts to pick up needed supplies.
“We encourage our families to follow the social distancing guidelines so we can slow the spread and return to school sooner rather than later,” Czaporowski said.
The School Committee will meet by remote broadcast Monday, April 6 at 6 p.m.
