Virtual School
The Sunnyvale School District and Cherry Chase Elementary School abruptly closed in-person instruction on Friday, March 13, 2020. This case study chronicles the immediate pivot to online instruction and innovative program redesign for the following 2020-2021 school year.
My Role
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4th grade multiple subject teacher
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Principal learning designer for science & social studies units and select english language arts, math, and socio-emotional learning units.
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Class size: 25-27 students
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Team size: four to five 4th grade teachers
Time Frame
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1.5 school years
Timeline of Process
Immediate Pivot
Spring 2020
When schools closed on March 13, we all thought we would only temporarily engage in distance learning.
As the Sunnyvale School District initiated their district-wide Flexible Learning Program, my team and I were hard at work designing our own program tailored to our diverse students and families' needs.
Cherry Chase 4th Grade Flexible Learning Plan
Flexible Learning Plan Engagement Data
So, how did we do? Let's take a dive deep into student quantitative data & family qualitative data.
I have learned a lot of math and I am really proud of it.
P, student
Thank you for the kind words in S's T3 assessment. He's gained much confidence and is very proud of his achievements this year.
Sam, parent
I am proud of doing better in school.
A, student
I am proud of my personal narrative about my cruise with my family.
T, student
Thank you so much Ms. Miyake!!! E was so blessed to be in your class this year, especially during SIP.
Cindy, parent
Thank you very much for being such a great teacher for R this year. Despite his extreme shyness, he seemed very comfortable working with you and really enjoyed your class. I asked him if he preferred learning from home or going to school and he said that both were okay but he would rather go to class. I really appreciate the extra one-on-one help you gave to him on his narrative as well as you and S keeping him 'in the loop' while he was attending speech class. We continue to see growth and improvement in his academic understanding as well as his speech and confidence (he actually turned the camera on in the Publishing party for the first time that I saw in this year's Zoom meetings).
Thanks again for all the help and guidance you gave this year in a very challenging environment.
Steve, parent
We wanted to express our heartfelt thanks to you for your support of S this year. She loved being in your classroom, and we were delighted to see her expand her growth mindset as she worked with you and her classmates. We deeply appreciate the help you gave her to address the challenges she experienced in distance learning, and we are grateful for your recommendation for summer school. We are looking forward to supporting her there as she builds her confidence to engage more deeply in distance learning.
Pam and Sumit, parents
Empathize & Ideate
Fall 2020
Our school district started the year with a consistent weekly schedule.
This provided continuity across classes, grade levels, and school sites.
The day before school began, I met with my students and their families virtually. Families were able to engage with me during the presentation via Peardeck while receiving important and timely information.
My team and I wanted to learn more about our families and students this year, so we launched two surveys.
Here's what we learned:
Guardians wanted:
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printed materials and less screen time
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to know what parent expectations were and how to support from home
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all information organized and in one place
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differentiation
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boost student participation on Zoom
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summary of daily participation
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assistance with time management, especially during asynchronous time
What does your child like about school?
68% of respondents said their child loves friends, playing and socializing.
What do they dislike about school?
bullying
asynchronous learning
homework
repeating concepts already learned
wrote, non-tactile learning
Students shared:
What was challenging about virtual school last year?
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"It's hard to talk to the teacher because you aren't like in the same room." - G
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"You have to type emails to talk to people and sometimes they don't respond for a day, and until then the subject has changed. It also feels less social physically, and I like working in groups." -R
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"Submitting my work." -A
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"We had more homework than right now." -V
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"It was very confusing." -P
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"Keeping tract of everything" -A
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"The new websites" -E
Using the above feedback, we designed our virtual learning environment.
Cherry Chase 4th Grade Virtual Learning Plan
Each day, students take the following steps to get ready and "go to school."
1.
Check Google Classroom for Peardeck link.
2.
Open Peardeck.
3.
Open all assignment documents.
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Join daily Zoom meeting from 8:30-11:45am. Optional PE on M, W, F from 11:45am-12:15pm or complete independently. Art on Th.
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Enjoy lunch before beginning asynchronous assignments from 1-2:10pm. Optional Zoom office hours to complete work together.
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2:10-2:30pm join Zoom for closing meeting. Submit all assignments.
7.
Prior to next day's class, check work for feedback and the Assignment Checklist for any past unfinished work.
My team and I use the following planning doc to divide up creating learning materials for all subjects and to manage our workflow. All materials are linked, so we can make a copy for our own class. My main responsibilities were designing science, art/STEAM, and website.
Test & Improve
2020-2021 School Year
As the school year progressed from trimester to trimester, I constantly evaluated qualitative and quantitative data to improve learning experiences.
First, I compared student assignment completion (engagement) by subject between 2019-2020 Trimester 3 to 2020-2021 Trimester 1.
High level takeaways:
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Student engagement rose between school years.
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The most engaging activity was Zoom during both years, followed by English Language Arts and math.
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Flipgrid use declined gradually overtime, but significantly by the end of 2020-2021 Trimester 1.
High level takeaways:
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'19-'20 Grades shows data while students were attending school in person. We used a 5-point scale to assign grades.
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'20-'21 Grades reflect 100% virtual instruction. We now use a 4-point scale to assign grades.
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Even though content progressively gets more challenging, students' grades between trimesters do not always dip.
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There was more significant learning loss between trimesters during virtual instruction ('20-'21).
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The most significant learning loss was seen in writing, with grades dipping by almost half a grade.
Armed with this data, I collaborated with my team to revamp our students' and families' learning experience.
Communication
Routine & Individualized
PAIN POINT
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The 4th Website did not provide individualized updates.
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Google Analytics data shows that traffic significantly dropped after the beginning of school.
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Google Analytics data shows that parents use the website most often to get resources.
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Our school district and school site administrators also began sending out weekly updates with resources around this time.
SOLUTION See Collection & Feedback below
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I focused more on collection and feedback with weekly emails to both families and students.
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Families can get much needed linked resources in a weekly email with individualized updates about their child.
Collection & Feedback
Fun, Responsive, & Individualized
PAIN POINTS
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Student and family feedback needs to be more responsive and individualized. Weekly updates on the 4th Grade Website were not class nor student specific.
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Parents were confused and frustrated by Google Classroom update emails.
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The only way to adjust the timing of the email was to change your computer's clock to a different time zone.
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The updates did not included linked student work (Google Slides, etc.).
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Parents wanted to see their child's individual assignments to assist at home.
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SOLUTION
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Pivoted from whole 4th grade updates to class specific, weekly email updates with linked resources and linked unfinished student work.
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Parents and students can check assignments daily. I link all unfinished assignments to the Checklist for easy access by all users.
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Below is an example of unfinished work on Monday and the increase of work production by Friday.
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Students could also come to Zoom office hours from 1-2:10pm daily to complete asynchronous assignments with me or other classmates. Otherwise, they would be expected to complete them independently off of Zoom.
Parents really appreciated this pivot to class specific updates and resources.
Thank you so much for this detailed information on I's progress. I know this is a lot of work so I truly appreciate it!
Thanks Ms. Miyake! I can see the progress E has made.
Thanks Ms. Miayke!
Appreciate your hard work. Hope you stay safe and healthy!
Jessica, parent
Joan, parent
Joann, parent
SOLUTION
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Bi-monthly grading reports between report card periods helped families and students stay on track.
Parents really appreciated these grading reports.
Thanks for sharing E's work and assessment results. I went through the assessments with E, she's trying to finish the PE work that is missing. We hope E will become a girl just like what's described in the meaning of her name. Thanks for always keeping us updated.
I will see that A catches up on the subjects where she is falling behind. I will see that she reads more and has comprehension of the material on hand.
Thank you very much for the kind message. I will let D know to check and finish up all the classwork that is needed.
Joan, parent
Juan, parent
Shiroma, parent
SOLUTION
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Comment feedback on student work boosted engagement and transfer of skills.
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Students would respond back to my feedback with comments and edits on their work.
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Students provided feedback and encouragement to each other, facilitating our collaborative virtual learning environment.
Activities & Resources
Fun, Consistent, Routine, Individualized, & Choice
PAIN POINTS
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Consistent routines are not fun after awhile.
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Engagement (assignment completion and grades) dipped in Trimester 2.
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Flipgrid use decreased significantly.
SOLUTIONS
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Allow students to annotate on my Zoom shared screen during instruction
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Physical education Zoom sessions
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Wider variety of recess games
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Zoom Breakout Rooms: students can select rooms to work with friends or join more talkative vs. quieter work spaces
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Virtual field trips
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Spirit Days
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Playdates
Parents really appreciated the organized playdates in particular.
Thank you so much for organizing that playdate list! I love that A and A have played 2x in person and 2x on video chat! She is currently on a virtual playdate with P. A is so shy, but she is being open and brave! P is as equally goofy as A. A did not want this playdate, but I'm glad I just scheduled it for her. I hope this makes her open up more in class!
Happy Sunday! I just had to share. P and A are zooming and robloxing it. I am keeping my fingers crossed this is a good friendship.
Megan, parent
PAIN POINTS
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Reading and writing grades dropped between Trimesters 1 and 2.
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Students were not transferring writing and grammar skills from group to independent practice.
SOLUTIONS
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Harry Potter novel study
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Students received a mailed letter with admissions to Hogwarts and train tickets to Hogwarts Express.
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They picked up a quill, Harry's glasses, ingredients for butterbeer, and other swag
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Students acted out the first book by reading aloud during class time.
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Independently, they engaged in reading comprehension and inference practice.
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We watched Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone altogether as a whole 4th grade.
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Hogwarts Houses
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Students were sorted into Hogwarts houses based on a quiz.
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In my class, each student could earn points for their house by completing assignments, participating, and being a great classmate. The house with the highest points at the end of the week wins the House Cup. They can choose one assignment to skip the following week.
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Access
Consistent, Routine, & Individualized
PAIN POINTS
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Student engagement fluctuated due to external family factors.
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Student and family feedback and resources needed to be more individualized.
SOLUTION
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Clear and frequent communication with individual families.
Building trusting relationships with clear communication is crucial - especially at the beginning of a new school year.
Reaching out to busy, working parents is all it takes sometimes.
Working parents want to help their child; they often just need the tools, guidance, and encouragement to do so. Parents and teachers are a great team!
Collaborating with various stakeholders is often the key to a child's success. Teachers need to reach out to administrators and specialists to best support their students' needs.
All the students above were able to get necessary, individualized support. Whether returning to school in person, working with a school specialist, developing a home incentive plan, or developing a productive virtual school routine, these students' engagement increased.
I continue to gather and track student and family data to hone their learning experiences daily. The last two months of school will be AWESOME!