Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (2020-21)

Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan Template (2020–21)

The instructions for completing the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan is available at https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/lc/documents/lrngcntntyatndncpln-instructions.docx.

Local Educational Agency (LEA) Name Contact Name and Title Email and Phone
Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise David DeFrenza, Assistant Principal ddefrenza@laaae.org, 213-487-0600

General Information

[A description of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the LEA and its community.]

Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise has been dramatically changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prompted by a rapid closure in the spring of the 2019-2020 school year, the school moved quickly into a distance learning model. Over the summer and continuing into the 2020-2021 school year, the school has continued to develop and implement improvements in distance learning and created a model through which the school can have students return to physical classrooms when authorities deem it appropriate and safe to do so.

 

Stakeholder Engagement

[A description of the efforts made to solicit stakeholder feedback.]

A variety of efforts are made to continuously engage stakeholders and solicit their feedback. Monthly family nights are hosted to provide parents and guardians with the opportunity to engage with school staff. At each family night, ongoing updates are provided by school staff, stakeholders are surveyed, and an open forum provides an avenue through which questions and concerns can be discussed. Coffee with the Principal meetings are also hosted monthly to allow a more casual format for receiving feedback from parents and guardians. Parent and guardian meetings are conducted in both English and Spanish. 

 

Parents and guardians are also kept up to date with the digital notification system called Blackboard. Through this system, notifications are sent to families and staff via voice, text, and email to ensure the highest possible participation. Messages are sent in both English and Spanish. Additionally, Blackboard is used to ask questions to which users respond with written feedback. Blackboard is also used, along with posting announcements and updates on the school website and social media, to notify members of the public community about the opportunity to submit written comments on school policies and expenditures.

 

Additionally, stakeholders are continuously engaged through individual outreach. Outreach staff team members are bilingual in both English and Spanish and can communicate with parents and guardians in their preferred language. Outreach staff actively reach out to students and families who have demonstrated limited engagement through attendance logs and academic grade checks. Students who do not demonstrate daily engagement receive a call home from outreach staff to discuss any potential issues with accessing their lessons for the day and provide appropriate support. 

 

Stakeholders are encouraged to attend school board meetings and share their feedback with the board of directors. The board of directors actively seeks parent, guardian, student, and staff input at board meetings. In addition, Principal updates provide the board with an overview of stakeholder feedback. Often Associated Student Body students present school updates to the board of directors as well.

 

Feedback from staff is gathered at weekly staff meetings and through instructional leadership teachers. Student feedback is gathered through the Associated Student Body, Advisory classes, and biannual school retreats. 

 

 

[A description of the options provided for remote participation in public meetings and public hearings.]

Public meetings and hearings are hosted on Zoom. Parents or guardians, students, staff, and other stakeholders may join via internet or phone connection. Information on how to join is publicly posted on the school website, shared via social media, and sent out through Blackboard. Technological support is available for stakeholders who require help getting connected to meetings.

 

[A summary of the feedback provided by specific stakeholder groups.]

Parent and guardian stakeholders have reported an appreciation for the school’s academic plan and organizational structure for engaging students. In survey questions, a majority of parents indicated that their children were engaged and doing well and that outreach and communication with the school were keeping them well informed in the areas of continuity of learning, mental health and social emotional support being offered, pupil and family engagement mechanisms, and school nutrition offerings. Through individual outreach, our staff has identified numerous instances of students or parents having technological issues getting logged in to various platforms. 

 

Teachers and faculty provide feedback and collaborate on best practices for engaging students and parents in the distance learning environment at weekly staff meetings. These have included the most beneficial digital platforms for engaging students, such as Edpuzzle and Quizlet as well as teaching strategies like cold calling students in Zoom classes. Through their collaborative efforts, teachers implement consistent digital platforms and distance learning teaching strategies to facilitate student learning.

 

Student feedback has provided useful information about technology or connectivity issues. Our outreach staff troubleshoot individual issues in real time to help students, but also log outreach so that data can be aggregated to find trends. This has allowed us to actively identify and provide Chromebooks and Wifi hotspots to students who need them. Additionally, student feedback issues with accessing digital platforms has been crucial. Every morning, students complete a “Daily Check-In” Google form in which they select an emoji to indicate how they are feeling and have the option to request help getting started for the day. Outreach staff monitor this form in real time to provide support for students who request help and reach out to those who have not completed the form by 9 AM each school day. Aggregate data and long term trends are then reviewed by the Student Services team to identify those who may need more intensive support.

 

[A description of the aspects of the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan that were influenced by specific stakeholder input.]

All aspects of the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan were influenced by stakeholder input. Our budget is a reflection of the needs of the school as identified by stakeholders through the mechanisms and feedback described above. For example, the allocation of salaries to outreach staff is a reflection of the high needs of students and parents for getting connected and troubleshooting technology issues. Additionally, teacher feedback led to the purchase of schoolwide educational technology subscriptions like Edpuzzle and Quizlet in addition to the allocation of $350 per teacher for purchasing additional equipment or software needed to lead the most effective remote classroom possible, recognizing individual teacher needs.

 

Continuity of Learning

In-Person Instructional Offerings

[A description of the actions the LEA will take to offer classroom-based instruction whenever possible, particularly for students who have experienced significant learning loss due to school closures in the 2019–2020 school year or are at a greater risk of experiencing learning loss due to future school closures.]

In person instructional offering will be provided if and when guidelines deem them safe. Students will be cohorted into small groups that can maintain separation from one another, attending school on different days of the week. Students will receive instruction from certificated teachers.

 

A hybrid model and bell schedule will permit some students to attend in person while others remain engaged in distance learning should they need to stay home for any reason. This will permit any student who has had a potential exposure to coronavirus or other illness to remain home to limit the potential for transmission while continuing to learn. School guidance will be for staff and students to wash their hands thoroughly and frequently, maintain a minimum of six feet of separation from others, and wear a facemask fully covering their nose and mouths at all times while on campus. Additionally, staff and students will be advised to work or learn from home if they feel ill, have a temperature, or have had recent exposure to someone who they know to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Masks will be provided for students who do not arrive with their own.

 

Students who have or continue to experience significant learning loss due to previous and ongoing school closures will be identified through a tiered system in the categories of academics, attendance, behavior, and social-emotional wellbeing. Learning loss determinations will include the use of internal benchmark data in reading and mathematics collected through iReady. Multi-tiered systems and supports will then be implemented according to the data aggregated for each individual student. Students identified to be at greater risk of learning loss will receive tiered supports in accordance with their needs. These supports include individualized tutoring services, counseling or referrals to outside therapy, attendance notifications, English language development support, remedial reading and math intervention classes, and special education services when applicable.

 

 

Actions Related to In-Person Instructional Offerings 

Description Total Funds  Contributing
Facilities: Prop 39 related costs and expenditures of our school site. $ 272,000 N
Instructional Materials: A variety of instructional materials to facilitate learning including ELD Curriculum, SPED programming, radio programming, instructional services to students, and classroom materials. $ 250,000 Y
Teacher Salaries and Benefits $ 1,300,000 N
Personal Protective Equipment: Supplies to facilitate social distancing and disinfecting campus. $ 20,000 N

Distance Learning Program

Continuity of Instruction

[A description of how the LEA will provide continuity of instruction during the school year to ensure pupils have access to a full curriculum of substantially similar quality regardless of the method of delivery, including the LEA’s plan for curriculum and instructional resources that will ensure instructional continuity for pupils if a transition between in-person instruction and distance learning is necessary.]

Continuity of instruction will be provided through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning. Class offerings and curriculum will continue and remain largely consistent with pre-closure offerings. A full array electives in addition to core classes will continue to be available for students. Support classes for students at greater risk of experiencing learning loss previously offered before school closures will continue to be offered. This will include an increase in ELD class offerings, reading intervention classes, and a Special Day Class. Curriculum will be consistent with that used before school closures but modified using technology based platforms such as Edpuzzle, the Google Suite, and Quizlet to facilitate its implementation in a virtual classroom setting. The learning needs of advanced learners will continue to be met while distance learning through the availability of Advanced Placement (AP) classes and extracurricular opportunities, and dual enrollment opportunities with a local community college.

 

Appropriately certificated teachers will certify instructional minutes. They will do so by submitting each assignment or activity they provide to students, to the administration and specifying the number of instructional minutes allocated for that assignment or activity. These minutes will adhere to a weekly schedule of required minutes per class period/section. In an effort to maintain rigor consistent with that of pre-school closures, this weekly schedule of required minutes is consistent with the bell schedule that was used prior to school closures. Each student will be provided activities and assignments with a total allocation of 1,610 minutes for a full five day week evenly distributed among seven different classes plus 70 minutes per week for Advisory. These assignment and activity submissions will include both synchronous and asynchronous items. 

 

In order to ensure the synchronous engagement of students with their teachers, a bell schedule for live virtual classes will also be implemented on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Students will attend two sixty minute virtual class sessions for each of their seven classes, plus two thirty minute live Advisory classes per week. Together, total live synchronous minutes per student per week will equal 900 minutes. Synchronous instructional minutes in the bell schedule are shorter than the total instructional minutes to help limit Zoom fatigue and provide an avenue through which students may learn and develop the independent study habits likely to be crucial to future education. Additionally recreational and wellness activities are provided during the student lunch hour and in after school clubs.

 

The live bell schedule for virtual classes is designed to resemble the pre-closure bell schedule to provide a level of consistency for students. The live virtual bell schedule and instructional minute verification system are also designed to be applicable to a hybrid return to the physical classroom, where some students attend in-person classes on a part time basis while their peers may continue to attend virtually. Therefore, when agencies deem it safe for partial reopenings, physical classroom offerings can be easily scaled up in accordance with stakeholder feedback on students returning to campus. This will allow a seamless transition into hybrid models that may then have constantly increasing or decreasing levels of physical student attendance as needed. This model allows for high levels of flexibility so that there can be continuity of instruction and consistency for students, families, and staff even as ever changing state, county, city, and district guidance continues to waver.

 

Special efforts are made to ensure students with special learning needs such as those with disabilities have equitable access to their assignments and classes. These include accessibility features on student devices such as the ability to have spoken feedback or enlarge the mouse cursor among others.

 

 

 

 

Access to Devices and Connectivity

[A description of how the LEA will ensure access to devices and connectivity for all pupils to support distance learning.]

The school will acquire and make available a Chromebook and wifi hotspot for any student who needs one. Just prior to school closure, a technology access survey was given to all students. This created a starting point for technology distribution. Subsequently, the students and parents may request technology by calling the school, visiting the food distribution site and speaking with staff in person, or emailing the student services team. Additionally, outreach staff members will place regular calls home to any student who does not demonstrate engagement in distance learning to identify any access issues and provide additional technology support if necessary. This includes students who were unable to access devices or connectivity following school closure in the 2019-2020 school year. Students and families with whom the outreach staff members are unable to make contact are flagged for additional follow up by the student services team to make every effort to engage the student and parents.

 

Pupil Participation and Progress

[A description of how the LEA will assess pupil progress through live contacts and synchronous instructional minutes, and a description of how the LEA will measure participation and time value of pupil work.]

Appropriately certificated teachers will submit assignments or activities they provide to students to the administration. Teachers will also allocate a specific number of instructional minutes to each assignment or activity. These may include combinations of synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Teachers will submit these assignments in accordance with a weekly schedule. This schedule has seven academic classes per week which each receive 230 instructional minutes per week. There is also a grade level Advisory class for each student which receives 70 instructional minutes per week. In an effort to maintain rigor consistent with pre-closure in-person learning, these instructional minutes are consistent with the weekly allocation for all classes in the live bell schedule used during the fall and winter of the 2019-2020 school year.

 

In order to ensure synchronous instruction, there is also a bell schedule of live virtual classes that will be hosted on Zoom. Students will attend these classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Students will attend each of their seven academic classes two times per week for 60 minutes each. Students will attend Advisory classes two times per week for 30 minutes each.

 

Student participation and progress will be monitored through three main mechanisms. First, every school day morning students will complete a Daily Check-In Google Form. This form will ask them to identify how they are feeling by selecting an emoji and then ask if they need any help or support getting started for the day. This will help students get their day started and with a quick and fun consistent activity. Additionally, if students are not sure what they need to begin working on, they can indicate that they need help on the form. Outreach staff members review these submissions in real time and reach out any time students indicate they need help to provide support. Second, teachers will take attendance in each live virtual class hosted in Zoom. This attendance will be analyzed and reviewed for truancy. Lastly, teachers will enter grades for the assignments and activities students are completing in PowerTeacher. These grades will correspond to the instructional minute submissions teachers are submitting and provide additional information on the degree to which students are completing and comprehending class content.

 

Distance Learning Professional Development

[A description of the professional development and resources that will be provided to staff to support the distance learning program, including technological support.]

Staff are provided a variety of supports to help implement the distance learning program. Teachers have training on the digital platforms they need to use provided by expert teachers in those areas. These include Zoom, Google Suite, Edpuzzle, Peardeck, Nearpod, Flocabulary, Quizlet, and other best practices for leading live classes digitally. Teachers also have collaborative planning time for designated purposes. These include designated planning sessions to share best practices for special education students, ELD students, and implementation of iReady benchmarks and curriculum which are led by the respective department heads.

 

Additionally, teachers complete quarterly individual improvement plans which they then implement and reflect on. These cycles are overseen by a team of three Instructional Leadership Teachers (ILTs). This process allows differentiated professional development for teachers by allowing them to self-select a specific area for improvement they would like to focus on. Since school closure, ILTs have emphasized teaching pedagogy most relevant to distance learning.

 

Advisory curriculum is being completely overhauled for the 2020-2021 school year specifically to address the trauma and other impacts of COVID-19 and other social unrest on the school community. This curriculum will include a variety of social-emotional and self-care activities that help students understand and cope with the challenging times. The student services team is expanding social-emotional and self-care resources for students. These include daily lunchtime opportunities like “Wellness Wednesday”. Other resources such as referrals to outside counseling services are continuing in the virtual realm.

 

 

 

Staff Roles and Responsibilities

[A description of the new roles and responsibilities of affected staff as a result of COVID-19.]

Several staff roles and responsibilities have shifted as a result of COVID-19. Some roles including van drivers and hallway supervisors are no longer feasible in the distance learning environment. These staff members have been reassigned to either support the food distribution team or to support the outreach staff. These modifications help support the academic and social-emotional needs of students by ensuring that all students continue to be provided with regular nutritious meals from the school and that students who need support or do not demonstrate engagement in online learning receiving active calls home to help our staff understand barriers to learning and provide the appropriate supports and interventions.

 

Supports for Pupils with Unique Needs

[A description of the additional supports the LEA will provide during distance learning to assist pupils with unique needs, including English learners, pupils with exceptional needs served across the full continuum of placements, pupils in foster care, and pupils who are experiencing homelessness.]

There are robust supports for students with special needs. English learners are enrolled in designated ELD classes as part of their seven period schedule. These classes are taught by the EL coordinator. Additionally, EL paraprofessionals provide tutoring and push-in support to increase English language development and content comprehension in integrated ELD settings. Teachers also receive training on integrated ELD strategies most appropriate for distance learning from the ELD department and student services team.

 

Students with disabilities are overseen by the special education coordinator. Students with exceptional needs are placed in a Special Day Class to receive additional accommodations to best meet their needs. A team of special education paraprofessionals also provides tutoring and push-in support for students with disabilities in general education classrooms.

 

Additional students, including those in foster care and those who are experiencing homelessness, who are struggling are identified through a Multi-Tiered Systems and Supports (MTSS) framework. Through this system, data is tracked in the categories of academics, attendance, behavior, and social-emotional wellbeing to identify and respond to students who are struggling in one or more of those areas. One important intervention is a system of tutors who are assigned to students who fall behind in multiple classes. These tutors conduct outreach to students and families, and provide tutoring support to help students improve their grades.

 

Actions Related to the Distance Learning Program [additional rows and actions may be added as necessary]

Description Total Funds  Contributing
Student connectivity: Hotspots and chromebooks for students. $ 62,400 Y
Distance Learning Instructional Tools: Digital platforms and curriculum resources to facilitate distance learning. $ 10,000 N
Hybrid Classroom Equipment and Resources: Resources needed to facilitate hybrid classrooms. $ 120,000 N
Video Conferencing: Zoom and Colegia subscriptions for live video conferencing. $ 10,000 N

Pupil Learning Loss

[A description of how the LEA will address pupil learning loss that results from COVID-19 during the 2019–2020 and 2020–21 school years, including how the LEA will assess pupils to measure learning status, particularly in the areas of English language arts, English language development, and mathematics.]

An internal benchmark program called iReady will be used three times throughout the year to assess student progress in English language arts and mathematics. This program sets targeted growth goals for each student and provides teachers and administrators with a variety of data to best meet the needs of each class and individual learner. Students who do not demonstrate adequate progress will follow MTSS procedures described in the “Pupil Learning Loss Strategies” section.

 

Designated English language development classes utilize a program called Language Ladder in which the ELD Coordinator and paraprofessionals track student progress and identify specific areas for additional support and intervention. Schoolwide integrated ELD strategies and curriculum also ensure that EL students continue to develop the English proficiency while maximizing their comprehension of content throughout all of their general education classes. Teaching strategies implemented in these areas include some translated materials, Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English, and frequent scaffolds such as sentence frames, vocabulary walls, and visual aids. 

 

Summer school and credit recovery opportunities offer students an opportunity to earn supplemental credit.

 

 

 

Pupil Learning Loss Strategies

[A description of the actions and strategies the LEA will use to address learning loss and accelerate learning progress for pupils, as needed, including how these strategies differ for pupils who are English learners; low-income; foster youth; pupils with exceptional needs; and pupils experiencing homelessness.]

Pupils will be assessed three times throughout the year using an internal benchmark program called iReady in the areas of English language arts and mathematics. This program analyzes student performances and creates individualized growth targets to get the student back to grade level if necessary. Additionally, iReady has intervention curriculum that is individualized based on iReady benchmark results for middle school grade level content. 

 

English language learners will learn and be assessed through a program called Language Ladder. This provides the EL Coordinator and para professionals with detailed information on the progress of each student. Additionally, EL student grades are carefully monitored by the EL department in order to identify which students may need additional academic support in specific general education classes. The EL Coordinator works directly with teachers to continuously improve the implementation of integrated ELD strategies in all classes. Additionally, EL paraprofessionals provide push-in and out of class tutoring support to their cohorts of students.

 

All pupils participate in the Multi-Tiered Systems and Supports (MTSS) process. This process tracks data in categories of academics, attendance, behavior, and social-emotional wellbeing. MTSS is used to identify critical learning loss and accelerate learning progress for all pupils as needed. Examples of intervention include assigning tutors to students who are struggling in multiple classes. These tutors work with the individual students in their cohort to improve their academic performance. They do outreach to parents to ensure that there is a collaborative process to improve student outcomes and do a variety of coaching, goal planning, and academic tutoring to help students improve. 

 

Several strategies have also been implemented to address the specific needs of low-income students. The food distribution program has set up an off campus location identified as being most convenient for our families to continue distributing meals. In addition to direct food distribution, the school has facilitated food vouchers for all students to help those who are struggling financially. Wifi hotspots and Chromebooks are available for all students to take home.

 

The student services team provides additional support for foster youth, pupils in foster care, and students who are homeless. These outreach efforts are individualized for the specific needs of each student and family and may include referrals to outside therapy organizations, facilitating access to various forms of governmental aid, and ensuring equitable access to the school’s food distribution program.

 

Students with disabilities including those with exceptional needs are monitored by the Special Education Coordinator. These students continue to receive accommodations and modifications according to their Individualized Education Plans. The Special Education Coordinator also works directly with teachers to help transition the implementation of these accommodations and modifications into the distance learning environment. Special education paraprofessionals also provide direct support to students and outreach to the families. Lastly, a Special Day Class is taught directly by the Special Education Coordinator to provide appropriate support for students with exceptional needs.

 

Ongoing review and assessment of the effectiveness of the services and supports provided will be conducted through the MTSS data review process. This data creates tracking mechanisms individualized for each teacher, administrator, program coordinator, tutor and paraprofessional allowing for ongoing data review. Regular meetings with each team provide opportunities for a reflection on aggregate MTSS data and brainstorming of additional interventions that may be needed.

 

Effectiveness of Implemented Pupil Learning Loss Strategies

[A description of how the effectiveness of the services or supports provided to address learning loss will be measured.]

The MTSS data is aggregated and disseminated to relevant staff on an ongoing basis. Each staff member has access to relevant real time aggregate data in addition to individual breakdowns to help them visualize data most relevant to their jobs. For example, tutors and paraprofessionals are able to see breakdowns of academic progress specific for the cohorts they have been assigned in order to track their students’ progress. Their individualized sheets also show their own submissions of support minutes to provide an easy system through which they can cross reference these pieces of information and reflect on strategies that have worked well or additional areas for improvement. Regular meetings of staff teams also provide an opportunity to reflect on data and collaborate on areas for improvement.

 

Additionally, iReady data is reviewed by the entire teaching staff after each benchmark. Class breakdowns and individual student goals help teachers in all subject areas understand the current level and specific gaps in knowledge for each of their students. 

 

Actions to Address Pupil Learning Loss 

Description Total Funds  Contributing
Outreach Staff: Staff members who facilitate outreach and communication with families and other stakeholders. $ 175,000 Y
Tutors & Paraprofessionals: Staff members who provide academic coaching and support to students as needed. $ 160,000 Y
Summer School: Classes available to students during the summer holiday to earn credit. $ 20,000 Y
Credit Recovery: Class offerings available to students to recover credit as needed. $ 6,000 Y

Mental Health and Social and Emotional Well-Being

[A description of how the LEA will monitor and support mental health and social and emotional well-being of pupils and staff during the school year, including the professional development and resources that will be provided to pupils and staff to address trauma and other impacts of COVID-19 on the school community.]

Addressing the mental health and social-emotional wellbeing of our school community is a priority for the 2020-2021 school year. One huge initiative is to overhaul the Advisory curriculum. This is led by an Advisory Council including teacher and student stakeholders. Advisory curriculum is being changed to provide an increased focus on helping students cope with the challenges brought by COVID-19 and other forms of social unrest in their communities. The Advisory Council lead teachers then facilitate professional development for the rest of the teaching staff. Additional staff training includes “Safe Space” and “Unconscious Bias” professional developments.

 

Lunchtime and after school clubs, recreational, and wellness activities facilitate student engagement and help maintain school community. These activities range from Anime Club to Wellness Wednesdays and include a variety of opportunities for students. A Learning From Home (LFH) survey, to be completed by parents and students, will gather valuable information on stakeholder needs and help inform next steps for the school.

 

Additional mental health and social-emotional wellbeing support is implemented through the MTSS system. This system is built to track and identify students who may need additional support and intervention so that the student services team can provide additional support. Supplemental resources include additional outreach from counselors or the school psychologist, assignment to the cohort of a tutor, or referrals to outside therapists. 

 

Pupil and Family Engagement and Outreach

[A description of pupil engagement and outreach, including the procedures for tiered reengagement strategies for pupils who are absent from distance learning and how the LEA will provide outreach to pupils and their parents or guardians, including in languages other than English, when pupils are not meeting compulsory education requirements, or if the LEA determines the pupil is not is not engaging in instruction and is at risk of learning loss.]

Student engagement is tracked through a Daily Check-In Google Form completed by students, live attendance in virtual Zoom classes, and grades for assignment completion and activity participation submitted by teachers in PowerTeacher. The Daily Check-In form allows students to request help getting started with assignments for the day. The outreach team follows up with these students and any student who has not checked-in by 9 AM each day. Additionally, the student services team compiles the attendance submitted by teachers during virtual Zoom classes. Automatically calls home via Blackboard notify parents and guardians if a student missed class on a given day. Students who miss class regularly are also tracked and the student services team follows up with these students and families to inquire about barriers to attending live Zoom classes and provide additional support. Lastly, academic grades in PowerTeacher are reviewed weekly. The Director of Student Services then makes adjustments to tutor cohorts to provide tiered levels of additional support to any student who may have had a drop in their grade averages. All outreach team members and members of the student services team are fluent in both English and Spanish to facilitate communication in the preferred language of the student, parent and guardian.

 

School Nutrition

[A description of how the LEA will provide nutritionally adequate meals for all pupils, including those students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, when pupils are participating in both in-person instruction and distance learning, as applicable.]

For students in distance learning, the food distribution team identified an area off campus that is most convenient for our students and their families to pick up food. All eligible students and families are able to pick up nutritious breakfast and lunch. Distribution takes place Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but serves a sufficient number of shelf stable pre packed meals for all school days. 

 

For in person instruction, breakfast will be provided in the classroom prior to the start of the first period of the day. These will be delivered by our food distribution team and distributed by a teacher. Lunch will be provided by the lunch team in compliance with current social distancing and guidance.

 

Additional Actions to Implement the Learning Continuity Plan [additional rows and actions may be added as necessary]

Section Description Total Funds  Contributing
Pupil and Family Engagement and Outreach Blackboard: A digital platform through which the school sends voice, text, and email communication to stakeholders. $ 1,550 N
School Nutrition Food and food supplies for feeding students. $ 245,000 Y
Mental Health and Social and Emotional Well-Being PBIS Rewards: A digital platform on which staff members reward students for positive behavior. $ 1,800 Y
Mental Health and Social and Emotional Well-Being PBIS Store Items: A school store where students can redeem their PBIS Rewards points for items such as school apparel and school supplies. $ 10,000 Y
Mental Health and Social and Emotional Well-Being Student Services Team: A team of staff members to support students in academics, behavior, attendance and social-emotional wellbeing. $ 400,000 N

Increased or Improved Services for Foster Youth, English Learners, and Low-Income Students

Percentage to Increase or Improve Services  Increased Apportionment Based on the Enrollment of Foster Youth, English Learners, and Low-Income students 
33.94% $ 847,655

Required Descriptions

[For the actions being provided to an entire school, or across the entire school district or county office of education (COE), an explanation of (1) how the needs of foster youth, English learners, and low-income students were considered first, and (2) how these actions are effective in meeting the needs of these students.]

Students who have special needs and challenging barriers to access their education equitably are a priority in developing plans for school improvement. The proportional increase in funding received by the school on the basis of the number and concentration of low-income students, English learners, and foster youth is 33.94%. The school considered the needs, conditions, and circumstances of unduplicated pupils as a result of COVID-19 by initiating systems to support communication, outreach, technological support, and distance learning for these students and their families. Technological resources and support for students who do not have access to computers or internet connectivity at home are an ongoing priority as these are prerequisites to accessing distance learning content and classes. Initial outreach efforts placed a priority on ensuring that all students who needed support connecting were provided with the hardware and coaching they needed to engage as quickly as possible. In order to ensure that the aspects of the plan for connecting students were as easy as possible for students and families undergoing hardships due to COVID-19, we distributed technology at a location off campus which was more geographically convenient to our families’ residences.

 

A reallocation of staff resources to do active outreach to students and families was also a crucial component of the plan for best meeting the needs of foster youth, English learners, and low-income students. A system was identified to create and track active outreach immediately when students were not able to engage as expected in their learning to help ensure that barriers to accessing educational materials could be quickly identified and mitigated appropriately. 

 

School nutrition was another priority, specifically for low-income students who depend on school for nutritious meals. A system was designed and quickly implemented after school closure to ensure continuity of food distribution. This system remained in place throughout summer due to the challenges many families were facing throughout the COVID-19 lockdown and continued into the 2020-2021 school year. Off site distribution was identified as a mechanism through which students and families could have easier access to pick up their meals.

[A description of how services for foster youth, English learners, and low-income students are being increased or improved by the percentage required.]

The needs, conditions, and circumstances of low-income students, English learners, and foster youth require increased and improved services to equitably access their education. The unique needs, conditions, and circumstances of low-income students, English learners, and foster youth include inequitable access to the technologic resources needed to connect to a distance learning class, inequitable access to nutritious meals, and the need for supplemental academic support.

 

For in-person learning, instructional materials are selected which help improve equitable access for low-income students, English learners, and foster youth. For example, curriculum with translated materials and intervention curriculum to address gaps in learning facilitate access to lessons. For distance learning, school issued chromebooks, hotspots, and technological outreach and support meet the needs of English learners or low-income students who otherwise would not have been able to connect to their distance learning classrooms and assignments. Increased and improved services for pupil learning loss include outreach staff to maintain lines of communication with families, tutors and paraprofessionals to provide targeted academic support, and summer school and credit recovery opportunities. For mental health and social and emotional well-being, increased and improved services include a Positive Behavior and Intervention Support (PBIS) system. Lastly, our nutrition program has continued to ensure the availability of nutritious meals for low-income students, English learners, and foster youth.