Camas Schools Clarifies Student Learning For Remainder of School Year

Camas School District (CSD) Superintendent, Jeff Snell, provided additional clarity today about how to assess student learning for the remainder of the school year.

He said the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) convened a task force to consider the challenges school districts are facing across the sate.

“Our staff has been working diligently to create meaningful learning experiences for your students,” he said. “They also want to provide relevant and helpful feedback to each student in their growth journey. Trying to determine an equitable way to assess student learning during these extraordinary times is very challenging. We appreciate the thought and care that went into this guidance, which you can access at Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance & Resources: https://bit.ly/2KDuAgR.” 

Below is a summary of how the Camas School District will assess student learning for the remainder of the school year, which includeS adjustments to the CSD high school model based on OSPI’s guidance.

“Your student’s schools and teachers will be communicating more details with you in the weeks to come,” said Snell.  ”Tomorrow, we will be sending a survey link to share feedback about the remote learning experience to date.  We’re hoping you can share what’s working and any feedback about how we can improve.”

Kindergarten through 5th grade

During this period of remote learning, each grade level team at every elementary school has identified essential standards for instruction beginning May 4. Grading and feedback for K-5 students will only be for those essential standards that each grade level team has identified. These are the same essential standards that are being used by teachers to design learning experiences for their students. 

Elementary school report cards will be completed at the end of the school year in June, like in previous years. For the third trimester, to align with OSPI’s expectations, each student will receive a mark of 2, 3, or 4 for the essential standards identified for this period. The language and rubric to be used for a 2, 3, or 4 are those currently displayed on the report card. Standards that were not addressed (those not identified as essential) will be left blank.

”The practice of teaching and learning continues during this time and our teaching staff is committed to providing engaging learning opportunities for each student and family,” said Snell. “Students are expected to participate and engage in the remote learning activities that are being provided by classroom teachers and specialists.“ 

Middle School

Final grades during remote learning for middle school students will be a pass or incomplete for non-high school courses. Middle school students taking high-school level courses will be graded in the same manner as high school students (see below).  Schools will provide continuous learning through the end of the school year and learning feedback to students and families about progress made on prioritized learning standards. This feedback will be used to help students transition into learning next year. 

High School (including any middle school classes for high school credit)

Teachers will provide continuous learning for each student. Students will be awarded letter grades in the C to A range, or receive an incomplete. Students have the opportunity to raise their grades from whatever their grade was on March 13, 2020, which was the last physical attendance date. That grade will be the baseline grade for the student moving forward. No grades will be lowered below that baseline grade if students engage with remote learning opportunities offered by their teachers. Teachers will assign grades or assign an “incomplete” for students that cannot engage in an equitable way. The schools will continue to provide multiple ways for students to engage. In the event an incomplete is assigned, there will be opportunities for students to convert that incomplete to a grade after the school year concludes.