Dear Upper Arlington families,
As we prepare for a transition to all-in learning beginning on March 1, we are again offering families one last opportunity to request a change in their student’s learning pathway — either school-based or the Online Academy.
Please watch this video for an overview of the learning pathways if you are considering a change of learning pathway, and you may review our updated Responsible Restart Plan for an overview of all-in learning and the health and safety precautions. Please also keep in mind the important academic considerations for either pathway included below in this email.
We will be accepting pathway change requests from Tuesday, February 16 through midnight Sunday, February 21, and we need you to make your decision as early within that window as possible.
Only families interested in changing their child’s learning pathway effective March 1 need to complete this form. If you want your child to remain in their current pathway, you don’t need to do anything.
Families will be notified by February 25 if their request is able to be approved. Any requests that are granted will be for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.
Academic considerations - Online Academy (OA)
If you are considering joining the Online Academy (OA) at this stage of the school year, please keep the following in mind.
The OA is monitored and supported by UA teachers. However, with a few exceptions at K-5, the OA provides support and review sessions, not live classes or instruction.
Students may work ahead at their own pace, but they must maintain adequate progress.
The OA staff will do everything possible to align the content pacing of entering students, but classwork and curriculum content will not match up directly between OA and the school-based pathway.
In K-5, we offer limited live class sessions, and parents take on a significant role as learning partners with their children.
In grades 6-12:
Students work independently with support through office hours and communication with a teacher.
Core subjects have a content teacher aligned to the subject.
Electives have monitoring teachers who support students but may not have expertise in the content.
Students will not be guaranteed the electives they had in the building. They will most likely need to replace their electives.
Academic considerations - school-based pathway
If you are considering leaving the Online Academy (OA) for the school-based pathway (all-in learning beginning March 1), please keep the following in mind:
We will schedule what we can and prioritize kindergarten, first grade and seniors.
We will not guarantee the placement of any requests at this late stage of the school year.
Generally speaking, students in the OA have been able to work ahead, at their own pace. Content pacing will not be aligned for those students who return to the school based pathway.
Please email us at [email protected] with any questions, and as always, we thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Andy Hatton, Ed.D.
Associate Superintendent of Learning and Leadership