E-Learning Plan

E-Learning days are taken in lieu of emergency days when a District has an approved plan filed with ISBE.  E-Learning Days may not exceed the maximum number of emergency days (5) annually.  Remote learning days are decided by the governor. 

Please review the E-Learning Preparation Checklist at the school level to ensure that the school is ready to implement e-learning in case of emergency days.

Educators create an e-learning daily plan for an AM and PM schedule to be submitted to school leadership based on a date set by school leadership but no later than November 1. Samples below are: 

• HERE
• HERE

The Superintendent or designee will evaluate the specific situation that may require the use of an E-learning Day and make the decision to use the E-learning Day with considerations for health and safety. 

The announcement of an E-Learning Day will be made as soon as possible but no later than 5:00 am on the morning of the emergency. The announcement will be made through the standard modes of communication used by the school district (district email, District website, Facebook, and Twitter).

In the event of an E-learning Day, all efforts will be made to communicate with District 65 educators, support staff, and administrators with as much notice as possible. The decision will be formally communicated via District 65 staff email accounts with additional communication sent via phone and text. Please note that communication of the decision and any related instructions will likely be sent both by district and school leaders. 

Please ensure that your personal contact information remains up-to-date with the Human Resources Department. Change of Employee Information forms can be found on the HR Employee Website.

Educator/Staff Communication:
Upon approval of the plan, the District will engage school leaders to support communication and awareness efforts with both their staff and families. School leaders may use communications developed by the District’s Communications Department to proactively build awareness but also be prepared with a standard communication in the event E-Learning Days are enacted.

As part of other annual notices and communication to educators, e-learning expectations and planning guidance will be shared at the beginning of the school year. Other topics may include emergency drills, sub plans, evaluation, and other required tasks to be implemented by educators. By providing the communication annually at the beginning of the year educators will have a clear plan and expectations that can be enacted when needed. This should exceed the 30 day requirement. 

Initial communication of the e-learning plan will occur using these methods once approved regardless of the time of year. 

Community Communication: 
Upon approval of the District’s e-learning plan, a communication plan will be enacted in order to build awareness of the model, expectations, and resources to support ongoing teaching and learning. To ensure convenience and accessibility, the plan will be posted and available year-round on the District 65 website which can be translated in dozens of languages. In addition, a high level summary and frequently asked questions will be developed to supplement communication efforts.

To increase awareness of the availability of the plan, a combination of email, phone, and text communications will be sent to families.

To more broadly engage our community in the release of the e-learning plan, the District will also include announcements in our Fast Five community newsletter along with social media postings on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The District will also tap into family and community partners to support outreach and awareness efforts with an emphasis of meeting families where they’re at and working to build a clear understanding of what to expect as it relates to e-learning in District 65.

Additionally, information regarding e-learning will also be added to the Student Handbook.

Initial communication of the e-learning plan will occur using these methods once approved regardless of the time of year. 
 

District 65 will ensure that all students have access to 5 clock hours of instruction or work as required by the Illinois school code for students participating in E-Learning Days. The instruction will be a combination of synchronous and asynchronous work that is designed and appropriate based on the age/grade level of the student.

Teachers will utilize our current online platforms to deliver instruction, directions, and assignments (examples include Remind, Seesaw, and Google Classroom). These provide a secure learning network for teachers, students, and schools. It provides a safe way for us to connect, share content, access classrooms, participate in discussions, and receive important class information or announcements.

Educators may also utilize some of our online programs to support the asynchronous learning that students are all familiar with and should be able to access/sign in independently. (Example: Ready Rosie, MyOn, ST Math, BrainPop, Newsela, Desmos, StudySync, etc.)

• Students are expected to join the synchronous learning sessions and complete the synchronous and asynchronous work during an emergency day. 
• If a student cannot attend the synchronous learning window, they are to notify their classroom teacher, who will provide an additional learning option to ensure that the student receives the 5 hours of learning required. 
• Students are expected to use the links provided in order to complete the items that are assigned.
• Students should utilize platforms to ask questions and communicate with staff.
• It is expected that students keep interactions online positive and constructive.
• Educators will monitor platforms and email and work to respond to student requests in a timely manner.
   

• Classes need to start on the times directed in this document with live instruction unless the school principal or designee has been notified of a necessary change. 
• Learning assignments and student expectations are posted no later than one hour prior to the start time on the E-Learning Day.
• Every class shall have a reasonable plan posted and aligned to state standards with assignments that are connected and aligned to current areas of learning in the course curriculum.
• Monitor and respond to school emails between the hours during the work day hours
• Provide work submission expectations when assignments, projects, activities, etc. are assigned
• Assign work that is appropriate in length based on individual grade levels/courses
• If a student cannot attend synchronous learning, an additional learning opportunity needs to be provided to allow the student to access 5 hours of learning. This could include a video of instruction, a reading that shares the learning the student needs from the lesson, etc. 
• Provide timely feedback for all required assignments
• Follow all attendance expectations as outlined within this plan
• Work with your school leadership team to address any attendance or technology concerns that a student or family may experience.

District 65 classrooms will execute the following plans to ensure full access inclusive of special education students and English learners with attention to meeting necessary mandates.  

The approach for supporting students during e-learning includes providing access to core grade level learning for all students as well as required support for students who have an IEP, language support plan, or a 504.  Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) requires school districts to develop programming based on students’ individual and unique needs; therefore, students will be provided with core and more during E-Learning Days. Please see the plan for various student groups below.

Paraprofessionals should stay connected with the student(s) or classroom(s) that they are primarily assigned to support. If the meeting link has not been provided by the classroom educator, the paraprofessional should request the Zoom/Google Meet link from the classroom educator and be prepared to support small group work in breakout rooms, etc. The paraprofessional should also be available to support their student in doing asynchronous work if a student requires support. This would involve issuing a Zoom or Google Meet link to work with a student(s).

Family Information
Families should notify the school if their child is unable or will not be present in the online learning in the same manner that is used to report a traditional absence.

It is important to note that attendance on the e-learning day will be counted in our student management system for attendance, PowerSchool.
Students accessing the instruction online will have an opportunity to complete an exit slip and/or have teachers take attendance which will allow us to electronically track their attendance.

Educator Information
District 65 will verify each student electronically with educators merging the sign-in report from zoom with record of work submissions in SeeSaw or Google Classroom. Students will be marked present for the day if they attend Zoom and/or submit classroom work via the learning management systems or by paper upon return to onsite learning.

• Initial attendance is completed within the first 15 minutes of the school day/class.
• Within 2 school days upon completion of e-learning, the educator will review classroom work via the learning management systems or by paper upon return to onsite learning to see if a student who was absent has completed work. In this case, the educator emails the name of the now present student to the school administrative assistant to update attendance from Absent to Present.
   

All students are provided access to learning.  

The majority of our students will access learning with District issued 1:1 learning devices (K-8).  The pre-kindergarten classes rely on learning packets.   

Mobile hotspots are available upon request to ensure that no student is left without internet access for their educational needs. Families in need of a hotspot should work with school staff, who can assist them in coordinating with building administrators to complete the Family Hotspot Request Form. Once approved, Building Technology Specialists will arrange for the distribution of the hotspots to students for home use. For more information, D65 staff members can review the Access to Affordable Internet for Families & HotSpot Request Process

Educators provide access to learning via zoom with the hyperlink and the phone number to provide an additional opportunity to access learning.  Educators are instructed to provide alternative assignments or extended time if a student does not have adequate materials at their learning site.

Non-electronic materials are available here and will be reviewed annually.

All D65 educators (teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals) have computers assigned to them that they take to and from work.  These devices have access to all necessary learning platforms for conducting e-learning.

If an educator is absent or unable to lead class on an e-learning day, the educator needs to enter the absence into Frontline as soon as possible. 

Primary Option: School leader assigns the class to a different school-based adult to cover the synchronous learning. The school leader emails support@district65.net to have the adult added as a co-host to the primary educators zoom link.  The zoom link is shared with the alternative adult who is covering the class. The alternative adult follows the primary educator’s e-learning lesson plan. 

If an adult cannot be assigned to the class, asynchronous learning needs to be assigned for the equivalent amount of time. 

For Kindergarten - Fifth Grade, asynchronous learning consists of:

• The asynchronous learning consists of the following:
  • Asynchronous learning in the primary e-learning plan (2.5 hours) lesson.
  • Choice Board for the Grade Level
    • English
    • Spanish

Since the primary educator is out, school leadership will need to communicate the change in plans with the classroom families and students. 

For Sixth-Eighth Grade, asynchronous learning consists of:

• A 20 minute asynchronous activity for each class the educator will miss.  Recommendations include social emotional learning tasks, journalling, reflections, logic or math puzzles.

Ongoing collaboration with educational committees, including representatives from DEC and other instructional bargaining units, will have opportunities to share feedback on the implementation of e-learning processes and support.  Feedback will also be used to align, guide and develop professional learning opportunities to ensure staff have opportunities to develop and strengthen use of technology systems and e-learning tools.  Families and caregivers will have opportunities to share feedback using this Google form with their children’s schools and with district administration for ongoing, continuous improvement.  The form will be issued at least annually when the District implements E-Learning Days. The feedback from the e-learning form will be reviewed in June annually to make revisions to the e-learning plan. 

Preparation:

• Ensure that all families have Zoom log-on information.
• Email the schedule, zoom link, and asynchronous activities and/or choice board activities in Remind for families. Sample communication:  HERE
• Provide practice lessons on accessing zoom and zoom tools and the appropriate platforms.

Class Time:

• Conduct a class meeting for a minimum of 20 minutes.
• Monitor email and Remind to support family questions. 
• Take attendance in PowerSchool after the close of the welcome meeting. If a student submits an activity after the e-learning day, email the administrative assistant within 3 days to update the attendance to indicate they were in attendance.
• Students are marked present if they attend the welcome meeting (via Zoom) or the student submits an activity from home to their teachers. 

After Class Time:

• Monitor email for student questions.
• Ensure attendance was submitted.
• Attend any previously scheduled collaboration meetings or prep times.

Related Services, Pull-out, or Small Group Support:
When additional services are required (related or IES educators pull out), the provider follows the District’s Pre-K schedule. The provider communicates with the general education educator and may join the e-learning classroom link, or the provider makes every effort to assign an asynchronous task aligned to the IEP goals for the student to complete. Services are provided during synchronous time through the e-learning IES educators link.

Preparation:

• Create an E-Learning Educator Plan by November 1, 2024 and submit the Principal or designee.
• Create an E-Learning Zoom Link (Steps for creating Zoom links for E-Learning are listed HERE) and add your School Principal, Assistant Principal and Co-Teacher (if applicable) as co-hosts.
• Post the Zoom link in SeeSaw or Google Classroom with the information for phone access for students who may not have wifi.
• Provide practice lessons on accessing zoom and zoom tools as well as accessing assignments in SeeSaw or Google Classroom.
• Verify your Zoom or Google Meets settings to ensure they are set the way you want them (waiting room, no entrance code, etc. - settings are the choice of the educator)
• Post any activities that your students will need for synchronous or asynchronous learning.
  • Educators may use the Grade Level Activity Board if they chose 
    • English
    • Spanish
• Email your families with the information for class; HERE is a draft communication email you may use to get started. 
  • Starting time and ending time
  • Zoom link
  • Any additional items you want students to have for class
  • Preferred way for families to communicate with you with hours that you will be available to support
• Provide the zoom link to the arts/PE teacher if your class has a special in the synchronous learning time window.
• PE/Specials Teachers - if your class is outside of the synchronous learning time, please post asynchronous assignments.
• Ensure that paraprofessionals, EL Educators or Special Education educators have the Zoom link to join your class.
• Provide clear directions on what evidence of learning should be submitted through SeeSaw/Google Classroom.

Class Time:

• Please arrive 5 minutes prior to the start of the school day to allow students to enter the classroom.
• Monitor the waiting room for any late arrivals
• Primarily focus on leading instruction using Zoom or Google Meets
• Take attendance in PowerSchool
  • Students are marked present if:
    • Attend synchronous learning -and/or- 
    • They complete and turn in assignments in SeeSaw and/or submit work upon return or in email
    • You can check zoom engagement by using the Zoom report
      • Reports will ONLY show:
        • the name the student signs in with or what they change it to in the meeting*
        • an email (ONLY if they are signed into Zoom)*
        • when they entered and left the class.

*Contingent on what settings you have chosen in your account/meeting

• Clearly communicate expectations for asynchronous learning time (assign tasks in SeeSaw/Google Classroom)
• Close class at the times designated on page 5
• If students would have a special (arts or PE) during the synchronous learning block then students will attend the class via zoom. It is recommended that the PE/Arts teacher joins the zoom of the classroom teacher and the classroom teacher makes the new teacher a co-host.

After Class Time:

• Ensure attendance was submitted
• Attend any previously schedule collaboration meetings or prep times
• Monitor SeeSaw/Google Classroom and email and/or the other preferred modes of communication. 
• Provide feedback to students when work is submitted. 

Preparation:

• Create an E-Learning Zoom Link (Steps for creating Zoom links for E-Learning are listed HERE) and add your School Principal, Assistant Principal and Co-Teacher (if applicable) as co-hosts.
• Post the Zoom link in Google Classroom with the information for phone access for students who may not have wifi.
• Verify your zoom settings to ensure they are set the way you want them (waiting room, no entrance code, etc. - settings selected by educator)
• Provide practice lessons on accessing zoom and zoom tools as well as accessing assignments in Google Classroom.
• Post any activities that your students will need for synchronous or asynchronous learning
• Period 1 educator - email your first period students with the time schedule for the day so they know what time starts and what the period times will be for the day.  Please check above for your school specific schedule and confirm with your school leader. HERE is a draft communication email you may use to get started. 
  • Starting time
  • Zoom link
  • Schedule for the day
  • Any additional items you want students to have for class

Class Time:

• Class starts at 8 AM - please arrive by 7:55 AM to allow students to enter the classroom and monitor the waiting room for any late arrivals
• Take attendance in PowerSchool
  • Students are marked present if they attend the zoom synchronous learning time and/or complete and turn in assignments in SeeSaw or Google Classroom.
    • You can check zoom engagement by using the Zoom report
• Clearly communicate expectations for asynchronous learning time (assign tasks in Google Classroom or Desmos/StudySync Learning Platforms)
• End class on time based on the schedule.
• Remind students about the start time of their next class and where to find the zoom (Google Classroom)

After Class Time:

• Monitor email for student questions and ensure attendance was submitted
• Attend any previously schedule collaboration meetings or prep times
   

• Review your schedule and determine which students you will be able to support in the regular time window. 
• Revise your schedule as needed to provide required support and minutes to students who require a different schedule.
• Create an E-Learning Zoom Link (Steps for creating Zoom links for E-Learning are listed HERE) and add your School Principal, Assistant Principal and Co-Teacher (if applicable) as co-hosts.
• Post the Zoom link or Google Meet link in the appropriate learning platform (SeeSaw or Google Classroom) and/or make sure you have the link to join the students class from your co-teacher.
• Email the families as needed based on support that is required to ensure the student can join the learning time.
• Please notify the child’s classroom teacher if the schedule is going to require the child to miss part of another class so the educator knows why they are absent from their class. 
• Post any activities that your students will need for synchronous or asynchronous learning
• Provide practice lessons on accessing zoom and zoom tools as well as accessing assignments in SeeSaw or Google Classroom.

 Share E-Learning Plan and expectations with educators by 10/15 and complete Leadership Checklist by 11/1.

Note: Schools should survey their school communities and/or gather information on families with the support of social workers to develop a list of families that would need wifi hotspots in order to access e-learning and learning from home during the first 2-3 weeks of school. Review the Access to Affordable Internet for Families & HotSpot Request Process and complete the Family Hotspot Request Form based on need. 

• Share the E-Learning Plan and actions steps at a building meeting prior to October 15. (Refer to Educator Checklist above)
• Ensure educators submit their E-Learning Plan by November 1.
• Verify that each student/staff has a device for e-learning i.e (Chromebook, iPad)
  • Middle School: 
    • Ensure students take devices home daily starting the first week of school.
    • If students are not taking devices home daily due to an individualized check in/check out system, a record must be maintained that is electronically accessible to know which students may not have access to learning on an E-Learning Day. A plan needs to be developed that allows students to take devices home if there is a chance of an emergency day being called and/or if a student needs a device delivered to their home or picked up from school to access learning. 
    • Develop a plan to provide a laptop to administrative assistants prior to an anticipated e-learning day and communicate this plan with the necessary staff.
  • Kindergarten to 5th Grade
    • Ensure students take devices home daily by November 1.
    • If students are not taking devices home daily due to an individualized check in/check out system, a record must be maintained that is electronically accessible to know which students may not have access to learning on an E-Learning Day. A plan needs to be developed that allows students to take devices home if there is a chance of an emergency day being called and/or if a student needs a device delivered to their home or picked up from school to access learning. 
• Follow up with families to determine new or additional need for hotspots to access learning at home.  Review the Access to Affordable Internet for Families & HotSpot Request Process and complete the Family Hotspot Request Form based on need. 
• Verify that educators have rostered students in Seesaw (K-2) or Google Classroom (3-8). This includes all educators for all classes including specials and physical education. You can temporarily join educators' Google Classroom classes by utilizing the "Visit a Class" feature.  Steps to do so are linked HERE.
• Classroom teacher provides practice lessons on accessing zoom and zoom tools as well as accessing assignments in SeeSaw or Google Classroom.
• Gather the Zoom or Google Meets links into a centralized document and share with the all school staff in case families need support accessing classrooms. Place in a centralized folder for District access if needed HERE.  HERE are steps on how educators can create a Zoom link and HERE are steps in how they can review Zoom host controls. 
• Ensure that you have a plan for who will answer the main school phone line. This can be done remotely by steps that must be completed to set up the process. It is an expectation that that main school phone line is answered and responded to on an e-learning day. Our buildings are closed but our schools are open. Slides for Phone Set Up

Sample Resources: 

• Sample School Based Communication (Lincolnwood)

• Rival 5 Phone Set Up
• Clever
  • Downloading badges
    • Admin (downloading for your entire school)
    • Classroom Teacher (downloading your entire class)
• Seesaw
  • Verify rosters (these should be automatically rostered)
  • Know how to post Activities
  • Students know how to log in and complete Activities
  • Seesaw Basics
  • How to Add Co-Teachers to your Class
• Google Classroom
  • Verify rosters (how to add students): Start at slide 3
  • Getting started with Google Classroom
  • How to Invite Co-Teachers to your Class
• Zoom
  • Do I have a Zoom account? (If not, contact instructionaltech@district65.net)
  • If you have a new Macbook computer and have not given permission to share your screen, follow these instructions.  
    • It is recommended to do this prior to E-learning days
    • If you still have issues, email support@district65.net
  • How to schedule a meeting
  • Where to post the Zoom link
  • Zoom Host Controls
  • How to Add an Alternative Host
  • How to Add a Co-Host
  • Other Zoom Options
    • Avoid Zoom Bombings (6-8) or need to see Zoom reports with participants?
      • When you are scheduling a meeting from the Zoom webpage, NOT THE APP, you would turn on “require authentication to join (prevent outside guests)”.  This will force students to sign into the app before joining which would capture their name and school email address.
      • Can this be done for other grades?  Yes, but keep in mind that signing in for younger students can be a little more complicated.
      • How to require authentication for iPad/Chromebook (enabling it and signing in)
        • This is how to create the meeting and have students sign in.
        • Please reach out to Instructional Tech if you have any questions in setting this up.
      • I want them to only change their name
        • iPad
        • Chromebook
      • FOR SECURITY: only allow students in your classroom that have the correct name (or preferred name on your roster).