LYNN — To better prepare for the potential of remote learning when classes resume in the fall, the Lynn Public Schools plans to implement a learning management system over the summer.
A learning management system is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses.
Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler said at a School Committee meeting Thursday night that the new K-12 system will be a “key piece” of the three plans the school district has been tasked with preparing for the upcoming school year.
According to the guidance released by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Thursday, school districts are expected to create plans for all three fall reopening scenarios: in-person learning with safety requirements, a hybrid of in-person and remote learning, and a full remote scenario should there be another spike in virus cases.
“This cuts across all three of these sort of pieces of the continuum for the fall return beautifully,” said Tutwiler. “This is something you can use in the course of regular instruction and in a really robust way in the full remote scenario. It’s going to be a major, major piece of the work we’re doing.”
The school district considered six possible vendors, but ultimately chose Schoology, based on its ease of access, student and parent friendliness, communication platform, multiple languages and lower cost, according to Tutwiler.
LPS will pay $58,000 for the first year and $87,000 for the following two years under the three-year agreement with Schoology. The substantial discount in the first year is due to the school district’s existing relationship with PowerSchool, which acquired Schoology last year, Tutwiler said.
LPS already uses PowerSchool for its student management system.
By comparison, the school district would have been paying $109,000, $95,000 and $95,000 for three years with Canvas, and $92,500, $79,000, and $82,000 for a three-year deal with Brightspace, which were the two other finalists under consideration.
“This was not only the top vote-getter of that committee,” said Tutwiler, referencing the district team that evaluated the vendors. “It is also by far the least expensive. So, we’re pretty excited about this.”
School Committee member Lorraine Gately said she was pleased that the district chose a learning management system, but noted that some teachers have mentioned that they were nervous about using that kind of technology for instructional purposes.
“One teacher is really having anxiety around having to teach remotely in the fall,” said Gately, who cited that importance of professional development for teachers who may not be computer savvy.
The “onboarding process” will be the heavy lift of implementing the learning management system, Tutwiler said, in terms of getting students, parents and teachers familiar with the program. He said that work will be done over the summer to prepare for the fall return.
With the system, students will be able to upload complete assignments and teachers can gather data and track student learning, Tutwiler said.
“For this to work, people have to be familiar (with it) and can access it,” Tutwiler said.
