PEABODY — Peabody Public Schools is reaching out to the community for feedback on its plans to implement a new, fully remote learning platform that may include a virtual learning school for students wishing to continue to learn from home in the future.
Community forums will be held on Tuesday, March 16, Wednesday, March 17, and Thursday, March 18 at 7 p.m. Links for participation will be shared this week with families, who will be given an opportunity to ask questions and to participate in a survey following the sessions.
The decision to implement the new plan is based on a finding that, while the district is returning to full, in-person learning through a phased-in transition beginning this month, there nonetheless is a strong desire and need among a large number of students and families for continued remote learning.
“Our remote learning program this year has been taught by Peabody teachers, synchronously, with Peabody students. That’s a huge part of the reason why I think our students found success through our program,” Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala said in a statement last week. “They were learning from our curriculum, using district resources and they maintained a connection to Peabody Public Schools.
“Students may opt for a more permanent remote-learning option for a variety of reasons, including medical reasons, social-emotional needs, concerns about the ongoing pandemic, or because they simply prefer it. Regardless of their reason, we know that we have the tools to create an engaging, personalized remote-learning opportunity for these students for years to come, and we’re excited to begin planning for what that will look like.”
“I am thrilled that this is happening,” said School Committee member Beverley Griffin Dunne. “There will always be a teacher involved in remote learning, which is really important. It’s great to be able to see the good things that have come out of the pandemic. I think it’s a great idea to have the remote program in an equipped standalone classroom setting with teachers, (which) is so much better than the current situation. Now, they need better equipment for teaching and they will have everything they need going forward with this new plan.”
Students and families have the option to continue remote learning through the end of this school year. A recent survey found that of the 487 elementary school students in pre-K through grade 5 who are currently fully remote, approximately 320 students have decided against returning to in-person learning, opting instead to remain remote through the end of the current school year.
Vadala said the district’s students have thrived in its remote-learning program this year and that through analysis of student performance from the start of the school year until January 2021, students district-wide demonstrated 60 percent growth in English Language Arts and 66 percent growth in mathematics. He said the improvement was seen regardless of students’ remote or hybrid learning models.
The district is considering options for remote learning next year, and Vadala said it will continue to consider other potential options.
The first option is a fully remote K-12 program that would operate as “its own, separate school within the district.” To do so, the district would need the approval of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which it has already applied for.
“Peabody Public Schools would be among the first, if not the very first, districts in the state to offer such a remote program,” Vadala said.
“A large number of students would benefit from this,” added Assistant Superintendent Dr. Chris Lord at the last School Committee meeting. “(Having more kids in remote) would also free up classrooms so teachers won’t have to roam from room to room.”
Lord noted the district is looking at an area behind the Peabody Learning Academy as a potential location for the virtual school.
The second option is an in-district program through which each remote student would be linked to his or her current school.
Vadala has appointed Lord as the executive director of remote learning and community partnerships. Lord will oversee the development, implementation and eventual operation of the fully remote, personalized virtual-learning program. Lord has worked directly with remote teachers this year to offer support, as well as oversee scheduling and logistics of a new remote platform.
“Our remote teachers did a phenomenal job engaging students this school year, and we saw that our students can and did succeed in a remote-learning environment,” Lord said. “This is an opportunity for our district to create a personalized virtual-learning program that can meet students where they are, and I’m looking forward to working with our teachers and staff, students and families to make this happen.
“If this (a virtual school) is successful, this could be the first accredited program in the state and could really put Peabody on the map.”
“We had been looking to improve our digital legacy before the pandemic, so this is extremely forward-thinking,” added Dunne. “I think it will be wonderful for our community.”
