PEABODY — The district’s plans to offer a fully-remote learning program this fall are moving closer to reality despite Thursday’s Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE) announcement that all school learning (except for programs already in place pre-pandemic) this fall must be in-person.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Josh Vadala said he expects that Peabody’s Personalized Remote Education Program (Peabody P.R.E.P.) will be in place for students for the start of the school year in September.
“DESE’s guidance yesterday is in line with what we expected,” said Vadala. “They will not allow traditional in-person schools to offer hybrid or remote learning next year. Peabody plans for all of our current schools (eight elementary, Higgins Middle School and Peabody Veterans Memorial High) to be fully in-person. (That’s why) we have applied for a single-district virtual school because that is the only way to offer remote learning next year. It’s an additional option for our students who will benefit from it or need it.”
Vadala said virtual-learning schools have been around “for some time.
“The legislation to allow these community virtual schools isn’t new, but other than places like Tech Connections Academy and Greenfield MAVA, it really hasn’t been utilized before,” he said. “The Commission (Jeff Riley) has been really consistent with this since we started talking with him in March about this. We knew that a virtual program within our schools was not going to be an option in the fall, so we wanted to formalize a program that will be allowed.The only way to do that is to apply as a single-district program so the state knows we have accountability.”
The district based its decision to offer remote learning on an initial interest survey. The district followed with an online pre-registration to gauge the interest level. Vadala said the district is one of 13 seeking state approval for fully-remote learning. Approximately 140 K-12 students have informed the district they are committed to P.R.E.P.
“We had a lot of students who were happy with remote learning and wanted to finish out the school year remotely so as to limit disruptions,” Vadala said. “We know many of them will come back to in-person in the fall, but we still have many who are not keen on hybrids and who prefer remote learning. We believe that a portion of our population will benefit from this and we wanted to be out in front. This program will allow people to choose the program that works best for them.”
In an informational video posted on the district’s website, several persons indicated their strong preference for a fully-remote program.
“My child has learned so much this year,” said Jess Perrault, adding that her child has met many more people than she would have with in-person learning.
“Remote learning really gives students a more personalized learning experience,” said Erin Graham, a third-grade remote teacher.
Executive Director of Remote Learning Dr. Chris Lord said more than 1,300 students were involved in remote learning this year with approximately 800 still in remote.
Lord cited numerous reasons why P.R.E.P. presents a “perfect option” for learning
“The home is a better learning environment for some students. Also, personal time increases as there is less time spent on, or waiting for, buses and there is more free time for parents to spend with their students,” he said, adding that remote students can participate in after-school activities, such as clubs and sports.
The district has submitted an application to DESE. Vadala expects that he will receive feedback on the program by the first week of June. After that, the matter goes before the School Committee, then to the state for final approval. Once approved, students may begin the registration process.
Remote K-5 students’ daily routines will be “very much like it is now,” Lord said. Learning and teaching will be based on the current curriculum, just as the district does with in-person learning. At the high school and middle school levels, core academics (math, science, English, social studies) will be taught in the morning with electives taking place in the afternoon.
Fifth-grade student Yanna Felismino said she is excited about the future.
“This year has been an adventure for me and I can’t wait to see what’s ahead,” she said.
“This is probably the silver lining to the pandemic,” said Lord. “Students have experienced an extraordinary learning experience this year. Remote learning is becoming a part of the adult world that students need to be prepared for. It seems like the Peabody learning community wants to have an opportunity like this in the future for their children and we are going to provide it.”
