Fairfax County Public Schools prepares for virtual learning

Instructional materials organized for students at Woodburn Elementary School. [FCPS]

Virtual learning this fall will involve less homework and plenty of time for off-screen group and individual activities, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand said during a town hall session Aug. 12.

When it’s safe to start bringing students back to school, Brabrand said, “we’ll bring back targeted groups in a cohort model.” 

Students will come in as a cohort and leave as a cohort and will not mix with others during the school day, he said. FCPS will monitor the success of the cohort groups, health conditions, and staffing levels before deciding to open more fully. 

Brabrand plans to present more details on this approach to the school board on Aug. 18.

The school day

Brabrand is urging teachers at all levels to limit the amount of homework assigned. “We have to make sure we’re not adding to students’ social emotional stress by overloading them with too much homework.” At the end of the day, “the last thing they need is homework with more work online.” 

Schools are also expected to infuse social and emotional support into the school day, Brabrand said. 

In response to concerns from parents about the early start time for middle school, he said he will propose temporarily changing the schedule. But the middle school start time will revert to the regular start time when schools reopen. 

The virtual instruction will feature all new material, and students will be graded, Brabrand said.

FCPS will be more flexible with attendance during virtual classes, he added. “We’re not going to penalize kids if they have to step away.” Teachers will be asked to record their virtual lessons so kids can access them later. 

“We’re not in normal times,” Brabrand said. “We need to adjust and give ourselves flexibility to do things differently.”

According to Brabrand, the first day of school should be less about sharing the syllabus and more about “connection and bringing the community back together.” 

Related story: FCPS superintendent offers more details about what virtual education will be like this fall

FCPS is using the extra time before the delayed start of school on Sept. 8 for teacher professional development. Sloan Presidio, assistant superintendent for instructional services. said teachers will receive training on revised policies and procedures, new curricula, updated testing programs, instructional technology, and planning their virtual learning environment. 

Teachers will also learn “how to create a learner-centered online environment,” said Nishi Langhorne, an instructional technology specialist at FCPS. 

Screen time

Several parents expressed concerns at the town hall about young children spending too much time on screens. 

Even during the synchronous instruction periods, when the teacher and students are together in real time – a lot of the learning will be in small groups or self-directed activities, Brabrand said.

For young children, the school day will have about two and a-half hours a day of synchronous education, said Presidio. They would spend the rest of the day in small groups; “specials,” such as art, music, and PE; independent activities that don’t require a computer; and breaks. 

Monday will be reserved for asynchronous work, such as independent activities and reading, as well as intervention time for students who need additional support to succeed academically. 

“We found in spring how resilient students can be,” said Leslie Leisey, a school-based technology specialist at Poplar Tree Elementary School and formerly at Mason Crest Elementary School in Annandale. Before the pandemic, the classroom teacher told them what to do. With virtual classes, students have to use executive functioning skills to organize their learning. 

If there’s a one-hour language arts block in a regular classroom, the teacher isn’t going to be talking to students for an hour, Leisey said. Students will spend part of that time working independently, with a partner or in a group activity. Virtual learning will be similar. 

Teachers can use Blackboard Collaborate to create small groups where students can interact with one another, she said. And instead of doing a presentation in front of a classroom, students will make a video recording of a research project. 

The role of parents

Presidio said there will be a virtual orientation for parents before the first day of school. 

A technology help desk will help students and families with trouble accessing their virtual classes. Support for parents will be multilingual. 

When asked how families can prepare their children for online learning, Leisey recommended setting up a learning space with room for reading, writing, and hands-on creative activities, as well as a computer. Parents should establish and maintain routines and ask children to show them what they are working on.

Langhorne encourages parents to set appropriate boundaries. She urges parents to turn off the computer at the end of the school day and plan an activity, such as a family walk or a backyard scavenger hunt. And to build strong, independent learners, parents should make sure children are typing in their own password. 

Self-care is important too, Langhorne said. “If students are not taking care of themselves, they are not going to be able to learn.” 

Parents need to be flexible, empathetic, and patient with their kids, she said. “Focus on what we’re gaining from this experience instead of what we’re losing.”