Reports struggles with remote learning
EDWARDSVILLE — Multiple parents attended the Edwardsville School District 7 Board of Education meeting on Monday to discuss the future of remote-learning for their children.
One parent presented information after conducting a survey of 452 district parents.
“Through this survey, we have learned that all grade levels are struggling to some degree with remote learning, but results show that high school and, even more so, middle school [students] are most negatively impacted,” Colette Poettker said.
She said the results show 33 percent of parents with kids learning remotely at the high school level are satisfied while 23 percent of parents with students on a hybrid schedule at the high school level are satisfied. At the middle school level, 29 percent of parents with kids learning remotely are satisfied while 25 percent of parents with students on a hybrid schedule are satisfied.
Poettker said most parents at the middle school level, and some at the high school level, are dissatisfied with the amount of live instruction their children are receiving.
The Illinois School Board of Education recommends 2.5 hours of synchronous learning during remote-learning per class each week. However, some parents say they are unhappy with the amount of synchronous learning being offered, especially at the higher levels.
When asked if they feel if their student is receiving an adequate amount of live instruction time at the K-5 level, 66 percent of parents feel that the live instruction time is adequate, while only 47 percent of students on a hybrid schedule are satisfied with the live instruction.
At the middle school level, 17 percent of parents with kids on a remote schedule said the amount of time was adequate. For the high school parents, 33 percent of parents with students learning remotely and 15 percent of parents with students on a hybrid schedule said the amount of synchronous learning was adequate.
A recommended duration of time for live instruction has not been included in District 7’s Return to Learn plan.
“In some levels, I feel like that is a bit arbitrary how that number [2.5] was reached. For instance, at a kindergarten level it’d be almost impossible to hold students for 2.5 hours of live instruction,” Superintendent Jason Henderson said in defense of not having set goals of synchronous instruction.
He added that at the middle school and high school levels, there is more live instruction occurring but said it can be improved.
“I don’t want to promise something and then not be able to deliver for every single person, but we are shooting for higher numbers of that live instruction,” Henderson said.