Dear Westville Parents and Guardians,
As we are halfway through our first official week of "Remote Learning," we wanted to help identify the process that will be used to calculate grades which will begin to be implemented next week. Due to the unique circumstances, the district is modifying the way it will calculate student grades during the fourth quarter and second semester. This will look slightly different at each school. Here are some general guidelines the district will use for all students and then specific details about how each school will implement them.
Remote Grading Principle
Any grade assigned during remote learning will be based on the principle of “no educational harm to any student,” activities and any grades used during remote learning may be used only to INCREASE a student’s academic standing. Activities will not be used to negatively hurt a student’s academic record.
Parent Guidance
Please remember, remote learning is going to be different than normal school. Many parents and students understandably, may be feeling a bit overwhelmed during this time. While we all have a desire for students to remain engaged while at home, please understand that families should focus first and foremost on their overall well-being: work together as a family when needed, play together as a family to stay connected, and when opportunities allow -learn together as a family (through the resources provided and/or from your own unique experiences).
Giacoma Students
Beginning the week of April 13, students at Giacoma will have their third quarter grades entered into the electronic grade book (Teacher Ease). This will set the baseline score for the grade in their subjects moving forward. Students will be able to improve the scores during remote learning (scores will not be decreased). Each week students will have opportunities to increase their score by completing activities for their class. Look for these activities in the remote learning plan posted each week on the district website. Participate in as many opportunities as you are able and these activities can add to a student’s overall score. If you miss an activity, more activities will be provided each week and there will not be a negative impact on the students overall score. Because kindergarten uses standards based grading, kindergarten students will be provided opportunities to continue mastering their elementary learning skills. Their final standard based report card will look very similar to the report they received at the end of third quarter.
Westville Junior High School Students
Beginning the week of April 13, students at WJHS will have their third quarter grades entered into the electronic grade book (Teacher Ease). This will set the baseline score for the grade in their subjects moving forward. Students will be able to improve the scores during remote learning (scores will not be decreased). Each week students will have opportunities to increase their score by completing activities for their class. Look for these activities in the remote learning plan posted each week on the district website. Participate in as many opportunities as you are able and these activities can add to a student’s overall score. If you miss an activity, more activities will be provided each week and there will not be a negative impact on the student’s overall score.
Westville High School Students
Beginning the week of April 13, students at WHS will have their third quarter grades entered into the electronic grade book (Teacher Ease). This will set the baseline score for the grade in their subjects moving forward. Students will be able to improve the scores during remote learning (scores will not be decreased). Each week students will have opportunities to increase their score by completing activities for their class. Look for these activities in the remote learning plan posted each week on the district website. Participate in as many opportunities as you are able and these activities can add to a student’s overall score. If you miss an activity, more activities will be provided each week and there will not be a negative impact on the student’s overall score.
Students who failed a high school course at the end of third quarter will need to pay close attention to opportunities provided to increase their grade. Students who failed a course third quarter (and who do not satisfactorily complete remote learning activities that can improve their grade) will be at risk of having to repeat the course.
Dual Enrollment and College Express Students
Danville Area Community College is continuing to provide instruction online. It is necessary for students to continue to follow along with DACC instruction online if they wish to receive their college credit. Students should have previous exposure with an online learning system called Blackboard. A quick start guide including user ID and password retrieval, tech support contacts, Blackboard basics, and using Collaborate Ultra (conferencing tool) - is at https://www.dacc.edu/online/bb-student-help Students can reach instructors via email/telephone- the directory = https://www.dacc.edu/directory Further questions can be directed to the College Express director at nchatterton@votec.k12.il.us
Credit Recovery
Students who were involved in the Credit Recovery Program through Project Success will have an opportunity to continue that program online. Those students should contact Mr. Goodlove or Mrs. Schaumburg to make arrangements to access the online credit recovery system. Failure to complete required credit recovery courses by students will impact graduation eligibility.
Do Students Need to Request Packets?
To promote good social distancing and minimize exposure, the district strongly encourages families that have technology access to use online activities as much as possible. If you have dependable access to technology, it is NOT necessary to additionally request a packet. Any family that does not have access to technology should contact their building principal to request hard copy resources each Friday by 1PM for the following week’s materials as needed. Principals can be reached by the following methods:
Giacoma = Mr. Ford Email = fordn@gowestville.org Phone = 267-2154 ext. 200
WJHS = Mr. Ellison Email = ellisonj@gowestville.org Phone = 267-2185 ext. 300
WHS = Mr. Goodlove Email = goodloveg@gowestville.org Phone = 267-2183 ext. 400
Conclusion
If you have any questions please contact your building principal using the information provided above. Westville School District is committed to providing for our students and community during this uncertain time. We miss our students and empathize with how difficult this is on our families. Please know that your safety and well-being is our highest priority as we navigate through this together.
Thank you for supporting our schools,
Seth Miller, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Westville School District