CROWLEY — As the new school year approaches, districts in Acadiana are preparing their virtual options for students.
For some, this will be a new experience for staff, parents and students.
So far, about 2,000 students in Acadia Parish have registered for A+campus, the school system's online learning environment.
Through the CARES Act, all students, teachers and administrators will receive a tablet.
"Every Pre-K, kindergarten and first-grade student will have a handheld Chrome[book] tablet," explained Superintendent Scott Richard. "That is a touch device. It's touch simply due to research showing that our younger kids are more developmental, and they learn better touching a screen."
The virtual lessons for a student can be done anytime any day, but the virtual day for a teacher is their normal hours.
Firstly, the student will log into their Edgenuity account. Once logged in, they will be given a course map for that day.
"For example, if I log in on August 18th, I would start with whatever is here for August 18th, do my direct instruction, and then there's also a vocabulary assignment that goes along with it for that day," said Virtual Learning Program Manager Ashley Cressione.
The lessons are prerecorded by certified teachers.
Every assignment has a due date, and students have the opportunity to move ahead and complete future assignments.
The unit tests or cumulative exams will be locked pending a teacher’s approval.
Once the child is able to take the test, the student or parent will call their virtual teacher, school or A+campus location to schedule a time.
Students will take their test at their school or at the school board’s educational center.
"It's very flexible. If they get to the test on Tuesday, but Mom's not off work until Thursday morning or whatever the case may be, that's okay," said Cressione. "We just encourage them to call and schedule that appointment as soon as possible."
Outside help is also available.
"They will have a teacher assigned to them that they can contact initially," explained Cressione. "If they need specific assistance in a certain content area, we'll have people available to tutor them in that content area. They can reach out by phone, email, video conference."
During this transitional phase, administrators are asking parents for their patience, cooperation and help with monitoring their children.
"Everything's not going to be perfect right at first," said Richard. "There's going to be a lot of trial and error, but we're confident that working together, the school system and the parents and the students, that we can provide a high-quality education through our A+campus."
Registration is open until Wednesday, August 5. The first day of school is Monday, August 17.
For more information, click here.
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