As KSD transitions to online school, the administration decided that grades received during this period of “e-Learning” can only help, not hurt, students’ overall class grades. In a document outlining these grading instructions, teachers are instructed to put all online grades into a certain e-Learning section on Infinite Campus. Online learning grades will not affect prior class grades until online learning ends, and only if the online learning grade is higher than the prior class grade.

The e-Learning grade, if higher, will count for one third of the whole summative assessment grade, and the “in-progress” grades from earlier in the semester and later in the year will count as two thirds. This section will appear on Infinite Campus once school officially resumes on Thursday, March 26.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Screenshot of the online grading instructions sent to teachers from administration.

Students should have received emails from their teachers by the end of the day on Wednesday. Dr. Mike Havener, KHS Principal, sent a video announcement to students and families answering common questions about e-Learning. 

Teachers will post a “week at a glance” on Schoology which will look different for each class, and students should be checking Schoology and their school emails daily. According to Havener, teachers will also be able to take attendance based on whether or not a student logs into Schoology. If a child is sick, parents should call in to the office like normal. 

Some teachers may choose to use Zoom, a video conferencing tool, to hold a live class, which must be during the usual class time during the week. Classes will follow the usual schedule, with all seven periods Monday, Tuesday and Friday, and block days Wednesday and Thursday. Teachers will record Zoom sessions so students who are unable to attend the live session can watch later. Students should let their teacher and grade level principal know if they are experiencing Zoom issues, said Havener. 

Students in SSD, an IEP or a 504 plan should hear from their case manager periodically throughout the district closure. The normal support staff will be available throughout the school day, including school counselors and social workers. Teachers will also be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, so students can ask questions.

And while e-Learning grades will not count against prior class grades, Havener still encourages students to do their best. In an email to TKC, he said he is confident each student will “rise to the occasion” and that the district is there to support students through this process “at all levels.”

Havener ends his video with a message for all KHS students:

“Students, I know you’ve got this. You are going to continue to rise to the occasion, and here’s what I’ll leave you with: They can lock the doors on us, they can tell us we can’t come to the campus, but they can never take away being a Pioneer. Once a Pioneer, always a Pioneer, doesn’t matter where, doesn’t matter when. And you know I can’t come on here and record this without one last message of: It’s a great day to be a Pioneer.”

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