Spring 2020 featured CISD, along with schools around the globe, scrambling to adapt as the pandemic closed its 11 campuses. This fall, teachers and administrators worked to create both virtual and in-person offerings for their students. And now, with almost a year of pandemic life under its belt, Carroll is prepared for the upcoming semester.
Flashing Back To Fall
When the school year started in late August, parents and students were given the option to go back to the classroom or enroll in Dragon Virtual Academy. During the first grading period, 56% of parents signed their kids up for in-person instruction while 44% signed their kids up for virtual learning.
“While there have been challenges during the first half of the year, overall we have had a successful first semester where we have been able to continue to offer our parents [choices] in instructional platforms for their children,” says Dr. Janet McDade, the assistant superintendent for students services.
To keep track of their COVID cases, the district also launched a dashboard that records all the active and recovered cases in the district.
“The fall semester has been unlike any other we have experienced, but I think the thing we have been most impressed with is our student’s ability to roll with the flow and adapt to the new safety protocols and the new learning platforms at school,” says Dr. McDade.
Planning For The Spring
“We will continue to offer parent’s instructional choice during the spring semester,” Dr. McDade says. “The district will continue to follow the same safety protocols that we have had in place since the first day of school.”
The spring semester will also mark the beginning of the tenure of CISD’s new superintendent, Dr. Lane Ledbetter. Dr. Ledbetter was named the lone finalist last year and comes to Carroll with 27 years of experience, serving most recently as superintendent of Midlothian ISD.
Leaning On The Teachers
“While we have not conducted formal feedback sessions, we have received a lot of feedback over the semester,” Dr. McDade says. “Our teachers are understandably tired, and this type of instructional model is not ideal, but our teachers are happy to be back in the classroom.”
Jeremy Jennings, a math teacher at Eubanks Intermediate School, says the spring wasn’t necessarily harder, but definitely different.
“The spring was challenging because the pandemic caught everyone off guard, and out of an abundance of caution forced school districts across the country to send learners home to learn virtually,” Jeremy says. “Since that time, however, a lot has been learned. We have had time to plan to welcome learners back to campus and prepare to receive learners online.”
No matter what schooling has looked like, CISD students have proved to be resilient.
“While we may not know what 2021 will look like, I know our Dragon staff, students and parents will rally together,” Dr. McDade says.