R1CC and R9CC collaborated with the Departments of Education in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Illinois, and Iowa to create a community of practice (CoP) that will support districts in assessing the quality of remote or hybrid teaching models. Ensuring that students participating in a remote learning setting receive the same rigorous academic instruction and social-emotional support as students attending school in person is important. Moving school systems to a remote learning environment is not just a technical problem. It is a pedagogical and instructional challenge. Teaching online requires specialized skill sets including understanding of how to conduct classes in a virtual environment, how to best share content, how to monitor student progress, and more. Teachers in this situation are most likely starting from the basics, learning the tools as well as how to manage and teach in an online classroom.
R1CC and R9CC convened the CoP participants to explore existing measures, identify new measures, and develop a framework that CoP members and other districts or school leaders can use to assess their remote and hybrid learning models. The project prioritized three constructs to start—student engagement, parent engagement, and teacher working conditions.
R1CC and R9CC staff facilitated cross-regional CoP meetings that included state, district, and school leader stakeholders from each state. During the CoP meetings, facilitators supported participants in (1) reviewing the pre-developed list of measures and assessing their applicability in a remote/hybrid environment and (2) identifying new or revising existing measures. R1CC and R9CC staff collaboratively developed a framework for district leaders to use to assess the quality of remote/hybrid learning incorporating the measures discussed in the CoP.
The CoP will consider implementing a similar process for other constructs critical to remote and hybrid learning including measures of student and educator mental health, food access, wraparound services, educator evaluation, and subgroups of students such as students with disabilities and ELs.
Learn more about this work in a recent blog from our partner, Region 9 Comprehensive Center.