The remote learning put in place by Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 during the COVID-19 pandemic proved helpful during three recent days of bad weather for which school buildings were closed.
The district went to its remote learning, or eLearning, model Jan. 12, Jan. 16 and Jan. 23, said Jeffrey Alstadt, District 181’s director of communications.
“We are not sure if we would have extended the year if we didn’t have the ability to transition to eLearning,” he said, referring to adding “snow days” to the end of the school year. “We know the importance of maintaining continuity in learning, so I’m sure we would have considered the possibility of e-learning in the absence of the pandemic.”
Alstadt said the experience during the pandemic created the need to develop the skill set necessary to offer a quality remote learning experience.
“While it will never replace live instruction, we are thrilled that our students receive synchronous instruction as part of our eLearning day,” he said.
The recent remote learning days went very well for the vast majority of students, Alstadt said.
“We have received positive feedback from parents and staff about our communication, instruction, and overall design of the day,” he said. “Our staff did a terrific job providing live instruction, troubleshooting technical glitches, and providing our students with a valuable learning experience.”
Alstadt said student attendance during the recent remote learning days was very good.
“Parents have the option to call their child absent, so we were very happy to see that we experienced a 92% attendance rate for the three days,” he said. “This compares very favorably with our daily attendance during the school year, which is slightly higher on a good day.
There are days when we see attendance below 90% on a ‘normal’ school day.”
While participating students spend their time on a computer during remote learning, rather than in a classroom, teachers keep the instruction as consistent as possible.
“In general, our emphasis on core instruction remains the same and only adjusted such ancillary aspects as the daily schedule,” Alstadt said. “We understand that any change to our regular schedule offers a challenge to parents, so we appreciate the understanding and support. We are also very proud of our staff for quickly transitioning and working together on behalf of our students.”
While a strong remote learning program is good to have in place, it won’t be used often, Alstadt said.
“We hope to only use eLearning for those rare weather conditions that create a safety hazard to our students and staff,” he said.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
