Q: Will Clarkson Virtual be different than the at-home learning we experienced in the spring of 2020?
A: Yes, Clarkston Virtual will utilize a rigorous curriculum to stay consistent with what is done in seated classrooms. Classes will be supported by highly-skilled, thoughtful, and caring Clarkston Community Schools certified teacher mentors utilizing the same academic standards and assessment goals. Small group and individuals supports and lessons will be available. Clarkston students will not have daily attendance or login times, but learning will be flexible and self paced supported by certified teacher mentors. Clarkston Virtual teacher mentors will be monitoring student progress and pace and will be available daily to support students. Both in person and virtual meetings will be conducted to support both students and family needs. Parent and student resources will be shared at the start of the year with continued support throughout the school year to ensure students and families are successful. Students and families will have access to class resources, progress, and grades.
Q: Will my child have access to Clarkston teachers?
A: Yes, Clarkston Virtual utilizes the amazing teaching staff at Clarkston Community Schools to support students as teacher mentors. Students will have one teacher mentor to guide all classes (not a separate teacher mentor for each class).
Q: What is a teacher mentor?
A: In Clarkston Virtual, a mentor is a certified Clarkston Community Schools teacher who has the responsibility to connect with students regularly to ensure students are on track with their learning, support students with questions, support families in the transition to virtual, and support the social and emotional aspects of students.
Q: How will students be grouped with their mentors?
A: Students will be grouped with their mentor taking many things into consideration including but limited to grade level, traditional school residence, classes enrolled in, family members, as well as groups of students working together. If you are forming a pod, please please notify Ken Janczarek at kpjanczarek@clarkston.k12.mi.us so all students would have the same Clarkston Community Schools Mentor.
Q: Will Clarkston Virtual follow the same calendar as traditional school?
A: Yes, Clarkston Virtual will follow the same calendar as traditional schools, but students will have 24-hour access to their online platform. Students will have the same holiday schedule as traditional students.
Q: Which online platform Clarkston will be using?
A: Y5-5th grade students will be using Lincoln Learning, and 6th-12 grade will use Pearson Connexus.
Q. If I enroll my student in Clarkston Virtual can we switch back when the entire district goes back to face-to-face instruction?
A. By enrolling in Clarkston Virtual, you are committing to a full semester or year in the program, regardless of the learning model our district is participating in. If you wish to transfer out of Clarkston Virtual, you may do so at the semester break with advance notice.
Q. I’ve already enrolled in Clarkston Virtual but would like to transfer back to Face-to-Face Instruction with the Distance Learning Contingency. Can I switch back?
A. Withdrawals from Clarkston Virtual were accepted until Monday, August 17 at 12pm. Due to staffing reasons, transfers will not be granted after this deadline.
Q: If students wanted to take a Friday off, could they?
A: Yes, students will be working on the online platform at their own pace. Attendance is not taken and there are no set log-in times (mentors will use mentor logs to meet attendance requirements.) If students are ahead of schedule they could continue to work ahead of schedule and complete their classes early, or take a day off.
Q. Will my teacher mentor also be teaching traditional face-to-face classes to students in school buildings?
A: No, Clarkston Virtual teacher mentors are designated educators who have committed to support the Clarkston Virtual program and are not concurrently teaching face-to-face classes in buildings.
Q: What if I have a group of friends with kids all the same age and we all chose to do Clarkston Virtual. Would we be able to collaborate and work together supporting our kids?
A: Absolutely, that would be 100% up to the families. The students would all be working through the same virtual platform. If families choose to do this it would be up to them to work out the arrangements for gathering, etc. If families chose to do this, please notify Ken Janczarek at kpjanczarek@clarkston.k12.mi.us so all students would have the same Clarkston Community Schools Mentor.
Q: If my child needs additional support will that be available?
A: Yes, there will be many layers of support for students who need it provided by your child’s Clarkston Mentor and Teachers. In elementary, there will be small group and individual instruction available both in-person and online. In secondary, there will be an additional support to answer questions and teach small lessons when needed. Clarkston Mentors will be contacting students and families weekly to discuss the progress and pace of students, but will also be available daily to support student needs.
Q: My wife and I will be working from home in the fall, will there be mandatory times to log into the computer or meetings during the day?
A: No, there will not be mandatory times to log into the computer or weekly meetings. Clarkston Virtual will be a self-paced virtual program. If additional supports are needed there may be times during the day where a Google Meet would take place.
Q: Would my student be able to finish classes early or work on classes at their own pace?
A: Because Clarkston Virtual is a 100% virtual program, students will have the ability to work on classes at their own pace as well as complete them early. The requirements for the classes would be for each student to complete the classes on their schedule each semester. If students choose to work on two classes at a time and rotate through that is okay, just as long as they finish all of them before the end of the semester.
Q: If Virtual does not work out or we choose to move back to the traditional buildings, will that be an option?
A: Yes, students will be able to move back to their school building at the semester break or at the end of the school year. Families will have to give notice through their mentor that this is what they are wishing to do. Clarkston Mentors will keep families up to date with this information.
Q: Would my child be able to participate in athletics while being part of Clarkston Virtual?
A: Yes, students enrolled through Clarkston Virtual will have the opportunity to participate in school sports. Other extracurricular opportunities for 2020-2021 are to be determined.
Q: What if I only have one computer to share between my children and my family as we are working from home?
A: Don’t worry, Clarkston Community Schools is now a 1:1 district for technology which means each of your children will be able to utilize a district-owned Chromebook for the 2020-2021 school year.
Q: Will there be supports for families as they make this transition into Clarkston Virtual?
A: Yes, families will be given a great deal of information at the start of the year, updated through the year, and staff will be able to support whatever needs arise.
Q: How will I be contacted regarding my child’s progress if enrolled in Clarkston Virtual?
A: Clarkston Mentors will be in contact with families regarding the pace and progress of Clarkston Virtual students. Just like a traditional school, there will be progress reports, learning feedback documents or report cards, and parent-teacher conferences. Parents will also have 24-hour access to the progress and pace of their children.
Q: Will parents have access to what students have to do for the entire semester to plan better as a family?
A: Yes, families will have access to know everything that is required for the semester from assignments to activities. Families will be able to plan accordingly to support their family needs.
Q: If I have a second-grade student and an eleventh-grade student how much time will they be working each day and how much support will I need to offer them as a parent?
A: Consistent with traditional classrooms, there is a progression of independence with virtual learning. Students in the lower grades will need assistance with some of their work while students in the upper grades need less assistance with their work but just as much encouragement to continue to keep their grades up. The level of support regardless of the grade has a great deal to do with the individual student. As far as the number of hours students will be working daily also has to due with their grade level.
Secondary students would be working about the same amount of time they were in traditional classes, 5-6 hours with homework. Core classes like math and ELA obviously take more time than electives. As far as elementary students, students will not be expected to work more than they did in traditional schools and mentors will be working closely with families regarding their pace and progress.
Q: What if I have a second-grade student but they are reading at a third-grade level?
A: All of the curriculum we will be utilizing will allow us the flexibility to move students forward or backward based on their academic progress. In the elementary grades, Clarkston Virtual teacher mentors will be closely monitoring student pace and progress while commuting with families to make these adjustments.
Q: Will my child be sitting in front of the computer all day every day?
A: No, we will work with your mentor to create a schedule to best suit your child and family if needed. There will also be times where students will receive an assignment online, work in a different mode, and then upload their assignments or answers.
Q: Can my child still participate in secondary electives like band but also take classes through Clarkston Virtual.
A: Yes, secondary students will have the opportunity to take classes both online through Clarkston Virtual as well as seated classes in the building.
Q: Will Clarkston Virtual teacher mentors have the ability to manage what my student is working on based on progress and performance?
A: Yes, Clarkston Virtual teacher mentors will manage the curriculum content that Clarkston Virtual students are using. If a student has shown mastery in an area, the teacher mentor will be able to eliminate that section in order for the student to continue progressing. This is also true for students who need additional support. Clarkston Virtual teacher mentors will be able to upload support materials for students who are struggling in a particular area.
Q: What about state and local assessments?
A: Clarkston Virtual students will be taking all state and local assessments. Students in grades K-3 will be taking a reading assessment and students in higher grades will continue to participate in the M-STEP, PSAT, and SAT.
Q: Will there be a cost for families to enroll in Clarkson Virtual?
A: No, Clarkston Virtual has zero costs to families and all in-district residents may enroll now through August 17 at noon using our in-district enrollment form
Q: Will there be live instruction to support the students learning?
A: Yes, students will be working through the Clarkston Virtual online platform at their own pace, but at any point, if they are struggling with an activity or assignment their Clarkston Virtual mentor will support them through a Google Meet or set up a time to meet and support the student.
Q: Will Clarkston Virtual teacher mentors be able to customize the curriculum to meet the individual needs of students.
A: Yes, the Clarkston Virtual curriculum will be completely managed by Clarkston Virtual teacher mentors.
Q: What if a student is struggling with a specific concept or subject?
A: We recommend that students reach out to their mentor and set up a time to get additional supports. Getting support in virtual is just like raising your hand in class to get additional help.
Q: How will students enroll back into traditional in-person learning at school?
A: At the end of the semester, Clarkston Virtual teacher mentors will communicate with families about when they would need to make this decision. Just like enrolling in Clarkston Virtual, families would simply complete a Google Form notify us of your intent. Clarkston Virtual staff would then work with traditional schools to build appropriate schedules for students as well as transition plans.
Q: Will elementary students have similar experiences in Clarkston Virtual that they do in a traditional school?
A: Clarkston Virtual will work to incorporate as much as possible into the elementary school experience through Clarkston Virtual. These experiences will include daily meetings with mentors, small group instruction, small group social-emotional groups, as well as individual lessons. Because Clarkston teachers will be serving as mentors, they will be able to bring their best practice into the virtual environment including both academic and social-emotional.
