April 22, 2020\r\n
\r\nDear Ridgefield Families,
\r\nState Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal announced new rules that Washington state school districts must follow concerning student learning and grading. You can use this link to read the document in its entirety. This guidance will enhance statewide consistency while still allowing for some local flexibility.
\r\nWhat does this new guidance mean for our students?
\r\nK-6th:
\r\n- End of year report cards will have an asterisk (*) in the final grading column. This will denote that the grading period was interrupted by the COVID-19 closure.\r\n
- Teachers will communicate individual student engagement and growth related to essential standards.\r\n
7th- 8th:
\r\n- End of year report cards will have an asterisk (*) in the final grading column. This will denote that the grading period was interrupted by the COVID-19 closure.\r\n
- Teachers will communicate individual student engagement and growth related to essential standards.\r\n
- Staff will continue to provide weekly "expectation" grades.\r\n
9th-12th:
\r\n- End of year report cards will have a COVID-19 designator, developed by the State. This will denote the grading period was interrupted by the COVID-19 closure.\r\n
- Semester grades were frozen as of March 17. Students may improve grades in their individual classes, but will not be assigned any final grades lower than the grades they earned in their classes as of March 17. \r\n
- The grading scale will be A-D, with the addition of an "I" for an Incomplete grade. An "F" grade may not be given for the final semester. If a student's grade on March 17 was an "F" and was not improved through distance learning, the student will be assigned an "I."\r\n
- Any "I" grade will result in no credit being awarded for that semester course. Students receiving an "I" will work with the high school regarding opportunities to earn the credit through a variety of options.\r\n
- Staff will be providing feedback to students/parents about how to improve their proficiency in grades.\r\n
The District's "Continuity of Learning" Plan will be adjusted to reflect this new guidance from OSPI.
\r\nWe understand this is a global pandemic, a once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) event that is rocking the world we know. For some families, nearly everything has changed. For others, perhaps the impact has been less severe. Our team recognizes that different families desire and need different amounts of learning opportunities. The goal is to provide as many learning experiences as possible to align with "regular" school closely, and that includes specialties like art, music, PE, etc.
\r\nUnderstandably, those may not be a priority for you and your children right now. You can select where you draw the line, the learning your children engage in, and the learning that you choose for now to take a pass on. Those opportunities will be there later as well if you decide to opt-in at that point. We do not want families trying to do more than they can handle at any given point; it leads to frustration and diminishing returns. I know in my family we are using the beach analogy, slowly wading in, and then venturing a little farther at a time as we become comfortable with the waves and water temperature. We expect we will get better with this over time as a family. This line of thinking gives us permission to extend some grace to ourselves, the school district, and everyone else. We're all going through this for the first time.
\r\nWe are here to support you and your family. Please let me know if we can be of any additional assistance.
\r\nStay well and remain #RidgefieldResilient.
\r\nSincerely,
\r\n
Dr. Nathan McCann
\r\nSuperintendent