Prairie Grove implements ‘no harm to grades’ policy

PRAIRIE GROVE — Schools will use a “no harm to grades” policy when figuring students’ grades for the fourth quarter, according to Pete Joenks, assistant superintendent for the School District.

Joenks, addressing the School Board during a Zoom online meeting April 21, said school officials initially decided on outlining 10 tasks for students to master for their fourth-quarter grade while attending school from home. The fourth-quarter grade then would have been based on how many tasks a student mastered to the teacher’s satisfaction.

However, after talking with teachers, other districts and the Arkansas Department of Education, Joenks said Prairie Grove decided a “do no harm to grades” policy would be the wisest one for the district’s students.

For those students who improve their grades in the fourth quarter, the school can reward them, Joenks said.

But he doesn’t want students to be penalized if their grades fall.

“If their grade has dropped, especially as we look at more detail as to why it has dropped, if it’s because of internet access or the student is having a hard time dealing with trying to learn something from remote location or online or virtual, we’re not going to hurt kids’ grades if they have struggled during this time,” Joenks said.

Joenks gave board members an update on the district’s alternate method of instruction plans since Gov. Asa Hutchinson closed buildings to in-school instruction because of the covid-19 pandemic.

“All staff have been doing a phenomenal job,” Joenks said. “It’s been wonderful to work with such a great team to be able to handle this kind of change.”

As school moved into a long-term virtual phase, Joenks said Prairie Grove teachers were asked to call their students and ask them questions about their health and their family’s health, food needs, school supplies, internet access and electronic devices. Depending on their answers, the names of those students then were referred to the appropriate sources if they needed help in any of those areas.

The district has wireless internet access points for students who don’t have internet, but those haven’t worked as well as hoped, Joenks said. The district is going to try a pilot program to send out assignments on flash drives. Students then could return the flash drives with their completed assignments to their teachers through the mail.

Teachers are working in collaborative teams, whether grade or content level. Joenks said the district asked teachers to come up with essential standards for students to master during this time. Teachers also are coming up with videos or real-time lessons for students and have been asked to set up a time during the day when students can come online to ask questions or seek individual help.

Board member Whitney Bryant asked him about professional development for teachers, and Joenks said one idea over the summer may be to look for opportunities for workshops on virtual learning.

He said the school would be flexible when working with seniors to make sure they have their requirements for graduation. Summer school might be a possibility for students who need to catch up on credits.

David Kellogg, assistant superintendent, said his maintenance staff has been completing work orders on campus but they’ve also helped with delivering meals to students in the district.

“If you see our cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, custodial staff, they’ve been unbelievable,” Kellogg said. “They’ve been serving a need there.”

Shawn Witt, technology and security director, said the School District distributed 636 Chromebooks to students. He said he’s decided to set up a separate Tech Support Line for parents or students to call if they are having problems with connecting to online classes and assignments or other tech issues. Lynn Kutter may be reached by email at lkutter@nwadg.com.