Snow days no longer an off day in Anderson
Anderson School District 5 will be the first in South Carolina to try an eLearning program that will eliminate makeup days caused by bad weather.
“With today’s technology, it makes so much sense, from the practical standpoint and financially,” said District 5 Superintendent Tom Wilson, who proposed the idea to the state’s Education Oversight Committee (EOC) in May. “Technology has changed every profession, and we have the technology in place to keep kids working during the snow days and eliminate the makeup days.
“I think we will be a good model for the state,” he added. “We’ve invested $11 million in Chromebooks in the last five years, and this enables us to make use of it.”
The district has been selected as the state’s pilot program for the upcoming school year.
The eLearning days will enable the district to operate with a firm calendar in 2018-19, with no inclement weather makeup days. If snow or ice hit, students will access assignments via their Chromebooks, which do not require internet service.
“No longer will we need to run buses mid-June for a makeup day that only a quarter of our students attend,” Wilson said.
Anna Baldwin, District 5 director of eLearning and integration, said the project will also help parents, who will be able to plan summer activities without having to consider makeup days. The technology also will enhance teachers’ ability to communicate with the students, she said.
“On days when the eLearning is implemented, the teacher can look at the progress of the student’s work, and if they’re struggling, the teacher can ask questions or recommend a video or a document that might help.
“It really takes down some of the barriers,” Baldwin said. “We’re at the point where not everybody has to be in the classroom with the teacher in order for the learning to continue.”
Any eLearning days will count toward the 180 school days required by the state.
Robert Anderson Middle School principal Leonard Galloway expects students to react favorably, partly because they know the technology, and teachers will benefit.
“From an educator’s standpoint, it’s easy to plan for the expected. It’s the unexpected things, like snow days, that disrupt schedules and teaching plans. This will enable teachers to stay on schedule,” Galloway said.