Table of Contents Introduction and Background ...................................................................................................................... 1 Local Health Criteria .................................................................................................................................... 2 Operational Infrastructure to Support Learning .......................................................................................... 2

School Schedules ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Middle School Schedule ....................................................................................................................... 5

High School Schedule ........................................................................................................................... 6

Transportation Considerations ................................................................................................................ 6

Technology Needs for a Virtual Opening ................................................................................................. 7

Distribution Plan .................................................................................................................................. 7

Technology Safety and Support ........................................................................................................... 7

School Nutritional Services ...................................................................................................................... 8

New Instruction for all Students .................................................................................................................. 8 Virtual Learning and Attendance ............................................................................................................. 8

Assessments and Student Data ............................................................................................................... 9

Access to Instructional Materials ............................................................................................................. 9

Grading Procedures ................................................................................................................................. 9

Students of Equity and Opportunity .......................................................................................................... 10 Early Learners (PreK – 3) ........................................................................................................................ 10

Students with Disabilities ...................................................................................................................... 11

Instructional Needs ............................................................................................................................ 11

Additional Supports ........................................................................................................................... 12

English Learners ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Equity and Opportunity Students .......................................................................................................... 13

Professional Development ......................................................................................................................... 14 Opportunities for All Staff ...................................................................................................................... 14

Opportunities for Administrators ........................................................................................................... 15

Family Engagement ................................................................................................................................... 15 Communications with Stakeholders .......................................................................................................... 15 Remote Learning Plan ................................................................................................................................ 16 Child Care ................................................................................................................................................... 16 Phase-in Plan ............................................................................................................................................. 16 Closing ....................................................................................................................................................... 17

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Introduction and Background On March 13, 2020, the decision was made by Governor Ralph Northam to close all schools to mitigate the spread of the novel virus, COVID-19. This launched a division-wide effort to develop emergency plans to ensure learning continues for Newport News students. Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) continued instruction for all and issued grades for the final marking period. As the 2019-2020 school year ended, division leaders began planning for several fall opening scenarios. Newport News Public Schools created the following scenarios which were presented to the School Board on August 5, 2020: Scenarios:

Option 1: 100% Virtual Learning (First Nine Weeks: September 8 – November 2, 2021) Students enrolled in the virtual learning option will engage in four days of at-home learning with some live, virtual instruction from teachers, and one day of independent learning. Virtual instruction may include live video conferencing with a teacher, pre-recorded video lessons to view, and independent work that students will complete on the Canvas learning management system, and/or projects that allow for voice and choice in student assignments.

Option 2: Grades 4-12 100% Virtual Learning Students in Grades 4-12 will engage in 100% virtual learning four days each week with some live, virtual instruction from teachers, and one day of independent learning. Virtual instruction may include live video conferencing with a teacher, pre-recorded video lessons to view, and independent work that students will complete on the Canvas learning management. Students in Grades PK-3 will have the option to choose the Hybrid Learning Model and attend school two days per week. Additionally, special populations (Special Education and English Learners) may also be able to receive in-person instruction.

Option 3: Hybrid Learning Students enrolled in the hybrid learning model will attend school on their assigned two days each week. Students will be divided into two cohorts to attend school on Monday/Tuesday or Thursday/Friday. This model keeps cohorts together; therefore, minimizing the mixing of populations. Additionally, Wednesday will be used as a deep cleaning day. Teachers will use this day to work with our most vulnerable students to provide small instruction. It also includes time for teachers to contact parents, plan, and participate in professional development.

During the three days that students are not in school, they will continue their learning by logging into Canvas for guided and independent assignments. Assignments may include reading, writing, listening, viewing instructional videos, and/or experimenting in virtual labs.

Option 4: Virtual Model (First Semester: September 8, 2020-January 27, 2021) Students enrolled in the 100% virtual option will remain in this model for the entire semester.

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They will engage in four days of at-home learning with some live, virtual instruction from teachers, and one day of independent learning. Virtual instruction may include live video conferencing with a teacher, pre-recorded video lessons to view, and independent work that students will complete on the Canvas learning management system, and/or projects that allow for voice and choice in student assignments.

On August 5, 2020, the Board voted to approve all students to receive 100% virtual instruction for the first nine weeks of schools, before considering an instructional plan that may include students physically reporting to school.

Local Health Criteria Each school division was given the ability to develop its reopening plan due to the variance of COVID-19 health data between communities. At the time of the School Board's vote, the data provided by VDH showed a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. Since the percentage of growth kept increasing, the Board voted on a virtual opening for the safety of the community. As Newport News Public Schools reopens in the fall, continuous collaboration with the Peninsula Health District will take place to monitor health conditions and to determine when any face-to-face instruction can resume.

Operational Infrastructure to Support Learning School Schedules To prepare for all students to learn new material in the fall and from lessons learned in the spring, Newport News Public Schools has developed online schedules that emulate the structure of schools' schedules. Students who are unable to participate in the regular day schedule will be allowed to confer with their teachers outside of the regular school hours through email, phone calls, and virtual conferences to receive support in learning. Students will also be able to access recorded lessons to keep pace with the curriculum. These schedules will assist with accountability for learning and better prepare students to return to face-to-face learning once that option is available. PreK Schedule The PreK schedule for virtual learning includes a blend of live, scheduled teacher-led instruction using the Zoom platform and instruction that is flexible and self-paced and will be completed within the learning management system, Canvas. This schedule allows teachers to meet with groups of three or four students at a time and for short periods to limit screen time and address the developmental needs of young learners. The schedule also allows segments of time to focus on all Foundation Blocks for Early Learning to include health and physical development,

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personal and social development, and music and vision arts. The schedule below will be followed on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

On Wednesdays, examples of student activities may include:

· engage in independent learning modules via our learning management system · receive additional student support services (i.e., Reading Specialist, ESL teacher,

Guidance Counselor) · participate in student assessments (i.e., PreK – PALS)

Sample Pre-K Schedule: The elementary schedule for virtual learning includes a blend of live, scheduled teacher-led instruction using the Zoom platform and instruction that is flexible and self-paced and will be completed within the learning management system, Canvas. This schedule seeks to provide as much consistency as possible with traditional classroom schedules to ease a future transition back to in-person instruction. This schedule allows teachers to meet with small groups of students for synchronous learning in both reading and math, to differentiate instruction and address learning gaps. The schedule also will enable segments of time for students to engage in physical activity (recess) and synchronous and asynchronous related-arts (music, art, P.E., and library) lessons. The schedule below will be followed on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesdays, examples of student activities may include:

· engage in independent learning modules via our learning management system · receive intervention or additional student services (Reading Specialist, ESL teacher,

Guidance Counselor, Gifted Services teacher, etc.) · receive remediation with a classroom teacher · participate in student assessments (i.e., PALS, VKRP)

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Sample Elementary Schedule:

Secondary School Schedules:

The secondary schedules have been developed to include time for synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities during the school day. The four-day (M, T, Th, F) schedule outlines time for students to attend all of their classes for scheduled live instruction and independent learning. Lessons are recorded to provide students with the flexibility to review the lesson if they are unable to attend class on a particular day. Wednesday is a division-wide asynchronous day of learning; however, teachers will also provide additional small group instruction for our most vulnerable populations. Additionally, students may contact teachers during scheduled office hours, after school, email, or communicate a message in Canvas.

The middle school daily schedule begins with a morning meeting in which teachers engage students in social and emotional learning activities or career investigations modules. The middle school schedule is based upon an A/B or rotating day schedule. Some core courses (English and Math) meet daily, and elective courses (Health/P.E., Orchestra, and Band) meet year-long on a rotating schedule. Other core courses (Science and Social Studies) meet daily for a semester while some electives (Art, Music, some CTE) courses meet for a semester on a rotating schedule.

Correspondingly, the high school daily schedule begins with an expanded learning opportunity where students may contact teachers during office hours for assistance with instruction.

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Likewise, teachers or counselors may hold small group instruction, social and emotional learning, or college and career sessions with students. Both the middle and high school virtual schedules were designed to assist with accountability and prepare our students when we return back to school for in-person blended instruction.

Middle School Schedule

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High School Schedule

Transportation Considerations

With a fully virtual opening, transportation operations are limited for the first nine weeks. However, once health conditions allow for students to return to schools, busses will be running at a limited capacity. Students would be required to sit only one per seat, and they will rotate from a window to an aisle seat to maximize distance and capacity. Students will load from the back seats to the front seats, and they will exit from the front to the back. Students will be required to wear a mask when riding a school bus. Due to these precautions, busses would be limited to approximately 22-25 students per bus. As Newport News Public Schools receives final counts for students who will be choosing to learn virtually for at least the first semester, routes will be designed to maximize the number of students that can be transported to each school in a timely manner.

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Technology Needs for a Virtual Opening At the beginning of 2019-2020, NNPS started planning a Digital Transformation that would reshape learning experiences for students in the District. A five-year strategic plan was developed that would provide 1:1 computing devices for students in grades K-12. When schools closed in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NNPS accelerated plans to deliver 1:1 computing devices to students prior to the start of the 2020-2021 school year.

Distribution Plan NNPS made two large purchases of Chromebooks, roughly 7,500 devices per order, totaling 15,000 Chromebooks. The first order, placed in April, was fulfilled in July, and those devices have been distributed to students in grades six through twelve. The second order was placed in June and will not be filled until sometime in November or December. The second order includes the Chromebooks needed to achieve a 1:1 ratio for grades K through five. To ensure that elementary school students can participate in virtual learning, NNPS is distributing older "loaner" devices to students who don't currently have a device in their home to support virtual learning.

Technology Safety and Support To ensure that all NNPS students have reliable access to the Internet so they can participate in virtual learning, the District purchased 4,000 Wi-Fi hotspots with unlimited data plans through T-Mobile. NNPS established an application process that utilizes data from our Vulnerability Index to determine eligibility and prioritize the needs of our families. To keep students safe online, NNPS employs a multi-pronged approach to student safety, security, and privacy:

- The T-Mobile hotspots have a built-in CIPA-compliant web filter to protect students from inappropriate material online

- NNPS uses student safety services from Gaggle, Inc. to monitor students' use of G-Suite applications like Drive and Gmail.

o Gaggle provides real-time monitoring of student data that is accomplished through a combination of machine-learning and professionally trained monitoring staff.

o Gaggle immediately notifies NNPS of incidents involving, but not limited to: § Nudity § Pornography § Self-harm and suicidal ideation § Bullying § Abuse

- NNPS uses service from GoGuardian, Inc. to provide real-time monitoring and CIPA-compliant filtering on student Chromebooks. GoGuardian allows NNPS to:

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o Provide CIPA-compliant filtering on all NNPS student Chromebooks, on and off-campus, regardless of the Internet connection source

o Provide CIPA-compliant filtering on any device when a student uses his/her NNPS login and the Chrome web browser.

o Monitor student web search history and immediately notify appropriate staff when a student searches the Internet for terms related to:

§ Self-harm and suicidal ideation § Bullying § Abuse

School Nutritional Services With a virtual opening on September 8, 2020, Newport News Public Schools will transition to the National School Breakfast/National School Lunch Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program in 32 schools and seven bus stops across all areas of the City of Newport News. This is subject to change based on meal participation.

This plan will allow breakfast, lunch, snack, and supper to be prepared in schools' cafeterias, available for pick-up between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. It is important to note that these hours will be flexible to meet the needs of our stakeholders. A student or parent/guardian can pick up meals. Parents/guardians with children in multiple schools can pick up meals at the school of their choice. Parents/guardians will need to know the student's name and I.D. number. Additionally, if the student lives closer to a different school than their school of attendance, they may pick their meals up at the school closest to their home.

New Instruction for all Students The NNPS Instructional plan has been developed to ensure all students have the opportunity for new learning. Based on lessons learned from the spring, the following areas were of greatest concern: instructional practice in a virtual setting, equity, communication, and teacher/staff support. Virtual Learning and Attendance The focal point for the instructional plan is ensuring the curriculum is being used to provide new learning for all students. Therefore, the Department of Curriculum and Development has created exemplar 5E Model modules in grades PK-12 in all content areas, including electives. The content is aligned with the Standards of Learning and division pacing. Items shared by Virtual Virginia are being utilized as well as various learning objects and software currently embedded into the Newport News curriculum. The Department of Curriculum and Development has restructured the current curriculum plans to follow a virtual modality of learning. As noted earlier, with the daily schedules, teachers will be using Zoom to interact with their students in whole group, small group, and one-on-one sessions.

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Newport News Public Schools' instructional team has partnered with Virtual Virginia and Canvas to provide a consistent platform for student assignments and learning materials. Canvas will assist students and parents/guardians with only having to access one platform for learning tools. While live instruction will take place over Zoom, students will access materials, assignments, and feedback via Canvas asynchronously. The Virginia Department of Education has created a variety of strategies for tracking students' attendance. Whether students are participating in live instruction, submitting completed assignments to show learning, or participating in asynchronous discussion, students' attendance can be monitored. Students are required to log in daily and attend all scheduled synchronous sessions. Attendance will be taken and tracked daily to ensure students are receiving the required instructional hours. Assessments and Student Data The NNPS return to learn plan included the development of a balanced assessment system that takes into consideration the social and emotional needs of learners while measuring and reporting student growth. The assessment plan will play a key role in informing instructional practices as the year begins virtually, by providing an understanding of what knowledge students arrive within September through diagnostic assessments. During the first marking period, and throughout the 2020-2021 school year, instructional staff will use formative assessment data to inform just in time instructional support to address learning gaps. Professional Learning Communities will continue to remain the focus for NNPS with an increased focus on data points related to student growth that are collected from formative assessments. Data from diagnostic and formative assessments will drive instruction, remediation, and intervention activities before administering summative assessments. Access to Instructional Materials Over the summer, the NNPS instructional team has worked to provide exemplar modules in Canvas to support teaching and learning. All students will have access to the technology needed to access these resources, as previously mentioned in the technology section of this report. To support synchronous and asynchronous instruction, the elementary Curriculum Department provided printed instructional resources for every PK-5 students, to include but not limited to dry erase sheets, letter cards, number cards, alphabet charts, and reusable math fluency cards. Schools provided every child with a resource bag with additional school supplies to support virtual instruction. Secondary students who ask for other resources in the form of a textbook will be able to contact the school, and books will be distributed upon request. Grading Procedures Based on lessons learned during the closure in March 2020, the NNPS Office of Curriculum and Development established a K-12 grading committee to build consistency throughout the division regarding best-practices in grading, assessment, and equitable practices. The committee proposed several grading procedures that were translated into Frequently Asked Questions that principals will communicate to teachers. Supervisors and Specialists will also

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follow-up in PLCs and lead teacher meetings to ensure consistent and equitable practices. Additionally, grade weights are being considered to reflect a blended learning environment that focuses on performance assessments, engaging classwork, and homework that provides students with voice and choice in learning. To fully engage students while working virtually, teachers will provide ongoing feedback and post grades weekly. Teachers will communicate with students and parents via zoom meetings, email, telephone, and in Canvas. Grades will be posted in Synergy.

Students of Equity and Opportunity

Early Learners (PreK – 3) Students from PK to grade 3 are considered a high-risk group due to the difficulty associated with mastering necessary early learning skills across all content areas (especially reading, phonics, and number sense) in a virtual setting. The elementary instructional plan will have a significant emphasis on social-emotional learning (SEL), foundational literacy skills, and developmental math concepts, while also addressing social studies, science, and related arts. Each PK-5 day will begin with a 20-30 minute daily Morning Meeting session, which will focus on SEL and building classroom community. Students will have opportunities to practice communication skills while engaging in activities and discussions centered around the emotional needs of all students. Pre-K teachers will engage with and support families through the Ready Rosie program. This family engagement tool provides resources, guidance, and activities for families to engage in with their children at home. It addresses all content areas, especially social-emotional development, literacy skills, and math concepts.

To meet the literacy needs of our early learners, PK-5 teachers will engage students in daily synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Grade level standards will be addressed through live whole group instruction. Daily small group reading instruction will provide time for teachers to differentiate instruction and address learning gaps. English emergent reader resources will be part of the phonics scope and sequence, and a locally developed, systematic phonics curriculum will be used with all grade levels to provide equitable opportunities for student growth. Also, the English Curriculum team created a systematic phonemic awareness curriculum for use with our early learners in grades K-1. All students in PK–2 will participate in daily phonemic awareness and phonics activities through the adaptive, web-based learning system, Smarty Ants. The program will provide daily asynchronous time for students to practice and master the foundational skills necessary for emergent and beginning readers. NNPS is partnering with the Newport News Library to support P.K. families further through the Mayor's Book Club program, providing all students with virtual read-alouds and copies of the read-aloud books to build students' at-home libraries.

Our PK-5 math instructional program is designed to address the needs of all students. Through live class sessions, teachers will engage students in activities that center around the critical

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concepts of number sense, fluency, and problem-solving, which are foundational to an early learner's mathematical development. K-5 students will also have opportunities to engage in DreamBox Learning, a computer-based, adaptive program designed to fill in gaps and present new skills and tasks. Daily asynchronous lessons and activities will allow PK-5 students to work at their own pace, practicing, and mastering skills. Printed materials and additional resources will be provided to support at-home learning. We will fill in learning gaps for students throughout the year and use the K-5 Just in Time Assessments created by the VDOE.

To accommodate the various parent and family schedules, the daily P.K. reading and math lessons will be recorded. The daily K-5 whole group lessons in reading, math, social studies, and science will also be recorded.

Students with Disabilities Instructional Needs NNPS has identified specific focus areas to address the instructional needs of students with disabilities, including professional development, IEP development and implementation, parent training, and web-based instructional resources. First, recognizing the importance of employee expertise, NNPS has developed professional development for special education staff members and school administrators. NNPS will provide mandatory, ongoing professional development beginning pre-service week to teachers, related service providers, instructional assistants, and school administrators. Professional development topics will focus on the roles and effective use of staff in a virtual learning environment; specially designed instruction that adapts, as appropriate, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to meet the needs of students with disabilities and to ensure access to the general curriculum; and co-teaching in the virtual environment. Special education teachers will also continue to collaborate with general education teachers during professional learning communities, as well as grade level and content team meetings to support equitable access to the general curriculum. For school administrators, professional development topics include implementing practices and policies to ensure compliance with special education regulations and ensuring equitable access to the general curriculum with quality instruction. Additionally, professional development for instructional assistants will center on providing and supporting effective small group instruction. Special education services will be provided to students with disabilities per their Individualized Educational Plan. Ongoing support and collaboration with families will continue through the IEP meeting process, eligibility determinations, re-evaluation, and other intervention meetings, and to schedule IEP meetings as needed, ensuring ongoing input from families. Before the start of the school year, special education teachers will be contacting parents to communicate daily schedules that include times allocated for the required, specially designed instruction. Daily schedules for students include scheduled teacher-directed whole-group, small group, and one-

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on-one instruction, as well as additional teacher-led learning opportunities to ensure students are learning new material with appropriate instructional strategies and supports. Students will be provided instructional materials and assistive technology tools, as required by their IEP, to access virtual learning. NNPS Office of Student Advancement will continue parent/guardian workshops as another component of the NNPS plan. This will consist of recorded and live webinars focused on strategies to support virtual learning for students with disabilities, including creating learning environments to support learning, identifying and implementing appropriate accommodations, and supporting social/emotional learning. Finally, resources, including appropriate technology, are being purchased to provide academic and social-emotional learning opportunities to students. These platforms will supplement the teacher-directed instruction and enable students to access continued learning opportunities beyond the scheduled instructional day. Additional Supports During virtual learning, NNPS will continue to provide speech, occupational therapy, and physical therapy services to students via telepractice. NNPS is securing HIPAA compliance through Zoom to meet the requirements of the Board of Health for therapists' licenses. Related service providers will coordinate with school-based personnel to schedule sessions within the instructional day based on individual student needs. Appropriate resources and materials will be made available to related service providers to support direct instruction and supplemental learning opportunities in a virtual environment. NNPS has dedicated a portion of the CARES Act funds to purchase resources and materials to enhance the effectiveness of virtual learning instruction and provided extended learning experiences to students beyond the instructional day to supplement teacher-led instruction. Also, special education teacher coaches and specialists will continue to work directly with school-based special education staff to increase the availability of targeted small-group instruction to students with disabilities. To ensure ongoing communication with families, the daily schedules include designated times for parent-chat, as well as designated office hours for teachers. Multiple means of communication will be used, including teleconferencing, email, and phone calls, depending on parent preferences. Special education teachers will establish preferred methods of communication with each family and maintain consistent communication that includes student progress and opportunities to identify any emerging issues that may require revisiting existing supports. Finally, students with disabilities will receive special education services to address Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, as determined by the IEP team. Students will receive access to instructional materials and assistive technology tools, as required by their IEP, for use at home.

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Additionally, students eligible under Section 504 will be given appropriate accommodations as determined by the 504 Committee. English Learners English Learners will continue to receive ESL specific language instruction throughout the week as a part of the virtual schedule. ESL teachers will provide language lessons as well as additional support in navigating and understanding class assignments in Canvas. In addition, the NNPS ESL Welcome Center will be available to support families throughout the day in answering questions and providing additional resources and workshops for families.

To support our families with communication to and from the school, all teachers and staff have access to utilize an over-the-phone interpreting service to support communication with families that speak a language other than English. This service can be used when calling families and when a family calls or comes to a school.

In elementary, the ESL Department will also be hosting a series of lunch bunch opportunities for parents to join a Zoom by language group with an ESL teacher and or an ESL Family Specialist. In addition, secondary teachers will have flexible office hours to support families and students during the evening on a rotational basis.

The ESL Department will also link specific family resources on our website, such as an ESL Family Youtube page in which families may access tutorials for Canvas and Zoom in a variety of languages. We are also continually working to ensure that district-wide communication is provided in English and Spanish. For additional language support, we have a phone tree established that will call families with an interpreter to give the message for the rest of our families.

Equity and Opportunity Students Newport News Public Schools is committed to ensuring equitable opportunities and outcomes for all learners. Early identification of students experiencing learning loss is essential and will ensure NNPS is prepared to serve its school community. Using guidelines provided by the VDOE in the Recover, Redesign, Restart handbook, NNPS developed a vulnerability index to prioritize the educational needs of students as we return to learning for the 2020-2021 school year. The vulnerability index allows NNPS to consider numerous factors including, but not limited to, homelessness, disabilities, spoken language, academic achievement, chronic absenteeism, and socio-economic status. Furthermore, the vulnerability index establishes a lens through which NNPS can evaluate decision-making processes to ensure equitable practices in all areas of planning, related to supporting the individual needs of students through the reopening of schools. Instructional data has been collected and shared with schools related to students who were not able to complete assignments by the end of the 2019-2020 school year and students who

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became disconnected during the extended school closure. Students who received a grade of incomplete were contacted to participate in summer learning opportunities that focused on content mastery in priority standards. These students will continue to be monitored over the 2020-2021 school year to ensure that any additional learning gaps are addressed and for consistent engagement in virtual instruction. Additionally, based on diagnostic assessment data, students demonstrating learning gaps as compared to their peers will be monitored closely and offered additional supports at the start of and throughout the school year. To reach all of these students, the traditional roles of select personnel who do not have students directly assigned to them for learning are being redefined. Funding to support the additional needs of all of the students are being reserved to provide additional time for one-on-one and small group instruction beyond the school day to assist students who are falling behind. Instructional staff, school-based leaders, and division leaders will use diagnostic assessment and formative assessment data to guide instruction while providing just-in-time intervention to students prior to administering summative assessments.

Professional Development Opportunities for All Staff Learning Overview: Professional learning opportunities to prepare staff for the 2020-2021 school year began in June 2020 with our IGNITE Summer Learning Catalog that included over 50 optional courses for teachers. Session topics included technology, curriculum, and social, emotional learning. Differentiated learning continued throughout July and into the August pre-service window with a focus on key areas: Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), curriculum implementation, personalized learning, effective online methodologies, and social, emotional wellness.

Canvas: Teachers participated in mandatory professional learning to support the implementation of our Canvas LMS. Two requirements included: (1) completion of a Canvas Fundamentals webinar, and (2) completion of the self-paced, asynchronous NNPS Growing With Canvas course in our Canvas LMS. NNPS offered 18 Canvas Fundamentals webinar options for teachers, and all instructional technology coaches facilitated the Growing With Canvas course.

Online Methodologies: The successful implementation of online distance or blended learning requires knowledge beyond the use of the Canvas platform. A cohort of secondary teachers also participated in a Personalized Learning Opportunities with Technology (PLOT) course to explore the tenets of personalized learning and its application in the classroom. Additionally, a series of "just-in-time" online methodologies resources were developed to support teacher acquisition of the knowledge and skills necessary to become an effective online teacher.

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Finally, a cohort of teachers from each school will be identified to participate in a Blended/Online Learning Course into fall 2020. This cohort will become part of a group of "Digital Champions" who will become teacher leaders within their schools.

Social-Emotional Learning: Social-emotional learning and wellness is a high priority as we return to normal instruction. Identified teachers from each school were trained in the Caring School Community curriculum through Collaborative Classroom. Teachers received professional development and just-in-time resources to make their Morning Meeting time more effective and focused on social-emotional learning and needs.

Opportunities for Administrators Administrators play an important role in ensuring the successful use of our Canvas LMS. All administrators participated in a Canvas Fundamentals webinar to receive an overview of the system. In addition, a follow-up session was scheduled with administrators to discuss their role with the system. Session topics included modeling and implementing Canvas from an administrative level, "observing" Canvas classes, and pulling analytics to monitor implementation.

Additionally, all principals met in weekly administrator meetings throughout the summer to share best practices, hear updates from central office personnel, and collaborate together. Finally, weekly communication updates were sent to all administrators to support, clarify, and align teacher expectations and teacher development as it relates to Canvas implementation.

Family Engagement Parent and family engagement are essential elements of our return to learn plan. Two-way communication is vital to our instructional programs, as well as to family engagement. During the opening of the school period, schools have used creative virtual platforms to communicate with families, and also hosted several socially-distanced opportunities to great teachers and administrators. To promote engagement on an ongoing basis, teachers and other school staff, including family engagement specialists, are helping families navigate the world of virtual instruction through virtual workshops and other meetings. Finally, Newport News Public Schools is firmly committed to assisting families with various needs to make the appropriate connections with resources both within the schools and also in the broader community.

Communications with Stakeholders Beyond School Board meetings, a robust communications strategy was developed to ensure that all stakeholders receive consistent, timely information. Families, students, and staff are

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kept informed through email, phone calls, social media posts, informational videos, and school and division websites. All communication is disseminated in English and Spanish, and ESL staff communicates information to speakers of other languages using an interpretation service. In July 2020, a Return to Learn website was launched to provide a thorough overview of the school division's plan to include teaching and learning, technology, health and safety, and meal service. A Frequently Asked Question section is updated regularly. A Facebook live session was held in July to allow stakeholders the opportunity to ask questions and receive a direct response. In addition, the Return to Learn plan was presented at several local town hall meetings, and community members were allowed to ask questions about the plan.

Remote Learning Plan During the summer, Newport News families were surveyed regarding their intent to return to school or attend virtual after the first nine weeks. Just under 50% of our parents returned the survey, with the majority of parents opting for their students to learn virtually during the second nine weeks. To accommodate the needs of families who wish to keep their children home for virtual learning even when schools open for face-to-face learning, a plan is in place to ensure students receive remote instruction during this time. NNPS is also planning to open up a virtual academy in January of 2020 to help support student choice after COVID and beyond. If a closing reoccurred following the reopening of schools, NNPS would reactivate the entirely virtual program that has been established for the first nine weeks of school.

Child Care To ensure all parents/guardians have access to affordable childcare, NNPS is collaborating with the City Parks and Recreation Department, YMCA of Virginia Peninsula, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula. NNPS will allow providers to utilize school building spaces to create additional childcare opportunities for parents/guardians. In addition to providing additional options, NNPS is providing professional development in the new learning management system, Canvas, to these childcare providers to assist students with logging in for instruction during the school day. NNPS is working directly with childcare providers to ensure they understand the school day schedules and learning opportunities for students. NNPS will continue to work collaboratively with community partners to meet the childcare and learning needs of our families.

Phase-in Plan As Newport News Public Schools starts the school virtually through the first nine weeks, plans will begin working to phase in face-to-face learning by the beginning of the second grading

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period if health conditions/metrics allow. As health conditions warrant a face-to-face approach, the following will be considerations regarding priorities for students return:

• First, students with disabilities, PK-3, English Learners, and our locally identified students of equity and opportunity will be first to return in some form of face-to-face instruction.

• Next, students transitioning to new schools such as 6th-grade students and 9th-grade students, as well as high school students who are at risk of not graduating on time.

• Finally, the remaining students will return either on a blended basis or virtually depending on preference.

Closing The health, wellbeing, and safety of Newport News Public Schools' students and staff is paramount and served as the guiding principle for the Return to Learn Plan. While school division leadership understands the importance of in-person instruction, community safety and the mitigation of COVID-19 takes precedence. The Return to Learn Plan was developed with input from parents/guardians, students, staff, advisory groups, and community stakeholders, and it emphasizes the education and development of students while maintaining the school division's commitment to health and safety. School division leadership will continue to monitor local COVID trends and will adjust the Return to Learn Plan accordingly.