Teachers and staff at Union Middle School set up tables in front of the school Monday to hand out paper packets of coursework to parents of students without reliable internet access, part of an effort to move classes online during the mandated school shutdown.
Dr. Steven Hollifield, UMS principal, said teachers have been working hard preparing to teach online. From building assignments in I-Ready to registering Google Classrooms, he said his staff has been on the ball.
“My teachers called their students last week asking who needed paper packets, and we put it all in a spreadsheet,” he said.
Union Middle School is well prepared to move classes online, Hollifield said, as many teachers were already utilizing digital learning in their regular classes. As a school, he said, students were required to spend 45 minutes a week on I-Ready, a digital learning platform, which also helps identify areas students many need help. Some teachers were also using Google Classroom, he said.
“They can do the same thing at home,” he said.
Prior to the corona virus pandemic, which closed public schools throughout Mississippi until at least April 17, Hollifield said UMS students were performing well. As long as they aren’t out of school too long, he said he isn’t worried their academic knowledge will be impacted.
One drawback to the school shutdown, however, was the cancellation of the end-of-year state testing, and while Hollifield hasn’t heard many students complain about that, it is slightly disappointing for his teachers.
“I feel bad for our teachers,” he said. “They were so focused for weeks.”
In August, Hollifield and UMS staff set a goal of reaching an A rating on the Mississippi Assessment Program (MAP) tests, which are given to students at the end of each school year. At the last benchmark tests just before the shutdown, students were right on the line between their current B and an A.
“We were right on the line with several weeks of instruction to go,” he said. “We really wanted to be an A school.”
However, he said he agreed with the state’s decision to cancel the tests.
“It was the right move.”
