LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: blended learning

  • ‘Blended learning’ bill passes committee

    ‘Blended learning’ bill passes committee

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    BY: SUSAN TEBBEN and Ohio Capital Journal

    A new bill specifying “blended learning” for the 2021-2022 school year has been approved by an Ohio Senate committee.

    Senate Bill 229 is yet another bill meant to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student success and education, and was favorably passed in Senate Primary & Secondary Education Committee on Tuesday.

    In the bill, school districts, including traditional public schools, STEM schools and community and charter schools, would have to have approval by the Ohio Department of Education to implement or discontinue a “blended learning model” by April 20, 2022. This is an extension of current law, which required the approval through July 1 of this year.

    The blended learning model requires a school district to provide internet access and devices to each student using the model, and monitor and assess student achievement and progress while also communicating with parents or guardians about the progress.

    A report must be submitted to the ODE by March 15 showing each school district’s total number of students in blended learning in 2021-22.

    The bill also resets a measure passed through the budget bill, House Bill 110, which discounted standardized testing because of the pandemic’s disruption to education. Under current law, e-schools are required to disenroll a student who fails to take a state assessment for two consecutive years.

    Under H.B. 110, that standardized testing rule was set aside and under the new bill, the exception would be extended through the 2022-2023 school year. This applies to any school who has an online school component.

    Sen. Theresa Fedor, D-Toledo, accused legislators of creating the standardized testing amendment for e-schools as “problematic double-standard e-school favoritism.”

    “If we’re going to provide flexibility and exemptions from standardized testing, it must be for all students no matter where they attend school,” Fedor said.

    She brought up the latest court ruling requiring the defunct Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) to pay back $60 million in state funding it received after an investigation showed student engagement amounted to about an hour a day.

    Fedor was the leader of a bill that attempted to change education laws in response to the pandemic, but her bill didn’t make it past the Ohio Senate.

    She also attempted to add a provision to the blended learning bill on Tuesday that would allow public bodies, including school boards, to meet virtually if they chose to, but that measure was quickly tabled by the committee.

    “I think people should be meeting in person,” state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, the committee’s chair said. “I think that is pretty much what we’ve had conversations internally about, so I think we should leave it as it is.”

    The amendment was tabled along party lines, but the bill itself was passed unanimously.

    The bill now moves on for House consideration.

  • School District delays return to full in-person learning for PK-4 students

    School District delays return to full in-person learning for PK-4 students

    Loveland, Ohio – After learning from Loveland Magazine of the number of COVID 19 cases at the Loveland Health Care Center (Cumulative cases of COVID 19 at Loveland Health Care go from 60 to 85) and citing that Hamilton and Clermont Counties have returned to the RED “Very High Exposure and Spread” level of the Ohio Public Health Advisory System the Loveland School District has just announced that the return to a full in-person learning schedule for PK-4 students will be delayed. They have decided to “temporarily pause any changes and remain on the blended learning model for now for all students, to allow us additional time to evaluate.”

    The Board of Education had previously approved (September 22) that PK-4 grades would return on Monday, October 5 to a full in-person learning schedule. (Board approves schedule for 5-day full capacity learning)

    “Transportation will not change at any grade level including grades 5-8 as has been communicated this week. Next week will operate like this week,” the District said in a release.

    The District also said, “The time is not right to take a step toward bringing more students together. Maintaining the schedule that our families, students and teachers have been operating under will allow us to maintain student and staff safety while we await more data.”

    The District said in a release. “After the state updates their COVID-19 data on Thursday of next week, a decision will be made about our PK-4 and grades 5-8 students and whether to continue on blended learning or transition to full capacity (5-day) in-person for those grades beginning Monday, October 12,” the release also said.

    “We have 11 red counties, which is more than we’ve seen at any point in September,” said Governor DeWine on Thursday. “Although many Ohioans are working hard to keep this virus in check, unfortunately, we are seeing a rebound in some areas of the state. This pandemic isn’t over, so please continue to stay home if you’re sick, wear a mask when you’re out, and keep at least six feet between you and those outside of your household.”

    On Thursday DeWine also announced:

    There are 155,314 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 4,817 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 15,606 people have been hospitalized, including 3,297 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov. 

    There is no change for the Loveland Remote Learning Academy.

    Below is the timeline to return to full capacity (5-day) in-person previously approved (September 22) and is apparently completely put on pause after today’s announcement: