Louis Volante, Professor of Education, wrote a piece recently published in The Conversation about the challenges faced by education systems as they implement grading practices that reflect the realities of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Volante writes:

 “COVID-19 has brought a tsunami of change and impacted every facet and sector of society, including the lives of children, parents and teachers. UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently said that the coronavirus pandemic is the biggest global challenge since the Second World War. 

 When K-12 schools will reopen in Canada remains an open question, and hope is quickly fading that students will be able to finish the 2019-20 academic year with face-to-face instruction. Ontario’s schools, for example, are officially closed until May 4 and that date will be re-assessed with public health advice.

 Provincial education systems and school boards have responded to the challenge by developing a range of options that provide resources for parents to support home learning and opportunities for students to learn online. 

 Some boards and schools last week saw teachers phone or email families to assess families’ capacities for remote learning or to ‘determine additional supports required for children with complex learning needs.’ Some were already hosting online classes. Ontario’s guidelines now suggest weekly targets like five hours of work weekly in math and literacy for students between kindergarten and Grade 3, and three hours per week per subject in semestered high schools.”

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