As an incentive for California public schools to reopen this spring for in-person instruction, Governor Newsom has proposed providing an additional $2 billion to school districts that submit a COVID-19 safety plan by February 1, 2021. This amount represents an additional $450 per student and will include additional funding for districts serving Title 1 students.
Along with these additional state funds, California will receive $6.8 billion of the recent federal COVID-19 relief funding. Last year’s Title 1 funding will determine the amount given per district, which could be up to $1,000 per student. Therefore, California charter schools and school districts with high percentages of Title 1 funding may receive up to $1,000 per student from the federal COVID-19 relief funding and an additional $450 per student if they meet the state’s safe reopening guidelines, totaling $1,450 per student.
Irrespective of the impeding grants and funding, several facts are clear. One undeniable fact is that distance instruction has not met the needs of Title 1 students. It is also clear that all students, regardless of their socio-economic status, have suffered from lost learning opportunities. Another fact is that many, if not most schools, will offer some form of in-person instruction this spring while also providing the option for remote learning.
These conditions present unique problems for school districts:
- How will they spend the additional money in ways that will help students recover the learning opportunities they have lost?
- How will they provide equitable instruction for their students, whether they are at home or in the classroom?
Standards Plus provides the solution for these conditions. Standards Plus was developed and successfully field-tested in schools with 100% Title 1 populations. The materials have been proven highly effective after being used at several thousand schools. Subsequently, the materials have also improved learning for all students regardless of their socio-economic status. The design of Standards Plus is ideal for any instructional configuration, including the impending hybrid model, which will be a combination of remote learning and in-person instruction in the classroom.
Standards Plus consists of multiple concise standards-based lessons that provide the content students need to recover their lost learning in an easy-to-teach package. Students can use the materials at their homes or in the classroom, and teachers can effectively teach the same lessons to all students at the same time. The materials come in digital and print versions to support all learning environments.
Standards Plus learning materials can be an excellent way for schools to use the additional funding to ensure that all students receive equitable instruction and recover any lost learning, regardless of whether they’re attending class remotely or in-person.