Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Dear Oconto Falls High School Students (and Parents/Guardians):
I cannot put into words how much our staff at OFHS miss you! We cannot wait for you to return to our building. You are the energy, excitement, and personality that makes our school special and an amazing place to be. While we all work together to move past the many challenges created by COVID-19, I hope you and your family continue to experience great health, enjoy additional time spent with one another, and find time to do things you enjoy. We will be together in learning and competition again soon, I cannot wait for that day!
I would also like to thank you for your commitment to completing our enrichment learning opportunities over the last three weeks. Your efforts were critical in helping our high school identify how best to support you in virtual learning moving forward. Our teachers, school counselors, office staff, and administration have, and will continue to, work diligently to support you any way they can as we continue through our virtual learning experience.
A high school building, during our mandated closure, has different challenges to overcome and goals to meet in comparison to elementary and middle school buildings. Our high school has a 26-credit graduation requirement, student pathways for course study and credit, and many advanced courses that earn high school and college-level credits. Although enrichment opportunities provided an option for participation, our high school must now take the next step in our virtual learning journey and provide students instructional lessons and learning activities that are graded and keep them on track for graduation from OFHS. (The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction provided a grid for state school districts to share what they were implementing for virtual learning programming. Of the over two hundred school districts to respond, Oconto Falls High School was one of two which was not grading academic work in some capacity.)
Below is a detailed description of our high school’s implementation of a CREDIT/NO CREDIT grading policy and instructional/learning format for Semester II of this school year, which was acted upon by our school board at a meeting on Tuesday, April 14. This implementation will continue through the duration of our state mandated school closure.
Please seek out the help of your teachers and administration if you need additional support as you work through your offsite, virtual learning experience. I am confident, based on knowing who you are, you are going to do what generations of Oconto Falls Panthers have done when faced with a challenge – you are going to thrive, be the very best you can be, and succeed in a way that makes a difficult circumstance a positive experience that makes you better! We will get through this together, grow from this together, and become stronger through this together.
Go Panthers!
Mr. Jake Beschta
Oconto Falls High School Principal
Mr. Danny Smith
Oconto Falls High School Associate Principal
OFHS Alternative School Coordinator
2019-2020 Semester II CREDIT/NO CREDIT Grading Expectations
Week Course Schedule
Monday & Wednesday: Class Periods 1, 2, 3, 4
Tuesday & Thursday: Class Periods 5, 6, 7, 8
Friday: Student Work Day, Teacher Planning, Student/Teacher Contacts
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- EXCEPTION: Students enrolled in NWTC, UWGB, St. Norbert, and/or AP courses will continue with the current course schedule (daily), course work, and grading based on the institution’s expectations.
- Each lesson will be planned to require a minimum of 25 minutes and a maximum of 40 minutes of student engagement and work completion. Teachers will continue to post office hours to address student questions, support individual students, and make parent/guardian contacts. Each day’s lessons will be posted between 7 – 9 AM the day of the lessons.
- Each week’s instruction, based on each individual course, will choose an essential learning target determined by the teacher and department to focus instruction. These essential learning targets will be clearly posted and communicated, and will guide instruction each week. Learning targets will be equitable and similar regardless of instructional method. (virtual vs. packet) If you are an individual who needs paper copies, please contact the high school office at 9208484467 or email Principal Beschta at jacob.beschta@of-ps.org. Arrangements can be made to have paper copies picked up at the high school office. Completed paper copies will need to be returned to the high school office by a due date determined by the classroom teacher.
- Teachers and ADMIN will support student learning by providing feedback through the use of Google Classroom, Schoology, NEO (learning management system), ZOOM video, LOOM demonstration videos, email, and phone conversation. If a student is not engaging, the classroom teacher, school counselors, support staff member, and ADMIN will be in frequent contact with the student and his/her parents/guardians to find ways to support, provide additional instruction, and/or provide additional opportunities to demonstrate proficiency toward the essential learning targets. work completion.
- Students with an IEP or 504 will be provided necessary resources and accommodations through collaboration between classroom teacher, support staff member, case manager, the student, and parents/guardians. If a change needs to be made, an IEP meeting can be scheduled to make necessary changes. Additionally, classroom teachers, support staff, case managers, the student, and parents/guardians will consider, as necessary, alternative methods to measure whether a student has met or exceeded minimum proficiency standards.
- Every effort will be made to ensure that students have received feedback and opportunities to demonstrate at least an understanding of all learning targets. (The GOAL will be, and always will be, to have students aim toward achieving a mastery understanding; however, we also know in these difficult times that realistic goals need to be set for student achievement.)
CREDIT / NO CREDIT Semester II Grading
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- Third-quarter grades will be progress monitoring grades ONLY and will be determined based on what the student achieved as of March 13. Students will have the opportunity to continue to make-up/correct any assignments/assessments which were assigned and graded through March 13. (These opportunities can only improve grades.) Make-up and late work through March 13 must be completed by 3:45 PM on May 1.
- Course CREDIT/NO CREDIT will be determined by cumulative work throughout Semester II. Academic work, beginning on April 20, will be assigned a point value and graded. Work beginning April 20, the progress-monitoring grade from March 13, and a student’s daily engagement in completing work will be considered to determine the student’s Semester II CREDIT/NO CREDIT grade. Final CREDIT/NO CREDIT decision will be made by the high school principal.
- A student who receives NO CREDIT will not receive Semester II course credit, and he/she will be provided additional opportunities – summer school, Odysseyware course(s), or potentially additional time based on circumstance – to complete work.
- In order to receive CREDIT for work beginning April 20, a student must demonstrate at least a minimum proficiency of assigned learning targets through completion of assigned course work. Minimum proficiency will be determined by the classroom teacher and must meet at least a percentage score of 64% or better.
- Semester II will NOT be calculated into a student’s cumulative GPA. Class of 2020 grade point average will be finalized as of the conclusion of Semester VII of the senior classes’ high school experience. ( Each year, all scholarships are awarded based on Semester VII GPA and achievements.)
- THERE WILL BE NO SEMESTER II FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE.