The Department of Technology understands that Safari not being on K-2 iPads has presented some challenges for our students and educators. Our department has recently become aware of a new option to safely filter internet browsing in compliance with federal requirements on iPads used outside of our school division network. We conducted a thorough test to confirm that this new option works and will not cause other issues with how iPads function for learning. Continue reading
Dear Colleagues:
I hope you will take a few minutes to watch my video message about the devastating impact that COVID-19 is having, not only on public health, but on our economy. Projections are that COVID-19’s economic damage will be equal to or greater than that of the Great Recession earlier this century.
The impact on the delivery of public services, including education, will be severe. The school division now is facing substantial reductions in revenue from both the local government and the state.
K-2 Teachers: K-2 families without access to a computer at home are offered an ACPS iPad. These iPads are designed to support teachers and students with safe learning experiences during our extended closure. Please see below for important information about these devices as you design instruction.
What to know: Continue reading
In addition to learning options being provided to students and their families by teachers across the school division, homes will also be able to tune into “VA TV Classroom” on weekday afternoons. This new service is being provided by public radio and television stations in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education. Instruction for students in grades K-12 supports the state’s academic standards and expands learning opportunities, especially for students who are unable to access other distance learning options because their home lacks access to high-speed internet. Continue reading
On Tuesday, April 14, the Department of Technology created a Schoology parent account for all middle and high school parents/guardians who had a PowerSchool parent account. These accounts will allow parents/guardians to see any learning materials, upcoming assignments, and completed work for their student that has been posted by their student’s teacher in Schoology. Continue reading
During this period of school closures and social distancing, many educational associations and organizations have made their spring and summer offerings virtual. We have highlighted upcoming opportunities such as conferences, webinars and courses in our COVID-19 PD At-Home Support brochure, and we will update opportunities on the Online PD page of the ACPS Professional Development website.
Reminder: Any event or combination of related events over five hours can be submitted for recertification points. Continue reading
The Department of Technology recently completed a full security evaluation of the video conferencing platform Zoom. We found some concerns with the default security settings in the free version of Zoom. For that reason, we are moving forward with creating our own Zoom domain where all of our employee accounts will be added.
All Teachers: On April 13, 2020, you will receive an email inviting you to our Zoom domain (unless you have already had your account linked). Please accept this invitation by clicking on the “Approve the Request” button. Doing so will enable our Technology Engineers to make our Zoom domain the most secure possible. Continue reading
Dear Secondary Teachers,
Next week, as part of our planning to bring the current school year to as successful an end as possible, we will begin our continuity of learning activities across the division. I’d like to share with you how student grades will be determined in the wake of this unprecedented interruption of the school year.
We have developed consistent guidelines for teachers on how to assess upcoming learning assignments and final grades. Please see the Final 2019-2020 Grading Procedures for Teachers document for details on how to enter assignments and assign final grades. Continue reading
The Department of Technology has been working on a plan to support ACPS families and promote our Digital Learning Initiative at home. The program, known as ACPS@Home, works through partnerships with five major cell phone providers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon) and Kajeet to distribute Wi-Fi HotSpots to students without access to the Internet at home. With the current school closures, the interest in participating in this program has increased dramatically.
The demand for these HotSpots far exceeds the national supply available at this time. School administrative teams collected the names of over 650 students and staff who reported that they have no Internet access. Continue reading
With the disruptions to personal and work schedules related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we realize that many employees are not in the position to use annual leave at this time in order to avoid losing leave above the 320-hour maximum accrual cap set in Policy GCC, Leave Program. Effective immediately, we are temporarily disabling the conversion of annual leave at/above 320 hours that normally occurs at the end of an employee’s birth month, allowing those with birthdays in March, April, and onward extra time to use overflow annual leave. Continue reading