MCPS addresses questions about attendance, grading & technology improvement in online meeting


MCPS addresses questions about attendance, grading & technology improvement in online meeting

What will the first semester look like when kids in Montgomery County Schools go back to online learning?

It was the main topic among many others that came up during a meeting on Wednesday as Superintendent Jack Smith addressed the decision for all distance learning this fall.

READ MORE: Here’s what DC, Maryland and Virginia school districts have planned for the fall

FOX 5’s Ayesha Khan asked Smith how MCPS will manage the enforcement or monitoring of online attendance, which was an issue this past Spring.

Smith said the school system will be keeping track of who is logging on and who is not by monitoring a list that will be handled by a case manager and beginning August 31 the school system will have even more accountability around it. 

As far as online learning is concerned, technology for that will be worked on intensely this summer. Meaning, students will be outfitted with Chrome books and MiFi.

Smith also said that MCPS will return to standardized grading, meaning most high school students prefer to have a letter grade as opposed to the pass/fail option this past spring.

Smith also touched on the cancellation of fall and winter sports saying, the school system understands that “this is devastating.” 

MCPS also said that they are aware about recruiting concerns and will be exploring this matter in the coming weeks.

“It definitely doesn’t feel good,” said JP King, an incoming junior at Richard Montgomery High School.

The 16-year-old is an avid baseball and football player but has been practicing in his back yard.

“Right now, we just have one Zoom meeting a week and that’s it and you can’t even build culture with the team and we really don’t talk to each other,” he said.

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In neighboring Frederick County, students there have been doing voluntary summer workouts Monday through Thursday. Something that Melissa King she wishes was an option for JP.

“If the coaches would have been allowed to be in a big open field during the summer conditioning then kids can stay in shape,” said King, “so when the time comes we would have been a lot happier.”

Smith also said that come end of October and beginning of November, MCPS will be considering whether or not they will move into a blended model for the second semester in February. 


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