Dear Schoharie Jr./Sr. High School Families:
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to provide you with a few updates since my last letter on Friday, April 3,
What We Already Know
All schools in New York State are “on pause” through Friday, May 15th
All New York State Assessments (3-8 ELA, math, science; all Regents exams) are canceled for June 2020
What We Do Not Know
While there are still many unknowns at this point, the question on everyone’s mind is: Will school reopen after May 15th? We do not have any more insight into this than you do, but Governor Cuomo indicated in his press conference today, Friday, April 24, that there would be more information about schools coming out next week.
How We Are Proceeding
The following changes are being put into effect immediately, regardless of whether or not we return to campus before the end of this school year.
Quarter 3 Grades and Report Cards
After consultation with other schools in our BOCES and in our region, we are going to “officially” close Quarter 3 on Thursday, April 30. Since we could not complete Quarter 3 in person, teachers will assign Pass/Fail marks for students. These “grades” will be reported to the school, and a report card will be mailed home the week of May 4.
Quarter 4 Grades
Since the majority of our scheduled Quarter 4 time will be conducted via remote learning (even if we return to school after May 15th), we will use an EL/EAS designation for student assessment.
EL = student has shown Evidence of Learning
EAS = student has shown Evidence of Needing Additional Support
Final Exams
Given the uncertainty of how much face-to-face time we will have with students this year and the challenges of providing valid testing in a remote learning environment, there will be NO FINAL EXAMS this year.
Final Grades
Final grades in all courses will be Pass/Fail.
AP/UHS Classes
For students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) and/or University in the High School (UHS) courses, please check with your teacher for other requirements that are specific to those programs.
As a school community, we understand the tremendous stress that this situation has caused for students and families. We are here to support you! If you are having difficulty with technology, accessing course materials, meals, motivating students…we can help! Please reach out to your child’s teacher, school counselor, or the high school office (518-295-6601 ext. 6). Our staff is working harder than ever in these difficult times, and our mission is to serve.
I hope you have a wonderful (and restful) weekend. I will be in touch again once we have more information about the rest of the school year. Until then, please stay safe!
Sincerely,
Dr. Kevin Calacone
Principal