The first day of school is a time of new things: new classes, new teachers and new activities. In 2020, the first day of school is even more unfamiliar, as backpacks and classrooms have been replaced by Chromebooks and Zoom. 

The learning curve for distance learning is steep, but educators in the Shoreline Unified School District are cautiously optimistic that instruction will improve from the spring, when many students stopped showing up to virtual classrooms.

Early signs are promising: Every student at Tomales High School had a computer in their possession by last Friday, and this week staff members are troubleshooting connectivity and hardware issues. The first day of school was on Tuesday.

“I would say, based on everything else that is going on for many of our students and families, things are going pretty well with getting students into classes and connected with their teachers,” principal Adam Jennings said.

The pickup of materials and first day at West Marin and Inverness Schools was delayed until next week at the earliest. The Woodward Fire prompted many families to leave the area, so the schools used their storm days to push back the opening. 

At Tomales Elementary, 143 of 145 students picked up materials on Monday, and the two who didn’t show up made other arrangements.

“Seeing the kids walking around campus was encouraging but also sad, because you know they wanted to go hug their teacher or go hug each other, but it was just handwaves and goodbyes—no high fives, no chatting,” secretary Erica Beltran said. “You did hear them yelling in the parking lot, ‘Bye, see you on Zoom!’”

Last year’s pivot to distance learning was marred by technical difficulties, makeshift plans and unclear expectations. With no time to develop a unified strategy, teachers arranged random class times and failed to get full attendance. The grading policy was changed so that students could only improve their grades, not lower them, and many students had more responsibilities at home. With just two months left in the school year, some parents were inclined to let learning go.

Other students wanted to attend but could not because of internet problems, especially in crowded homes and on remote ranches. The district distributed internet hotspots from the county library to students who needed them, but sometimes the hotspots were unable to get a cell signal. This year, support staff have a better grasp on who needs which type of device, and they are hopeful that troubleshooting will be quicker.

Expectations are also more concrete. The district has developed two schedules, one for the high school and one for the lower grades. For students from transitional kindergarten through eighth-grade, attendance will be taken each morning, followed by four hours of learning, with breaks for recess and snacks. Learning will be both synchronous, with students and teachers working at the same time, and asynchronous, with students working independently of their teacher.

“This year feels like you’re a first-year teacher again, because you have to totally reorient how you deliver instruction,” fourth-grade teacher Ashley Dumbra said. “The mindset I’m trying to keep is excitement about the opportunities this affords us.”

Ms. Dumbra, who is employed as a literacy coach but was thrust into her old role as a classroom teacher out of need, is splitting the fourth-grade class with Daisy Barragan, the Spanish teacher. They are each assigned 11 students so that if students are eventually allowed back inside classrooms, the cohorts would not have to change. During distance learning, the two can share teaching responsibilities. 

Reading instruction will start with a mini-lesson, when a teacher reads aloud for a half-hour while the students follow along. An hour of small-group instruction follows, with students breaking into three groups and the teacher rotating through them for 20 minutes each. Then, the class reconvenes to review. Math instruction will follow a similar format.

Because distance learning worked well for some and poorly for others last year, teachers anticipate that students will be learning at different levels. Over the past few years, Shoreline has revamped its literacy effort with new practices that emphasize individual instruction that meets students where they are. Teachers will continue to use Literacy Footprints, a reading program for learners up to eighth grade that allows students to access multiple copies of the same book. The software has a built-in assessment tool, so students read a book over the computer while the teacher listens and takes notes. Teachers can then group students based on reading ability.

Assessing students is not a priority for the first couple of weeks, though, as teachers instead emphasize social and emotional support.

“First and foremost, the focus is on making sure kids are okay and building relationships,” Ms. Dumbra said. “We want to start off with books that build a sense of community and identity.”

After four hours of learning in the morning for elementary and middle schoolers, schools will break for lunch. In the afternoon, classroom teachers will have from 1 to 3 p.m. to prepare and collaborate, prep time that was negotiated in the memorandum of understanding between the teachers’ union and the school district. During the prep period, the schools aim to provide other programming, like counseling groups, clubs or electives.

At the high school, where students receive instruction from multiple teachers, the usual six-period day has been broken in half, with three 80-minute classes on alternating days. This both limits screen time per day and allows students to return to campus with the same schedule. 

For the state to allow schools to reopen for in-person instruction, Marin County must obtain a case rate below 100 cases per 100,000 residents for two weeks. Currently, the county reports a case rate of 110 cases per 100,000 residents, a steep drop from 200 cases per 100,000 residents three weeks ago.

Families have chosen to be assigned to either a transitional cohort or a remote-only cohort. Students in the transitional cohorts will be expected to return to campus if it reopens, while remote-only students will stay home until at least winter break. Across the district, 391 students opted for the transitional path, and 123 students chose to stay home.

For students who are habitually absent, tardy or disengaged, Shoreline has created a three-tiered system of intervention, laid out in a packet sent to families. First, staff will reach out to parents and students, and the office will make an automated daily phone call. Parents will receive a weekly engagement record.

If attendance is still inconsistent, school counseling staff will engage with the family to determine what additional support is needed, and a team of counselors, teachers and administrators will be established to support the student. If that still doesn’t work, the team will develop a coordinated support plan including counseling, increased check-ins, scheduling support, home visits or referrals to outside agencies.