CONWAY — Arkansas PBS and the state Department of Education are partnering to use the internet to deliver lessons to prekindergarten- through eighth-grade students at a time when schools remain closed in hopes of stemming the rapid transmission of the coronavirus.
“This partnership between Arkansas PBS and the Arkansas Department of Education demonstrates the type of creative solutions we need during this crisis,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. “Our ability to meet the needs of our citizens and provide our children with educational instruction regardless of the circumstances is important. Our goal is to limit the amount of lost instruction time, and to limit the impact on our children as much as possible. This coordination helps us accomplish that goal.”
Earlier this month, the governor ordered public schools closed until the end of spring break, which is Monday. But then on March 20, as more people tested positive, he extended the closure to April 17.
Beginning Monday, Arkansas PBS will modify its regular broadcast schedule between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. to offer streamlined curriculum-based programming throughout the duration of the school closures.
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The schedule is:
8-9:30 a.m. — Grades pre-K-2
9:30-11 a.m. — Grades 3-5
11 a.m.-1 p.m. — Grades 6-8
The program can be used in place of the Alternative Method of Instruction packets normally used during unforeseen school closures for such events as snowstorms or, like earlier this year, widespread flu.
The Education Department will send digital packets, including Spanish language materials, to each school district.
“Public media is the home of educational content for all learners, no matter their stage in life,” said Courtney Pledger, Arkansas PBS’ executive director. “Arkansas PBS is here at all times to inspire you, motivate you, and feed your curiosity about life. Those things are especially important in times of crisis.”
LEARNING GOES ON
Arkansas PBS received no additional funding and is providing the service with existing resources, Pledger said.
More information and all of the packets as well as additional resources can be found at: myarkansaspbs.org/engage/blog/learning_at_home_with_arkansas_pbs_ and_ade
“These AMI Learning Guides are available for anyone — parents, students, educators — to download and use to help their students learn,” Pledger said. “Spanish language resources are there for people who have that need.”
The content will align with current state and federal standards so that programming is flexible enough to serve as both supplemental and fundamental education, based on timing and need. All lesson plans are being developed by the Education Department’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Although in-person instruction — by teachers with their students — is temporarily on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, state Secretary of Education Johnny Key said learning has not stopped.
“We are very proud of the commitment exhibited by educators around the state who have not missed a beat. Our educators have transitioned from in-person instruction to virtual and distance learning and are finding ways to connect with their students even though they are not seeing them on a daily basis in a traditional classroom setting,” Key said. “We also are very excited about this opportunity to partner with Arkansas PBS to provide quality lessons to support educators and students during this unprecedented time. Our role at [the Education Department] is to support and assist educators, schools, and students, and this PBS partnership, as well as the AMI hotline, are just two examples of the many ways we are doing that.”
The Engaging Arkansas segments will feature instruction from five Arkansas Teacher of the Year winners: Randi House, a kindergarten teacher with the Conway School District; Courtney Cochran, principal of Cedar-ville High School; Meghan Ables, a teacher at Stuttgart High School; Stacey McAdoo, a communication teacher at Little Rock Central High; and Joel Lookadoo, from Lakeside Junior High School in Spring-dale.
“The really interesting thing about all of this is, in doing school on television, is that we are actually circling back to the original use of public television but in a more modern, compelling way,” Pledger siad.
Most of Arkansas’ public schools will be returning to the use of the alternative-instruction packets on Monday after a week of what was supposed to have been spring break.
OTHER PROGRAMS
School districts are not required to use the Arkansas PBS resource.
Beebe School District Superintendent Chris Nail said his district will use the Google Classroom Platform. The district will distribute about 800 Chromebooks to parents who stated they needed a device to connect to the internet. Community partners will host internet “hot spots” where parents can drive their students so the children can do their schoolwork in the car.
B eebe teachers were asked to prepare videos for the grade level or high school class, then post follow-up assignments, Nail said, adding that more information will be announced to parents Monday.
“We feel that having our teachers have control of content, we will be able to better serve our students,” Nail said. “Our students that have no Wi-Fi, no way to drive to hot spots, and don’t want a device, we will be delivering them a hard copy packet on Thursday.”
For Elizabeth Reeves — a Searcy mother of Stratton, a kindergartner, and Turner, a third grader — said she will continue using the alternative-instruction packets as well as adding art time and outdoor learning.
“I haven’t heard about the PBS partnership yet, but I love PBS, so I’m sure anything they do to help kids learn during this time will be awesome,” she said.
Nicole Stevens — an Amity mother of kindergartner Emma, fourth grader Carson, sixth grader Hayden and eighth grader Easton —said the Centerpoint School District will deliver alternative-instruction work to the younger students and the high school students will continue with online instruction.
“I love the idea of a partnership between AETN and the Department of Education,” Stevens said. “It is an easy way to be able to contact a big range of students and keep them learning.”
Ivy Pfeffer, deputy commissioner of the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, echoed Key’s sentiments.
“We want to emphasize that while schools are closed for on-site instruction, they aren’t closed for learning,” Pfeffer said. “We will see some great stuff happening next week with [alternative instruction]. Our Teachers of the Year are going to be awesome facilitators.”
The Arkansas PBS studios went fully remote Friday, with employees working from home, for the duration of the outbreak.
“We’ve had the challenge of keeping not only our staff safe but our on-screen teachers as well,” Pledger said. “The remote production process has been fascinating, equipping our teachers with the tools they need on their own home turf, helping them to become ‘mini remote producers.’ Students will soon see what a brilliant job they are doing.”
Ed Leon, chief operating officer of Arkansas PBS, said the network began preparing for remote work several weeks before Hutchinson instructed state agencies to work remotely.
Viewers will see very little difference on air, Leon added.
“Preparation was the key,” he said. “This whole situation has been unsettling and disruptive, so keeping everyone focused and communicating has been paramount. I think we are communicating more now than we ever have – because the situation demands it.”