Today's call with Commissioner of Education Mike Morath shed some light on what we can expect for the "Strong Start" of the upcoming 2020-21 school year. He was joined on the call by Senate Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor and House Public Education Committee Chairman Dan Huberty.
TEA will provide an ADA hold harmless for any district that experiences ADA that is more than 1% less what it was in the prior year. This hold harmless funding will be available for the first two six-weeks periods of the 20-21 school year. That means schools will be guaranteed funding of no less than 99% of the previous year's ADA for the first 12 weeks of school. Then, beginning the week of the November 2020 election and thereafter, things are a little less certain.
Commissioner Morath referenced the words "flexibility and grace" when describing the options available for the delivery of instruction next year in a manner eligible for ADA funding:
- Unless some type of closure is ordered, schools can offer in-person instruction and take attendance in the traditional format.
- Schools can offer synchronous remote instruction and provide live real-time instruction to students in 3rd grade and above remotely for at least 180 instructional minutes for those in grades 3-5 or at least 240 instructional minutes for those in grade 6 and above in order to count students for a full-day of attendance. Students in grades PK-2 are not eligible for synchronous remote instruction. Attendance would be taken daily by the teacher at a designated time.
- Schools can offer asynchronous remote instruction so that students receive instruction through pre-recorded videos, written instruction, online lessons/games, and other self-paced lessons. Such instruction is available for students in all grade levels, and in order for a full attendance credit to be granted, schools must be able to record that the student made progress (through a check-in with the teacher, work submitted, etc.) on a daily basis.
- Finally, the Texas Virtual School Network remains an option for school districts that wish to offer courses through that platform.
In response to questions on today's call, Commissioner Morath stated that parents will have the ability to choose among the district's offerings which instructional format works best for their child. He also said that some students may engage in a hybrid approach. Truancy laws will no longer be waived, and students will be expected to be engaged in learning each day.
We strongly encourage you to become well acquainted with the two documents posted to the Agency's website today as your district makes decisions and plans for the 2020-21 school year. Districts will want to make decisions and communicate those decisions and options to parents as quickly as possible.
And as always, please let us know if you have any questions.