‘Anxiety... we want to avoid.’ Lexington schools cut back on assignments during shutdown

Some Lexington public schools will, beginning Monday, ease up on academic assignments and on deadlines for students during the coronavirus school shutdown while other schools are modifying schedules.

Tates Creek Middle School Principal Eric Thornsbury said in an email to families Friday that the workload was creating angst.

Some Fayette school board members earlier this week said that families are confused about grading for the non-traditional instruction program which officially began April 6 and that grades were not equitable.

In-person classroom learning ceased March 16 to curb the coronavirus spread and at this point won’t resume until at least May 1. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has asked administrators to make preparations in case schools don’t reopen this academic year. Beshear said he would talk to superintendents about that next week.

Responding to the concerns, district spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall said Friday night that district and school leaders met this week to establish shared guidelines about the appropriate workload for students at each grade level, as well as grading and assessment expectations.

Some schools have designated certain days for new assignments and other days for review and make-up work. Other schools are decreasing the number of assignments or providing extended windows for completion of work, Deffendall said.

In his email, Thornsbury told families that as the school staff prepares for the next 10 days of non-traditional instruction, ”I want to ... let you know we hear you.”

Thornsbury said through the first two weeks of NTI, “we have discovered that our NTI work has been more than originally thought and that some modification is needed to be made for our families and staff.”

Beginning Monday April 20, Thornsbury said, parents will notice a reduction in the number of assignments being given per class.

“We have found out that giving work for every class, every day was creating anxiety that we want to avoid,” he said.

From now on this school year, at Tates Creek Middle School, teachers may have assignments due on a Friday however, no new assignments will be given and any missing or make-up work can be submitted.

Under the new rules for NTI, if a student misses the suggested due date they can continue to work and turn in the completed portions of the work as quickly as they can, Thornsbury said.

Deffendall said existing Fayette County board policy gives School-Based Decision Making Councils authority over grading policies.

However, the new district guidance recommends that work done during NTI can only improve a student’s grade, and there should be no negative consequences of NTI, she said

Guidance varies for elementary, middle and high schools.

“We will continue to refine our NTI practices for as long as we remain closed for COVID-19,” Deffendall said, “Our focus is on doing what’s best for students, knowing that the steps taken to mitigate the spread of this virus have impacted our students, families, and communities in vastly different ways and flexibility is essential.”