Participation in Fayette’s at-home learning program improved since spring, numbers show

Fayette County’s rate of student participation in Kentucky’s at-home learning program, or NTI, was higher in September than last spring when COVID-19 abruptly shut down schools.

State data released Thursday by the Kentucky Department of Education showing participation rates of 94.96 percent from the start of school in late August through September 30 “underscores the amazing work our schools and families are doing together,” said Superintendent Manny Caulk.

In comparison, last spring, Fayette’s student participation rate in NTI dropped from 85 percent in the first week it was officially implemented in April to 58 percent in the eighth week.

In between, Fayette’s student participation rate was 83 percent in the second week, 82 percent in the third week, 80 percent in the fourth week, 78 percent in the fifth week, 77 percent in the sixth week, and 73 percent in the seventh week, Kentucky Department of Education officials said in June.

“In a typical year, our attendance rates run at 94.3 percent, so to have participation rates even higher at 94.96 percent is especially encouraging as we prepare to provide families with the opportunity to select remote learning or send their children back to in-person instruction in January,” Caulk said Thursday.

Statewide, the rate of participation is 95.25 percent, with the lowest being at the Kentucky School for the Deaf at 80.66 percent.

The percentage of participation in the district is calculated by dividing the number of days students participated by the number of total days scheduled.

Fayette’s participation in NTI as opposed to in person learning has become more controversial as some parents are calling for a return to the classroom sooner than January as the district is planning.

Student participation for each school is recorded in the Kentucky Student Information System. Daily participation rates count both in-person attendance and daily instances of non-traditional remote instruction for students outside of the building.

Daily participation for students learning through non-traditional instruction can be in real time during the school day or at times outside of normal school hours.

It includes video communication or phone calls between teacher and students, student time logged into a software system completing assignments, or submission of paper assignments for students.

Throughout the pandemic, school staff have left their comfort zone and have grown as educators, Lester Diaz, principal at Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School, said at a state principal’s meeting in October according to a news release.

Prior to COVID-19, Diaz said his school already featured elements of virtual learning, but now his staff has become more prepared to use this form of instruction because of “the intensity and the amount of virtual learning taken place.”