April-2020-Special-Edition

INFORMING

SPECIAL EDITION • APRIL 2020 CEA ADVISOR 5

What are the impacts on students’ GPA, college admissions, and financial aid? The Connecticut SDE has worked closely with its partners in higher education to reach consensus on students applying to or enrolling in Connecticut colleges and universities. Connecticut’s public and private institutions of higher education will accept the following principles. Note that these may not necessarily reflect the policies for public and private colleges outside of Connecticut. • Pass/fail grades will be accepted for Connecticut high school students taught through distance learning for the semesters in which in-school classes are canceled. • For the 2019-2020 school year, the student grade point average (GPA) will be calculated based on performance while students were participating in in-school classes through the time when in-school classes were canceled during March 2020. • For current seniors, a student’s GPA will include grades earned through December 2019. Underclassmen GPAs will be calculated based on grades earned through December 2019 and those earned beginning when classes resume for the 2020-2021 school year. • For a year-long course, a student’s GPA will include the fall term grade for the course. • Colleges and universities in transcripts from districts for newly enrolled freshmen and will extend the deadline for receipt of officially certified transcripts. • Understanding that families in Connecticut may have suffered a negative financial impact from COVID-19, colleges and universities in Connecticut will work with families whose ability to pay for higher education has changed in order to determine Connecticut will accept electronically certified

What happens to graduation credits when a district is unable to provide a particular course through distance learning or must depart from the planned curriculum? While the SDE recommends that local and regional boards of education continue their program of instruction, the agency understands that exceptional circumstances may pose a challenge. Pursuant to Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 7C, the SDE will allow districts to grant students the necessary credits for graduation even where a course or prescribed course of study may not be consistent with the Connecticut General Statutes, Section 10-16b or Section 10-221a(b). In exercising local discretion, the SDE urges boards of education to consider the existing flexibilities in awarding non-seat-time credit that are currently available in C.G.S. Section 10-221a(f) and (g), including the attainment of credits through a successful demonstration of mastery, cross-curricular graduation requirements, and virtual learning. What is the status of graduation ceremonies? Graduation ceremonies are a local decision; however, the SDE emphasizes the importance of recognizing student achievement upon graduation. All decisions about graduation ceremonies should be made by consulting Governor Lamont’s emergency declarations in collaboration with local health officials.

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What happens to my hearing if I receive a termination notice? Normally, termination

What about nonrenewal notice deadlines? Districts must still notify teachers by May 1 if they are planning to nonrenew them at the end of this school year. But they have also been given additional flexibility to instead extend a teacher’s probationary period by up to one full year to allow time for a more fully informed decision about nonrenewal. The deadline for this notice is May 1 as well, and districts are encouraged to work with their local union to determine the length of the extension. When a teacher requests a hearing after receiving notice of nonrenewal, a 90-day extension of the hearing timelines may be granted by the board, local hearing officer, or subcommittee. For additional guidance and revised timelines related to nonrenewals, visit the State Department of Education website at portal.ct.gov/SDE . Within the SDE’s site, search “temporary flexibilities.”

hearings for tenured teachers would be conducted in person. Because of social distancing guidelines in place to protect public health, however, local and regional boards of education may now provide teachers with notice of a potential termination via email. As usual, teachers may request a hearing within 10 days of receiving such notice and may do so via email to both their superintendent and board chair. In those cases where a teacher requests a hearing, as well as in currently pending termination hearings, the board must now extend all statutory and regulatory time requirements related to the termination hearing by 45 calendar days. SDE has granted teachers this extension after receiving input from CEA’s Member Legal Services team. As always, talk to your CEA UniServ Rep if you have been issued a termination notice. To see who represents you, visit cea.org . Click the Members tab, then UniServ Representatives.

KEEPING YOU UP TO SPEED As the state continues to track the pandemic and assess strategies and timelines for reopening, CEA will continue to provide timely answers to all your questions as they relate to summer learning, remediation, protocols for returning to school, and more. Watch your inbox, read the CEA Advisor , log on to cea.org , and sign up for daily or weekly updates at blogcea.org .

whether they are eligible for additional financial aid and what state, federal, and institutional resources may be available to help.

Julia Kannengeiser, a kindergartner at Stratford’s Eli Whitney Elementary School, connects from home with teacher Lisa Moretti.