Updated 4-2-20
What about grades?
Teachers will use grades as a tool for communication only. They will not be reported on formal report cards or in gradebook. Grades will consist of PASS (the student completed the work successfully at a mastery level determined by teacher) or FAIL (the student did not complete the work or did not complete the work at a mastery level). For failed assignments, students will be provided a reteach opportunity in order to earn a passing grade. Teachers will record a minimum of one grade (pass/fail) per week based on their work in Google Classroom.
How will we know about our child’s grades (pass/fail)?
Teachers will communicate directly to students (and/or parents) if your child has not mastered an assignment. Your student will need to participate in the reteach opportunity in order to earn a passing grade. Official reports will be sent to parents on the standard progress report and report card timelines previously established IF your student does not have a PASSing grade. This communication will be sent to the parent email on file with the school on Tuesday 4/14, Tuesday 5/5 and Tuesday 5/18.
What about the 5th six weeks grades?
Students were receiving grades for the 5th six weeks beginning February 18, 2020. These grades, combined with student’s distance learning PASS/FAIL grades will be used to provide ‘credit’ for the 5th six weeks. Specific to GPA calculation, the 5th six weeks will be averaged into second semester grades as a PASS/FAIL. Each student needs to earn PASSing grades on every assignment through distance learning to be in good standing for the 5th six weeks. If a student earns a FAIL for 5th or 6th six weeks, then second semester credit will not be earned.
What about my High School student’s credits?
Students MUST complete all assignments required by teachers in their google classrooms AND receive a PASSing grade for all assignments. Texas Education Agency has stated that students must meet requirements through distance learning in order to earn second semester credit. If a student earns a FAIL for 5th or 6th six weeks, then second semester credit will not be earned.
What about seniors class rank & GPA for graduation purposes?
Idalou High School will use the 4th six week grades as the semester average for Spring of 2020. This average will be used to calculate the final GPA and class rank for our current seniors for graduation purposes. Normally, our Idalou High School policy states that we use the average of the student’s 4th and 5th six week grades to calculate GPA and class rank for graduation purposes.
What about final class rank & GPA for all high school students?
Idalou High School will use the 4th six week grades as the semester average as long as your student earns a PASS for the 5th AND 6th six weeks. The 4th six weeks grade will be the numerical value that will be calculated into final class rank and GPA for all high school students for the second semester.
What if my high school student failed the first semester or the 4th six weeks (second semester)? What about their opportunity to regain credit?
If your student failed the first semester or the 4th six weeks (which is counting as their second semester credit), your student will have the opportunity to regain their credit through our current distance learning. The student must complete all assignments with a PASS in order to gain the credits. Mrs. Carroll, IHS Principal, will contact each parent whose child is impacted by this situation.
Updated 3-27-20
How long will the district be closed?
In accordance with state requirements, Idalou ISD campuses and facilities will remain closed through April 3. We will await guidance from state and local officials to determine when schools will reopen. Stay safe!
Will the district offer meals to students during the closure?
Meals will be available from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Beginning MONDAY, March 23, 2020
Curbside pick-up is at the elementary campus, please drive into the bus lane and stop at the side of the front door. If you need home delivery, please call 806.892.1900 for arrangements. Office hours are from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM. If you live in the neighborhood, walk ups are allowed. All children will be given a meal ages 1-18. If you are a family that needs additional food resources, please call 806.892.1900 and you will be helped. Thank you to ARAMARK for their help in distributing meals.
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What is the plan for instruction?
On Monday, March 30, we will transition all academic classes to distance learning. Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, all Idalou ISD campuses are closed at least until April 3. Your child’s teachers will deliver assignments through Google Classroom. They can find their Google Classroom through Google Chrome/Class Link. Instructions/tutorials will be on our website if any students or parents have difficulties.
Students will be receiving and submitting lessons through Google Classroom. Lessons and due dates will be posted for students to complete. Students will not be on a typical 8 hour school day.
Teachers will have specific tutorial hours for students that will be shared through their Google Classroom. Teacher online office hours are 9-11 AM and 1-4 PM. The preferred method of communication during this time will be email due to limited employees being at Idalou ISD offices to answer phones. All staff emails are available through our website at www.idalouisd.net.
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How do we communicate with teachers or other district staff?
The preferred method of communication during this time will be email due to limited employees being at Idalou ISD offices to answer phones. All staff emails are available through our website at www.idalouisd.net.
How does my student login to their device?
Method 1: If they are using a school-issued Chromebook:
The student will log into the Chromebook using their school log in (parents, teachers are providing those log in sheets to you)
Once logged into Chromebook, they will go to Google Chrome, click on the Home icon or go to school website www.idalouisd.net > Students > Quick Links > Class Link. Click on Google Classroom. They should see all of their teacher(s) Google Classrooms here.
Method 2: Home device (phone, tablet, home computer)
Open Google Chrome browser or Safari, go to www.google.com, if logged into Google account, you will see an Initial at top right. If not logged into Google account, you will see a person’s head as an icon. Click on head to log into school Google account. Parents will be furnished the student’s log in sheets by their teachers.
Once logged into Google account, click on rubics cube square of dots and if they have not already joined their teacher’s Google Classroom, do this first. If they have, skip this step. Click on GMail, find the email from the teacher inviting them to join the classroom and click on the link in the email to accept the invitation to join their classroom.
Once the student has joined the Google Classroom, return to the rubics cube dots in the far right corner and click on Google Classroom.
If problems arise, please reach out to your child’s teacher first with the difficulty. Chances are they have already solved this for another student/parent. If the teacher is not able to solve the problem, then they know who to contact to try and solve this for you.
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Will the district provide a device for my student for distance learning?
Yes, we are providing devices to all students who said they do not have one in response to our online survey. Plans are in the works for the distribution of devices. Check back here on weekdays for an update on the scheduled date and time for device pick up. If you decide you need a device, please contact your campus principal by email.
Will the district provide resources for families with limited technology access?
Idalou ISD is providing students with a device for those needing one for distance learning. These devices will be handed out on TBA soon . The devices are prepared and ready for all students whose survey stated they did not have one. Please follow these directions to receive your device.
If your students need assistance with internet service, please use one of these options.
- Altice USA recognizes the important role we play in providing our Optimum and Suddenlink customers with connectivity solutions, and we are committed to helping schools and students stay connected during this unprecedented time. For households with K-12 and/or college students who may be displaced due to school closures and who do not currently have home internet access, we are offering our Altice Advantage Internet solution for free for 60 days to any new customer household within our footprint. After your first two free months expire, you can either cancel the service (which you can do at any time) or keep it as a regular paying Altice Advantage Internet customer. If you live in the Suddenlink service area, please call 888.633.0030.
- Use our school wifi by parking your vehicle in the student parking lot
- Network Name: Student_Wireless
- Network Password: 1family!
- Consider using your cellular device hotspot
How does this closure affect school and district events?
All scheduled activities related to Idalou ISD schools are canceled during the school closure. This also includes all district and campus events and competitions. We are following guidelines given to us by state and local officials.
How long will the school closure last?
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered all schools closed until April 3. We will take further guidance from government officials regarding any closures after that date.
How does the closure affect STAAR testing?
On March 16, Gov. Abbott announced that the state is waiving the STAAR testing requirements. All STAAR administrations scheduled for April, May, and June 2020 are canceled.
It is no longer required that students in 5th and 8th grade have to pass both reading and math STAAR tests in order to be promoted to the next grade level.
In alignment with the Texas Education Code, we will use local discretion on whether students should advance to the next grade.
The cancellation of STAAR tests includes STAAR Alternate 2 assessments, as well as any remaining TELPAS and TELPAS Alternate assessments or ratings.
Most seniors have already completed courses that have corresponding EOC assessments before their senior year. Normally, a student who has not passed up to two required STAAR EOC assessments may graduate through the individual graduation committee (IGC) process. For students who are still working to meet assessment graduation requirements as seniors in the 2019–2020 school year, required performance on academic assessments to graduate under TEC, have been waived for spring 2020. Effectively, this means that current seniors may graduate through the IGC process regardless of the number of EOC assessments they still need to pass.
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What about Junior/Senior Prom, Graduation Ceremony and Senior Trip?
Regarding prom, senior trip, and graduation celebrations, we will continue to monitor the situation and make determinations as needed. Prom is currently postponed as it was originally scheduled for March 28th. Senior Trip and Graduation are still scheduled as planned. We will make every effort to have these three special events. (Updated 3-27-2020)
What about grades & promotion?
We are waiting on guidance from the Texas Education Agency for specifics about grading, high school course credits, GPA, class ranking, grade level promotion, etc.
How will this closure affect the district calendar?
The state has provided a waiver for the equivalent of up to 10 school days without instruction. Should the closure last longer we will work with guidance from the Texas Education Agency and other state agencies to determine what will be necessary. We do not anticipate our school year to extend beyond Thursday, May 21, 2020.
Where can I find the most recent updates that have been sent to families?
All Idalou ISD updates can be found on the district’s webpage, www.idalouisd.net.
Can I receive school and district information by text message?
If you are not receiving our District Notifications (phone call, text, email), it is because we do not have your updated information in our school database system. Please notify your child’s teacher immediately and they will relay the correct information to us to get that corrected.
What other communication resources are available?
Idalou ISD will communicate with stakeholders on COVID-19 in a variety of ways including:
- District and campus websites
- Phone Messaging System
- Text Messaging System
- District Social Media accounts (Facebook: go like the Idalou ISD page and Twitter: Idalou ISD)
- Media outlets
What is Idalou ISD doing to control the spread of COVID-19?
All Idalou ISD campuses are closed through April 3, and all district and campus activities are canceled through April 3. We will continue to monitor the progress of the illness and communicate with parents and staff on an ongoing basis. The district is following the guidance of local, state and federal health authorities in our continued response to the evolving COVID-19 situation.
What can I do to prevent being infected or spreading the virus?
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve (not your hands).
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Adhere to the preventative measures as recommended by public health officials, such as limiting interaction and practicing social distancing.
- Visit the CDC website for more information.
When will students reassume UIL sanctioned activities?
UIL games and contests will resume no earlier than Monday, May 4th. Prior to that date, to allow students and schools to re-enter competition, UIL will provide a reasonable acclimatization period for rehearsals and practices to occur, consistent with the advice of local, state and federal officials. We will reevaluate the beginning dates for practices and rehearsals as we receive more information about schools resuming. We will be providing more guidance on district and post-season date adjustments related to this extension in the coming days.
I still need to take my TSI (Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) for college entrance. What can I do?
For all TSIA 1.0 testing, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is encouraging testing centers to utilize Examity, College Board's Online proctoring partner. Our Department of PostSecondary Readiness is working on a plan to provide remote testing options. Information will be communicated as soon as it is available. We will also look for guidance from South Plains College which is one of our locations for TSI testing.
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