Siloam Springs students experienced their first Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) day -- where learning took place at home because of bad weather -- last Monday.
In 2017, the Arkansas legislature passed Act 862, which allows school districts to apply for approval of an AMI plan, enabling students to learn at home rather than make up inclement weather days later in the year.
This is the second year the Arkansas Commissioner of Education has granted approval for Siloam Springs School District's AMI plan, but it is the first time the school district has implemented the plan, according to Kristi Wiggins, director of curriculum and federal programs. It's also the first time that Siloam Springs Schools have closed for inclement weather in three or four years, she said.
Wiggins said the feedback she collected about the first AMI day from each of the schools in the district was positive. She said for the most part students were able to access the packets at home and teachers were available if they had any questions.
Students in grades kindergarten through four were sent home with paper copies of AMI packets in the fall, Wiggins said. Copies were also posted on the school websites in case students misplaced their packets. Students in grades five through 12 completed their work online through Google Classrooms, but had the option to use paper packets in case they did not have access to computers or an internet connection at home, she said.
Students have five days, until Monday, to turn in their AMI packets, but many students turned in their work on their first day back to school, Wiggins said. Students will be counted present for the snow day if they turn their work in on time.
"If they didn't bring it back they still have time and our teachers are working with our students and parents to remind them," she said. "As far as I know our teachers seemed to think that it was good."
Teachers and administrators worked to tailor the instructional materials in the packets to students' needs. Materials reviewed foundational material and didn't cover new information, she said. The goal was not to make students spend all day at work, but to give them activities that met the learning standards for their age, she said.
Some teachers even found ways to make the work from home fun, Wiggins said. For example. one physical education teacher asked students to play for 20 minutes in the snow -- which meets the standard of doing an activity that raises the heart rate for 20 minutes.
Kindergarten teacher Donna Skaggs said that she feels like AMI days are beneficial because students get to do their school work during the school year while they are still focused instead of at the end of the year when they are thinking more about getting out of school for the summer.
Skaggs said she hasn't heard any negative feedback and most parents seemed pleased with the AMI day. A lot of kids seemed really excited to do the work as well, she said.
She said that parents and families were very involved and some reached out to her to ask questions. A few even sent pictures of their children doing work at home.
"As far as my class, it went great," Skaggs said. "I've had almost all of their work returned and they have five days to return it."
Kelly Svebek, who is both a parent and a district administrator, said her 10th-grade son really liked being able to work from home. Her son already does much of his school work using Google classrooms and takes his Chromebook home. High school students were given the option to take their devices home last fall.
"Honestly, he got up and he did his work, and it took him a while, but he liked being able to access it online," she said. "It's not necessarily different from the way he accesses a lot of his stuff, he was just able to do his work there at home."
General News on 03/10/2019