Students will be most successful if they complete online coursework daily and students must make weekly progress toward passing their courses. Attendance will be tracked weekly for each course and students will be expected to submit assignments and work on regularly scheduled KCS school days. Courses contain recorded videos and are self-paced, so students may work on them at times in addition to the regular school day. KCS teacher support will be live during regular school hours and students are welcome to message them through Odysseyware on weekends or at night with the understanding that they may not receive a reply until the morning of the next school day.
Students participating in the RCL2020 are considered KCS students and will remain enrolled in their base school.
All families will need to pick up first day paperwork when they pick up their devices. First day paperwork will need to be completed and returned within one week.
Students must make progress in the assignments and stay on track to complete the courses on time. Due to the flexible nature of online learning, students may work ahead for the week in a subject if they choose. The goal is for the student to complete approximately 20% of the weekly assignments per day reaching 100% of the assignments before the deadline at 11:59 pm on Friday night. For example, if a student completes 60% of the work, then the student would be counted present for three (3) days that week. A parent/guardian must provide excuses for the two absences just as if the student were a face-to-face student.
Excessive absences, whether in the online platform or in scheduled virtual meetings with the teacher(s) can result in the student and parent having to appear before the Sullivan County Juvenile Court. Student attendance in online learning is required by the State of Tennessee in all grades, classes, and courses. Kingsport City Schools Attendance Policy including the Progressive Truancy Intervention Plan can be found HERE. As of June 22, 2020, the expectation for remote learning from the State of Tennessee is that kindergarten students spend about 4 hours per day engaged in their courses and that students in grades 1 - 12 spend about 6.5 hours per day engaged in their courses. Note that level of engagement does not equate to equivalent hours of screen time as some activities can be completed offline.
As of June 22, 2020, the expectation for remote learning from the State of Tennessee is that kindergarten students spend about 4 hours per day engaged in their courses and that students in grades 1 - 12 spend about 6.5 hours per day engaged in their courses.
While assignments and quizzes are for the most part online activities, not all activities must be completed online. Activities and assignments for elementary students that do not have to be completed on the computer include independent reading and guided reading by a family member, physical activity outdoors, writing assignments, math problem practice, and science exploration and play. For middle and high school students, activities that do not have to involve screen time include independent reading, writing, working math problems, science labs and experiments, and physical exercise.