In response to the physical shut-down of California schools, Oak Park Unified School District’s Distance Learning began on Monday, March 23, with teachers reaching out to students with Google Classroom codes. Distance learning will extend through the end of the 2019-20 school year, as Gov. Gavin Newsom announced: “schools will not reopen, but classes are in.”

In an email to students, OPHS Principal Kevin Buchanan explained exactly what distance learning looks like.

“Distance learning is compulsory and all students are expected to ‘attend’ their classes which will be recorded by completed assignments and participation … grades will be recorded and submitted according to the regular school calendar,” Buchanan wrote.

Teachers are meeting with students in live classes through Google Meet and Zoom. Some teachers are also making content videos that students can reference on their own time, made available on Google Classroom, YouTube or other platforms. 

Given that tests are almost impossible to administer securely remotely, points are mostly assigned based on completed course work.

The majority of grades will be earned by assignment completion, where assignments could vary between essays, note-taking, projects, problem sets, etc,” Buchanan wrote.

Although spring sports have been canceled, students may still get credit if they provide evidence of exercise.

“Spring sport athletes will still receive their P.E. credit as long as they submit a fitness log to their coach by the end of the school year,” Buchanan wrote.

All state testing for the year has been canceled, while the College Board recently announced that 2020 AP Exams will be taken online. The test will be given from May 11 to May 22, with make-up dates of June 1-5. Each exam will only be 45 minutes long, open book and one or two free-response questions only, doing away with the multiple-choice portion of past exams.

Buchanan noted that OPHS is still working on finding a balance between meeting education standards and changing the curriculum to acknowledge the circumstances.

“Our teachers are aware of this and many of them are also facing challenging situations during this crisis as they find that balance,” Buchanan wrote.