Editorial: Distance learning needs improvements

With no sign of the coronavirus pandemic coming to an end in the U.S., the possibility of continued stay-athome learning in the fall is very plausible. If FCPS is to continue distance learning next year, it will need to make drastic improvements to its current plans.

In a poll conducted in April by McLean’s Committee for Raising Student Voices, only 40.6% of 212 respondents said that they were satisfied with distance learning, while 59.4% were not. Complaints started when overlooked security flaws in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra disrupted classes.

“We realized very quickly that using guest links was not secure enough, and we need to change the plan,” said Elaine Tholen, the Dranesville District school board representative.

While FCPS fixed some initial problems, like the security failures, other complaints about the distance learning class structures have not been addressed.

“It’s super awkward that you can’t see your classmates, so no one actually wants to talk during the sessions,” Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology sophomore Maria Dubasov said.

A lack of participation in sessions was a recurring complaint among Fairfax County students who responded to The Highlander’s Distance learning accentuated inequality survey in late May. Many students do not in FCPS and put underprivileged students speak in class and others log in to receive at a disadvantage. Students whose families credit for attending class but are not at their are able to afford additional learning computer. support are likely to be better prepared

“I would say, generally, [there is] at least for school next year. That could cause one person per class period that I have to long term problems for underprivileged remove from the session at the end because students, leaving them behind, unprepared they are unresponsive,” English teacher Anna Caponetti said.

FCPS did not require students to participate in live sessions, so teachers are I THINK IT’S UNFORTUNATE not able to ensure all students are paying THAT PEOPLE AREN’T FEELING attention. This causes teachers to spend CHALLENGED.” too long waiting for a response and waste -ELAINE THOLEN class time, which is already too short to be DRANESVILLE DISTRICT effective. SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVE

“There...is no time to allow students to collaborate effectively...if you only have 45-minute installments and a week spaced for classes and to score well on AP exams. out between them,” Caponetti said. FCPS will also need to address the

Like class participation, FCPS did not unreliability of its web services. set clear guidelines on how work should “My English teacher once got kicked out be assigned. Yet even in classes with high of her own Blackboard Collaborate session,” workloads, course plans are not challenging Dubasov said. “One time I started having enough. connection problems even though my WiFi

“My teachers can’t go in-depth anymore was fine and I missed half of a class because due to the fact that it’s too difficult to learn I couldn’t rejoin, even after I tried another challenging material through the virtual computer and restarted my computer.” classroom,” Dubasov said. “Lots of my While Dubasov only had connection assignments are much easier than they issues once, some students have had would have been.” multiple failures.

According to a 2020 study by the “I’ve disconnected from classes multiple Northwest Evaluation Association, school times and been unable to reconnect, and closures will cause students to lose 30% of overall it just hasn’t been a very good progress in reading and as much as 50% learning experience,” junior Lauren Grady in math. A lack of challenging classwork said. has led some families to supplement their Technical failures could bring down children’s learning with other resources. students’ grades if FCPS issues a more

“Several families that I’ve talked to in traditional grading policy next year. the McLean pyramid have hired tutors to... Ultimately, if distance learning is to augment some of the learning,” Tholen continue in the fall, the school district must said. “I think it’s unfortunate that people listen to the hundreds of student complaints aren’t feeling challenged, and...that is a big echoing throughout the county and create consideration that we will have looking a more substantial learning environment forward with any distance learning.” with clear expectations for students. Page design by Akash Balenalli Reporting by Akash Balenalli, Nyla Marcott, Valerie Paredes & Polina Zubarev