TPS Releases Daily Schedule For Distance Learning

Tulsa Public Schools has released an example of a daily schedule showing what parents and teachers can expect when it comes to distance learning for the fist nine weeks of the fall semester.

TPS Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist sent out this information to parents this week with an email showing what the packed daily school schedule will look like this year.

“Our team has been working to put plans in place to keep our students, team, and families safe and healthy while ensuring that students have the support they need to be successful in college, careers, and life,” Gist says.

The five day class schedule shows students will use a program called Canvas to virtually rotate between seven classes a day with a “homeroom” type period to begin the day and a lunch block in the middle.

The schedule example shows that students will switch between whole class Zoom calls and independent study periods for every other block.

On Wednesdays the student will have what TPS is calling an "accelerated learning day". TPS says this is a time for teachers to give each student specific assignments in areas they need to spend more time on.

According to the email, teachers will grade assignments and provide feedback using Canvas, email, video conferences, and phone calls.

Dr. Gist says they feel this is the best plan to keep students and teachers safe while ensuring students have the support they need for a successful life.

In the email, Dr. Gist writes “I wanted to take a moment to give you all some updates about the upcoming school year. Last Monday, the TPS Board of Education accepted the recommendation to begin the school year in distance learning mode. This means that the majority of our students will be participating in a full day of school, engaging with our teachers in both, live interaction and independent practice. All students will have access to high quality curriculum developed by our district and your student’s teachers. All students will be utilizing a digital learning platform, Canvas, to access their courses and academic content. Students will rotate classes with live lessons, or interactions, for half of the student’s day.”

You can also find more detailed information directly from the TPS website from these links:

1. 2020-2021 School Year Overview: www.tulsaschools.org/2021overview
2. Distance learning: www.tulsaschools.org/distancelearning
3. Health and safety: www.tulsaschools.org/safety
4. Planning for 2020-2021: www.tulsaschools.org/back2school 
5. Student and Family Support Services: www.tulsaschools.org/SFSS