Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1360078
attention to ensure students are able to move on to more c ompl e x l e ss on s. " We talked about what didn't get taught last year. All of our sites came together, and it was done by the teachers," says Bonales of the 730-member local associ- ation. " What are the most essential essentials a n d h o w c a n w e f o c u s o n t h e m ? D i s t r i c t s need to allow teachers to make the decisions that are best for their students." e approach attracted attention as far away as O hio, w h ere th e Cle vel and Metropolitan Schools Learning Loss Toolkit includes the Ceres approach as a case study. "Teachers are the most knowledgeable of the specic competencies, topics, and skills that stu- dents may not have received or mastered … due to school closures," the report reads. Students are excited to be back in classrooms together as a community, Bonales says, and edu- cators are hard at work guring out how to best support their social and emotional needs, so they can learn the academic fundamentals they need to progress. Bonales adds that some students are excelling in the distance environment, and edu- cators need to be mindful of supporting their learning as well. "Some of my students are thriving, and I don't want to hold them back," she says. "e gap is wider than before." In the eort to ll that gap, the district is step- ping up summer school this year, negotiating increased pay for educators to ensure students have familiar, knowledgeable and experienced support they need. "The district came to us as a local and said, 'We want our teachers to teach summer school,'" Bonales says. "I signed up to do it myself." TUTORING: STUDENTS ARE SEEN AND HEARD United Teachers of Richmond (UTR) member Terra Doby remembers struggling with reading as a young child and how it aected her. She says the experience informs and empowers her work with students who need reading support and with her kinder- gartners. She participates in the Program for Academic Success, a West Contra Costa Unied School District tutoring program " What are the most essential essentials? Districts need to let teachers make decisions that are best for their students." — JoDee Bonales, president of Ceres Unified Teachers Association Current grade level/course teachers document unmet learning goals for each class. Vertical Conversations for 2020-21 Curriculum Planning Step 1 Vertical conversations between current and subsequent grade level/course teachers to identify a core set of learning areas and skills that should be revisited in 2020-21. Step 2 Teachers plan for how to incorporate identified gaps into the 2020-21 curriculum. Step 3 Source: Ceres Unified School District 24 cta.org Feature Patty Domingo