This week we're visiting Arleen's spring classroom. 

Beautiful  view. When she can, Arleen puts her work in the basket shown on the table, so she and her husband have a spot to eat dinner. That doesn't always happen, though, which is something we can all probably relate to. 

Summer Schedule

The summer schedule was attached to my weekly email and can also be found here. As a reminder, the times of some classes will be determined later, based on enrollment. 

Promoting ESL Students in Spring and Summer

Please thoroughly evaluate ESL students before promoting them this spring and summer. Remote learning has been a challenge for everyone, and evaluating students just another on the long list of difficult tasks. Unless you're completely sure, please do not promote students.

It will be particularly important to use caution before promoting ORIA students. While this will be allowed, ORIA will not consider the student promoted until we restart CASAS testing (per our contract), so it will take extra work and tracking to promote these students. I'll be emailing individual faculty to let them know who their ORIA students are for spring. Again, please use caution. 

Promote Tuition Waivers, Please!

Last week, when we evaluated spring requests for tuition waivers, we saw that we only received request from about 26% of our students. I'm concerned that if we don't see more students requesting waivers, our program will be asked to send invoices to these students. 

For faculty teaching ESL 1-3, we're holding a special Zoom today to discuss how we'll try to mail waiver request (and student evaluation forms) to students. See the next item for details. For everyone else, please simply ask your students to:

• Email Gracie Nguyen at gracie.nguyen@seattlecolleges.edu.
• Include their name, student ID, and teacher's name.
• Include a simple statement such as "Please waive my spring 2020 tuition, as I cannot pay at this time."

ESL 1-3 Waiver and Student Evaluation Meeting

All faculty teaching ESL 1-3 have been invited to a meeting to discuss the process for snail-mailing waiver forms and student evaluations to students, who will also receive a self-addressed, stamped envelope for returning the forms. This is not mandatory, but if you'd like to take advantage of this, please join me on Monday at 1 pm by following the link below. 

https://zoom.us/j/91646836496?pwd=UkFGRlBmdmRYOEdqTUI4N2RNei9yZz09

WABERS+ Forms for Summer and Fall

The feds are requiring us to collect new WABERS+ forms from every student this summer (and fall for students who skip summer). Because we will be operating remotely, we will not have an opportunity to collect these forms in an EI. 

Instead, we'll need faculty to collect the forms during the first week of class. We'll hold a Zoom summer "division meeting" at the start of the quarter to discuss how this will work. We're still figuring it out, but options might include making the form an assignment in CANVAS, completing the form online, mailing the form to students, or possibly trying to collect the info over the phone. 

Fall ESL will be All Remote Learning; GED/HS21+/ABE/CP will Request Permission for Hybrid

While consulting with the ESL full-time faculty, I have decided that ESL classes will be all remote learning for fall. This decision reduces risk for our students (and ourselves), and our success this quarter has shown that students can adjust to this style of learning. Students will continue to have the "packets only" option for students who do not want to use technology (in cases where faculty are sending packets). 

The GED/High School 21+/ABE/College Prep courses will request permission to teach hybrid classes this fall, if allowed by the state. Those students have not adapted to online learning as well, and many have fallen off the path to graduation. 

At this time, it is not certain that any classes will hold any in-person instruction this fall. Limited in-person instruction began this spring for certain workforce and apprenticeship programs, and the plan is for those programs to continue offering limited in-person this summer. Fall is still up in the air. 

Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) I-BEST in Fall

I am seeking a faculty member interested in teaching an Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) I-BEST this fall. Zahra Alavi was originally lined up for this assignment, but she has asked to change to teach ESL 6 next year. 

The AMT I-BEST is a partnership with the Port of Seattle, who contracted with us to run an On-Ramp to Aviation class in Winter 2020 (taught by Rebecca Yedlin). The plan was for the AMT I-BEST to begin this spring, but COVID-19 has postponed the start to next fall. If you're interested, email me. 

2020-2021 Faculty Coordinators

The votes are in and positions are confirmed. Just as this year, Daphne Guericke will serve as the Computer Lab coordinator and Carolyn Stern will be your New Holly Faculty Coordinator. Thanks to you both. As a reminder, neither position will begin until in-person instruction returns, which will be winter 2021 at the soonest.

Based on input from the vote, I asked full-time faculty to take on these roles as part of their workloads. This does not necessarily save costs, as the compensation I'd pay full-time faculty is basically the same as the part-timer coordination stipend. This factor, as well as people's existing workloads, informed our decision to keep this work with part-time faculty.

I also considered assigning the work to Amber, Teresa, or Gina (which was another suggestion). However, in the upcoming year, I am reducing the hourly staff's workloads by 50% (to save budget), which will add work for Amber, Teresa, and Gina. So for now, I am keeping these duties as they are. 

Thank you!

Look for the fall schedule and preference forms in next week's blog, if not sooner. Have a great week!

John