YCS SAWTELLE LEARNING CENTER 
CHAPTER 27 EMERGENCY VIRTUAL OR REMOTE 
INSTRUCTION PLAN 
2023-2024 

     YCS Sawtelle Learning Center provides educational and related services to students ages 5-21 with autism spectrum disorder. Related services include speech and language, occupational, and physical therapy. Sawtelle utilizes the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis as a framework for our program. 
In the event of a health or other emergency school closing as outlined in Chapter 27, Sawtelle Learning Center will pivot to remote/virtual instruction. Sawtelle will afford students receiving remote instruction the same quality and scope of instruction as students attending in-person. This will include but not limited to the same length of school day which will adhere to the length of school day requirements pursuant N.J.A.C. 6A:32-8.3, the sending district's attendance policies and expectations of students participating in remote instruction. 

    Staff will activate each student's digital classroom via Google sheets allowing teachers/therapists to develop an individual "classroom" for each student including individualized lessons and activities tied to student's IEP and grade level curriculum content. Each student's sheet provides opportunities for synchronous as well as asynchronous learning, the ability to report attendance, and allows the teacher to track engagement and performance. Teachers provide daily live Zoom instructional sessions, both class and individual sessions. 

Preplanning: 

• The school day will be 8:35-2:50
• Staff have been surveyed for device and internet access needs
• Families have been surveyed for device and internet access needs
• One Call notification system will be used to notify families, staff, and bus companies in the event of pivoting to remote learning
• Staff are prepared to deploy devices, hot spots as needed to families if a pivot to remote learning in needed
• Staff are prepared to immediately pivot to remote learning for all students as needed
  (Daily schedules and Boom lessons maintained)

Student's classroom contains: 

• Individualized programs including language, academic, self-help, daily living, life skills
• Boom Learning Cards- Teachers, therapists, personal aides and teacher aides develop Boom Cards which allow for simulated discrete trial teaching with data collection
• Video modeling for students for self-help and daily living skills
• Visual supports- token economies, schedules, etc.
• Videos of teachers leading lessons/activities
• Zoom Meeting Appointments/Invites-Instructional time with teacher/therapists/personal aides
• Unique Curriculum lessons- grade level content in Language Arts/Science/Social Studies
• Social stories- related to variety of topics including the current health situation
• Various educational websites
• As appropriate for student 21st Century goals addressed in Google classroom

The individualized, differentiated remote classroom for each student, along with the use of the Sawtelle Curriculum, Unique Curriculum and Boom lessons will ensure that each student's varied and age-appropriate needs are being met. 

Related Services:

• Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapists will conduct virtual therapy sessions
• Related services will be logged into Real Time
• Principal will contact sending district case managers to advise of student participation in related services

Parent/Group Home Staff Support: 

• BCBA support as needed is identified by family or school staff
• Ongoing Zoom meetings, phone calls to promote use of technology, trouble shoot student engagement

Communication plan: 

• Teachers/therapists/BCBA/Supervisors available between hours of 8:00-3:15 daily and as needed based on family schedule (working parents)
• Teachers will make daily contact with parents via phone calls, emails to offer support and take attendance
• Staff will be provided as needed as translators (BCBA and/or teacher aides) for Spanish speaking parents for technological support, for instructional Zoom sessions, and as needed
• Teachers/therapists/BCBA/Supervisors keep communication log for all contacts with families

Assessment of student progress: 

Data will be collected in a variety of forms over the remote learning period including:

• Traditional data collection (percentage/rating scale)
• Direct observation by teacher or personal aide via Zoom and recording performance information
  
• Recording parent reporting
  
• Permanent product provided when we return to the building
• Accelerated learning opportunities will be provided based on data assessment

Teacher/Therapist Assessments:

• Teacher/therapist will routinely review student progress reflected in data collection
• Teacher /therapist will conduct skill assessments throughout remote learning to assess mastery and/or need for program modification

Upon return to school building:

• Teacher/therapist will assess students to confirm generalization of learned skills from home to school
• Classroom supervisor and teacher/therapists will review each student's data to identify any learning gaps and possible regression and determine appropriate supports and interventions to promote skill acquisition
• Compare skill acquisition rate during remote learning to skill acquisition rate prior to remote learning

Technology: 

• Maintain record of student access to internet, devices and issues as they arise
• Ongoing monitoring of student engagement with on-line platform to determine need for addition support or educational materials
• Conduct phone calls and/or Zoom sessions to assist parents in setting up Zoom account, accessing student's Gmail account, accessing Boom
• Monitor parent use of platforms to determine if they needed additional technological assistance or were unable to use platform effectively

Personal Aides: 

• Conduct/attend daily 1: 1 Zoom instructional session with student, I: 1 assist teacher and/or therapist in their instructional Zoom sessions
• Data collection during Zoom sessions
• Data maintenance and monitoring throughout remote learning period
• Assist teacher in lesson development/preparation of materials for student
  

Paraprofessionals: 

• Assist teacher in lesson development/preparation of materials for students in assigned class
• Assist teacher in recording and monitoring data collection
• Sit in/support teacher's Zoom sessions with student
• Conduct individual teaching sessions with assigned students

Attendance: 

• Teacher/therapist responsible for maintaining attendance record and reporting to Principal and Admin staff
• Student will be considered present if parent reported attendance in Google sheet, work was completed in Zoom session or Boom, or if parent reports student present and working via phone or email
• Emails and phone calls by Principal and Assistant Director to families with inconsistent or little to no participation
• Throughout the remote learning period Principal will contact districts to advise regarding students with attendance issues/what the district attendance policy is/how they want attendance recorded
• Throughout remote learning period Principal will access case managers to assist in follow up with inconsistent and/or nonparticipating families

Annual Reviews/Reevaluations: 

• Principal will coordinate with local sending district case managers to schedule and conduct virtual IEP meetings

Service delivery accountability: 

• Lessons and activities are designed to meet student's IEP to the best extent possible
• In addition to attendance, track and monitor Zoom instructional sessions with teacher, therapists, and personal aides

Professional Development: 

• Professional staff will continue their Professional Development
• Training will be provided for staff to learn strategies related to culturally responsive teaching and learning
• Professional development will be provided regarding the social and emotional health of students
• Administrative staff will plan for monitoring and supporting staff's social and emotional health

Meals: 

• As Sawtelle is a receiving school from seven counties it is unrealistic for Sawtelle to be meal source for families
• Sawtelle will continue to work with families and sending districts to secure seamless and continuous food for our students who qualify for free and reduced meals during remote instruction
• Sawtelle will communicate with families that qualify for free and reduced lunches and provided families with meal distribution sites in their area
• Sawtelle will continue to contact Child Study Teams to advise and facilitate meals for families in their district during remote instruction

Essential Employees:

• Essential employees including building maintenance and school administration are identified
• A list will be provided to county office at the time of the school's transition to remote or virtual instruction

Maintenance of Facility:

• Maintenance department will be responsible for maintaining building
• Providing any additional cleaning and disinfecting as needed
• Building will be accessible for administrative staff to enter as needed to ensure remote/virtual instruction is highly effective