Dear Cohoes School Families,
During this extended period of school closure, ongoing instruction remains our priority as we continue to support our students’ foundation for future learning, coursework and post-secondary plans.
After a regional collaboration led by the Capital Region BOCES and input from our administrators and teachers, we are pleased to present the district’s framework for continued learning which includes expectations for instruction, a timetable by subject-area and grade level, and information on how learning will be assessed. New learning will focus on priority standards and a condensed curriculum. While instruction will not be the same as in a traditional classroom, students will have opportunities to be engaged in learning guided by their teachers, in preparation for a return to their regular classrooms.
We understand there are many demands and challenges facing our families and that each family’s situation is unique. For some, a more scheduled school-like routine may work. For others, flexibility will be important as other factors may play a role: the number of children at home, access and reliability of the internet, and the availability of devices. We also understand that parents may not always be available to supervise their child’s learning.
We hope these guidelines will help to clarify the expectations as well as provide guidance to support our families. Please reach out to your child’s teacher, building principal or central office staff with any questions or assistance you may need. We are very grateful for your continued support.
With Tiger Pride!
Jennifer Spring, Ed.D., Superintendent
Peggy O’Shea, Assistant Superintendent
Jump to:
- Time Expectations
- Weekly Schedules
- How will work be assessed?
- Google Meet/Office Hours/Check-In Schedules
- Google Classroom Info
- Schoology Status Monitor
- Update on AP courses/exams
- CHS Career & Counseling Website
- Additional Online Learning Resources
- WMHT At-Home Learning
- Free Spectrum Internet Access
What will digital instruction look like moving forward?
Teachers are creating meaningful learning opportunities for students with assignments that students can complete while at home.
- Instruction will focus on priority learning standards for the student’s grade level and content area.
- New instruction will be recorded so students can watch at a time convenient for them.
- Students may watch instructional videos created by their own teachers, videos created regionally or instructional videos from Khan Academy or other vetted, high quality sources for the content area.
- Resources will be directly linked to Google Classroom at the elementary level and Schoology at the middle and high school levels.
- Teachers will check in and connect with students throughout the week. Students are encouraged to take advantage of these sessions to help reinforce new learning.
Teachers of Regents courses will continue to provide students with instruction focused on remaining content for the school year. Additional guidance related to Regents exams is forthcoming from NYSED.
Teachers of dual credit college courses are following instructions they have received from the colleges and universities. Teachers of Advanced Placement courses are following information provided by The College Board aligned with the updated exams that are being developed based on content covered from September through early March. See the College Board website for more information.
How much time should I expect my child to spend on school work?
Working internally and with other schools in the region, we have developed guidelines around how much time students should be spending on academic work.
Each week, students should be expected to spend no more than the following amount of time on their school work at home, including: learning new material, watching video lessons, participating in class discussions, and completing assigned work and activities. Review and practice of new material learned is not included in this timeframe.
These guidelines were structured as weekly guidelines with the intent of giving families the flexibility of creating daily schedules that work best for them:
- Grades K-2: 3.5 hours per week total for ELA and math, with an additional one hour per week for learning in other disciplines (4.5 hours per week total)
- Grades 3-5: 5 hours total per week for ELA and math, with an additional one hour per week for learning in other disciplines (6 hours per week total)
- Grades 6-8: 2 hours each per week for ELA, math, science and social studies, with an additional 2 hours per week for all other subject areas (10 hours per week total) . If a student is taking Regents level classes as an eighth grader ( Living Environment and/or Algebra), the expectation is more rigorous and may require 3 hours per week per course.
- Grades 9-12: 3 hours per week for each credit-bearing course (24 hours per week total). Guidelines for Advanced Placement and Dual credit courses may differ.
Weekly Schedules for New Learning
Kindergarten through Second Grade
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| ELA | 25 min. | 20 min. | 20 min. | 20 min. | 20 min. |
| Math | 20 min. | 20 min. | 25 min. | 20 min. | 20 min. |
| Other Subjects | One hour total per week | ||||
Third Grade through Fifth Grade
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| ELA | 30 min. | 30 min. | 30 min. | 30 min. | 30 min. |
| Math | 30 min. | 30 min. | 30 min. | 30 min. | 30 min. |
| Other Subjects | One hour total per week | ||||
Cohoes Middle School (Grades 6-8)
| Days | Subjects |
| Monday | Math, Spanish or French 7-8 |
| Tuesday | Science, Reading 6-8 |
| Wednesday | ELA |
| Thursday | Social Studies,Technology 8; FACS 7 |
| Friday | Art or Music 6-7, Health 8, Physical Education 6-8 |
- “Check & Connect” times will be scheduled with students on the day of the subject area assignment and at additional times throughout the week.
- Lessons by teachers of specific subject areas will be posted as assignments on Schoology by 9 a.m. on the scheduled day.
Cohoes High School (Grades 9-12)
| Days | Subjects |
| Monday | Math, World Languages |
| Tuesday | Science, APEX |
| Wednesday | ELA |
| Thursday | Social Studies |
| Friday | Art, Music, Health, Business, Physical Education |
- Many dual-credit and AP classes will continue to use the online class format using this schedule.
- “Check & Connect” times will be scheduled with students on the day of the subject area assignment and at additional times throughout the week.
- Lessons by teachers of specific subject areas will be posted as assignments on Schoology by 9 a.m. on the scheduled day.
Sample K-5 Daily Schedule
| 30 minutes | Morning routine (make your bed, eat breakfast, get dressed, brush your teeth) |
| 30 minutes | Physical activities |
| 40-60 minutes | Core-area learning activities (ELA and math)
|
| 30-60 minutes | Creative activities such as playing, painting, drawing, crafts, singing, playing a musical instrument |
| 60 minutes | Household activities such as cleaning your room/chores, helping your parents/siblings, cooking |
| 60 minutes | Reading and writing for enjoyment (math games can be fun too!) |
| 30-60 minutes | Independent practice or extension activities based on recommendations provided by your child’s teacher |
| Free time | Watch TV, play a video game, exercise, eat a snack, call a friend |
How will my child’s work be assessed?
All decisions related to grading and awarding of credit will be made in alignment with NYSED regulations. Recognizing this unprecedented situation, a simplified, non-traditional model of grading based on measures of student learning will be used. Teachers will use varied forms of assessments and assignments to measure and document evidence of student learning with multiple opportunities for revision, resubmission and remedial supports. Depending on when in-person classes resume, traditional grading practices may resume. The following criteria will be utilized during the closure:
- Evidence of Learning (Complete) = The student has demonstrated learning of essential curriculum based on what was taught and assigned.
- Not Yet Learned (Incomplete) = The student has not completed assignment, or work completed does not yet demonstrate learning of essential curriculum/standards. Students will be given the opportunity to redo and resubmit work to demonstrate learning.
Google Meet/Office Hours/Check-In Schedules
- CHS Check/Connect Schedule Grid
- CMS Check/Connect Schedule Grid
- Abram Lansing Check/Connect Schedule Grid
- Harmony Hill Check/Connect Schedule Grid
- Van Schaick Check/Connect Schedule Grid
Google Classroom
Our elementary students are using Google Classroom as an educational tool and it will be used solely for educational purposes. Google Classroom allows your child to have access to class work through the internet at any time. It is accessible online and through any mobile device with Internet capabilities—including iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
Schoology Status Monitor (for CMS/CHS)
Due to an unprecedented, rapid increase in concurrent users on Schoology, the site is intermittently experiencing performance issues. If you experience delays, please visit Schoology’s status monitor to see if the issue is being addressed.
Update on AP courses/exams
The College Board has developed a range of resources to help guide students through the process of completing their AP courses and taking exams.
AP Exams will now be given from May 11-22. Make-up test dates will be available for each subject from June 1-5. Each subject’s exam will be taken at the same time worldwide. We strongly recommend testing during the first testing window.
Learn more about the online format and schedule for AP exams.
CHS Career and Counseling
Our Cohoes High School counselors have created a website to continue helping ALL students reach their full personal potential, set appropriate academic and career goals, and ultimately graduate to become contributing members of the world community. Check it out!
Additional Online Learning Resources
District-created templates with suggested activities in core subject areas for grades K-5.
The links below offer a variety of parent-guided and self-guided learning opportunities for students.
Elementary
Scholastic Learn at Home: Day to day cross curricular projects for students
Storyline Online: videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books
National Geographic Kids: Learn about animals, explore other topics, and watch videos
Mystery Science: K-5 science activities students can do at home
Get an eLibrary Card, then download the Libby app
Middle School and High School
Scholastic Learn at Home: Day to day cross curricular projects for students (Middle School only)
TED Ed – Videos to get students thinking.
PhET – Interactive simulations in math and science for K-12 – Click the Simulations tab to browse by grade level.
Smarthistory – Seeing America brings history to life through primary sources. – Sort by theme, topic or historical period.
Get an eLibrary Card, then download the Libby app
WMHT supports at-home learning with on-air and online educational programming
Our local PBS station, WMHT Public Media, is offering an educational programming block targeted to support in-home learning for students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12 while area schools are closed.
From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, WMHT WORLD will offer programming for students in grades 4-12. Each full day line-up will cover a range of subjects including science, math, social studies, history and literature.
WMHT will also continue to offer educational programming for pre-k through grade 3 students during the day on WMHT-TV and all-day on WMHT’s 24/7 PBS Kids channel and streaming service.
For related resources, and additional home learning opportunities, visit wmht.org/homeclassroom.
To find any WMHT channel on your television, visit wmht.org/findwmht.
Free Spectrum Internet Access
To aid in at-home learning, Spectrum will offer free broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription at any service level up to 100 Mbps. To enroll call 1-844-488-8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households.