Southwest Austin | January 2021

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C O N T I N U E D F R O M 1

V I R T U A L R E A L I T Y STILL THE As Austin ISD oers virtual and in-person classes for the 2020-21 school year, more than 78% of students are opting for remote classes. Experts have said virtual learning is impacting grades, attendance and college readiness.

SOURCES: AUSTIN ISD, NATIONAL STUDENT CLEARINGHOUSE RESEARCH CENTERCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

Students slowly return

Attendance takes slight dip Average daily attendance rates in the rst semester of 2020-21 are down by 2.76% versus the same time last year , with 93.43% of students attending class each day. According to Michael Grith, executive director of Breakthrough Central Texas, most of those attendance declines have been seen at high schools and Title I schools.

College prep suers

After four weeks of virtual-only instruction, Austin ISD began oering in-person classes the week of Oct. 5. Although in-person attendance has increased over time, the district is still operating with more than 78% of students learning remotely. Elementary school Middle school High school

Younger students are not the only ones suering from the lack of in-person classes, the impact of the pandemic can also be felt at the college level.

1 in 3 1 in 5

college-bound students from Title I schools did not enroll during the pandemic.

100%

In-person enrollment

college-bound students overall did not enroll during the pandemic.

96.19%

94.93%

93.43%

6,045

75%

1,419

11.18% of 75,001 students

50%

927

2.76% attendance decline in 2020-21

WHAT ARE TITLE I SCHOOLS?

13,575

25%

Title I schools are those that serve low-income families and receive federal funding support.

2,097

21.81% of 75,243 students

738

2018-19 2019-20 2020-21

Owen, however, needs more support; he attends in-person classes, where he gets face-to-face instruction from his teachers. “It’s denitely easier in a physical classroom,” she said. “Learning is really hard for kids that are at home, and teachers have very limitedmethods of getting a kid’s attention if they aren’t engaging in the class online.” Although Murray said her children have kept up their grades through virtual learning, students across AISD have fallen behind. In the rst semester of the 2020-21 school year, 10.1% of AISD students failed at least one course, as compared to 3.2% of students the year prior, according to the district. “Certainly, those numbers are a concern but

“She was excelling in her classes. She enjoyed getting up and taking the bus and was much happier all the way around,” Carpenter said. However, on various occasions throughout the school year, the district has stopped oering in-person classes or has encouraged parents to keep students home to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Austin. This inconsistency presents challenges for families and students, and Carpenter said that during these periods of ux, the poor performance returns. “I’ve seen her remote learning, and I don’t think she is being adequately prepared for high school next year,” she said. For families, Newell said, the reception to virtual

they’re also not completely unexpected given the transition that everyone has gone through over the last 10 months,” AISD Director of Academics Suzanne Newell said. “I think it probably could be attributed to anynumber of factors, the largest ofwhich is students and teachers adjusting to the digital environment.” Virtual limits AISD began the current school year oering only virtual classes. and AISD parent Stephanie Carpenter said her eighth grade daughter’s learning suered because of it. Grades were down, she was not focused and she missed interaction with her peers. That all turned around when she returned to campuses Oct. 5.

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