Vance County students have been back in school buildings for about a month, and Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson said the two main things the district is focused on – educating children in a safe environment – are going pretty well. So far, there have been no COVID-19 clusters, very few cases in schools and zero spread.

Jackson credits the district’s teachers, administrators and staff, as well as parents and the students themselves for a smooth transition from all remote instruction to face-to-face instruction in classrooms. He spoke to John C. Rose on Town Talk Tuesday about what’s coming up for families and students, including graduations, end-of-year assessments and summer school plans.

If there is a silver lining to pandemic restrictions, abrupt closing of in-person instruction and surge in virtual learning, Jackson said this school year has been a time to allow school districts “to do things differently and more in line with what our kids need.” He is determined to not allow COVID-19 to be cause for any type of punishment for the students in his charge.

Graduations will take place on May 24 at Vance County High School.

“We decided that we could offer something a little closer to a traditional graduation,” Jackson said. The graduations will be ticketed events, he said, and all participants will be required to follow all safety protocols, including wearing masks. The larger classes – Vance County High School and AdVance – will use the stadium for their graduations; Vance County Early College and V3 will hold graduations in the gym, he said.

Jackson said the graduations will be live-streamed for those family and loved ones who are not able to attend in person. Visit www.vcs.k12.nc.us to learn more.

Although students will be taking state-mandated end-of-grade tests, Jackson said the state has said the school district will not be getting the annual report card of overall student proficiency. “We’ll get to see our kids’ proficiency,” he said, which can show learning that did take place, albeit in less-than-ideal circumstances. “We need the data so we can plan instruction for our kids,” he said.

District leaders currently are planning the summer program which will be offered to each student. That extended-learning plan should be ready to give to parents in the next few weeks.

Jackson said the district maintains its focus on clear promotion standards for students, but said it is important to take into account that there may be gaps in learning and loss of time. Flexibility is key, he noted, when discussing promotion and retention. He said shifting certain curriculum standards from one grade to the next may be a way to make sure standards aren’t skipped “We need to make sure we are very intentional to look where gaps are,” Jackson said.

The summer program will be a time to “rebuild and reconnect,” he said, and help students recover that time they lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jackson said the extended-learning program this summer will provide a “robust push” for students to have a chance at recovering lost instructional time.

The V3 school is a model that will be continued as an alternative for parents who want to be more involved in their child’s learning. This model blends personalized learning with school-based learning and may be a good option for parents who want their child to have a personalized pathway, but don’t want to pursue home-schooling.

“There are some children who thrive in a 1-to-1 virtual environment,” Jackson noted, adding that V3 is open to families who live outside Vance County. There is an application process and he said V3 principal Dr. Jessica Perry welcomes inquiries.