A new task force will dig into the daunting task of delivering public education to Alabama students by way of the internet rather than classrooms, owning to closure of public schools caused by the coronavirus.
What was once an enhancement program designed to give students options to distance learning is now a necessity for basic public education.
Alabama State Department of Education announced March 18 it has formed the task force, called the Superintendent’s Extending Access To Learning (SEAL) Task Force, that meets in Montgomery.
Their job is to review long-term priorities for schoolwide operations, for instruction as well as the daily business of running school systems.
ASDE says the tasks force will set up a “systemic framework” that will use a variety of delivery models so that students can stay “on track for college and career plans.”
School officials particularly noted the task of filling gaps in online delivery that exist for elementary and middle school-aged students.
“Just as individual communities rally around their families during challenging times, Alabama’s education community is no different,” said the ASDE. “We all want to provide our children with all of the resources they need during this time, but it will take a collaborative effort of this magnitude to be successful.”
The ASDE first established a distance learning program in 2011 called Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS). It provided a testing ground for options that are now a necessity.
