Senate Bill 98 Distance Learning Requirements

Daily Live Interaction Requirement
Under SB 98, there must be daily live interaction with teachers and peers for purposes of instruction, progress monitoring, and maintaining school connectedness.

Taking Student Attendance
SB 98 creates requirements for reporting attendance during distance learning. Schools must take students' attendance and participation under distance learning, or risk losing state funding. Students who don't participate will factor into school's chronic absenteeism figures, and schools will be required to prevent disengagement with a re-engagement plan, as described below.

Preventing Disengagement
SB 98 defines daily participation & requires Districts to develop a re-engagement plan if a student misses more than 60% of their weekly participation rate.

Student attendance is not optional.

EESD will make every effort to ensure student participation, including making home visits, if necessary.

Daily Instructional Minutes
SB 98 defines the daily required instructional minutes at each grade level:

• 3 hours per day for Kindergarten
• 3 hours, 50 minutes for grades 1-3
• 4 hours for grades 4-12

School schedules will reflect the required instructional minutes.

Instructional Content
Under SB 98 distance learning must include high quality content aligned to California grade level standards.

Teachers must deliver academic and other supports designed to address the needs of students who are performing below grade level, or need support in other areas.

Serving Students With Special Needs
SB 98 requires that schools have to provide the accommodations necessary to serve students with special needs.

Students with special needs are to receive special education related services and any other services required by a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP)During distance learning daily instruction time. Special Education staff will provide services using a variety of different strategies and online platforms based on individual needs.

Students who receive their educational services in a mainstream environment may receive their services in a schedule similar to other students in the grade span model.

Ensuring Students and Families' Connectivity
Under SB 98, schools will have to ensure that students and families have the devices and connectivity necessary to participate in distance learning, or make accommodations if they do not. Evergreen School District will provide internet hot spots for students and families that do not have internet service. All students will have a Chrome book or iPad.

Weekly Engagement Records
SB 98 mandates that schools keep weekly engagement records noting how much synchronous (live) or asynchronous (activities, assignments, non-live instruction) instruction a student has received.

Accountability Plans
SB 98 requires that schools team up with parents and teachers to create a Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan by Sept. 30, replacing schools' usual annual planning documents.