Template: Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) in times of COVID-19 Pandemic (for Private School)

GOD IS IN CONTROL, AND LEARNING MUST CONTINUE

The Learning Continuity Plan (LCP)

for Basic Education in Time of COVID-19

  

EZRA MISSION ACADEMY OF THE PHILIPPINES

 June 2020

I.                   Introduction

God is in control, even this current pandemic.  In Matthew 24:7, the pandemic is just the fulfillment of God's projection of the coming pestilences (diseases) in divers places.   COVID 19, also known as Corona Virus Disease 2019, has been a problem for most countries around the world because it is highly contagious. (https://beyondfitnessforever.com/health-news/coronavirus-symptoms-covid-19-lingered-in-womans-eyes-for-more-than-20-days), and has no vaccine yet discovered to prevent its outbreak.  At the moment, the critical strategy to intervene in the spread of the disease is the strict implementation of physical (social) distancing, wearing of facemask, and continues hand sanitization.  The situation led the Department of Education (DepEd) to cancel classes and started the last remaining weeks of School Year (SY) 2019-20. For SY 2020-2021, the department finds ways for the learning to continue amidst the threat, considering the safety, health, and welfare of all learners, teachers, and other personnel with the following principles adopted.  1. Protect the health, safety, and well-being of learners, teachers, and staff, and prevent the further transmission of COVID-19; 2. Ensure learning continuity through K-12 curriculum adjustments, alignment of learning materials, deployment of multiple learning delivery modalities, and provision of corresponding teacher and parent/guardian training; 3. Facilitate the safe return of teaching and non-teaching personnel and learners to work and schools, based on scenarios projected by the DOH and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Philippines (IATF), complemented by other credible sources, and balanced by DepEd's risk assessments; and 4. Be sensitive to equity considerations and concerns, and endeavor to address them as best we can. (https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/05/21/deped-asks-public-for-a-chance-to-explain-its-learning-interventions-this-sy)

Those DepEd adopted principles guide Ezra Mission Academy of the Philippines (EMAP) in the creation of its Learning Contingency Plan (LCP) amidst the COVID crisis.  The school will follow the DepEd set of the opening of classes on August 24, 2020.  While waiting on the said date, the school has enough time to do any preparation in the response of the DOH mandate to implement the minimum health standard, especially on face-to-face classes.  The school will adopt a blended learning modality with a combination of face-to-face and modular distance learning. (Note: While face-to-face is not allowed at this moment, the school will temporarily use the online lecture as an alternative to face-to-face.)  The school will also take the learning strategy of DepEd to compress the K-to-12 Curriculum to the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs), with the previous books as our learning materials, especially in modular distance learning.   To prepare the teachers for blended learning modalities, the school will set a series of inset for them before the school year begin.   The school will impose the minimum health standards in operationalizing the LCP to reduce vulnerability and the transmission of the infection. The school will orient parents about blended learning modality.  Thus, we seek the understanding, support, and solidarity of our EMAP family and all our stakeholders, in the true spirit of unity and love.

II.                School Calendar and Activity

EMAP will follow DepEd's decision to set the opening of SY 2020-2021 on August 24, 2020, and will end on April 30, 2021.  Even Davao del Norte has low-risk severity, and Carmen Municipality has zero COVID case, the school requires physical distancing in the classroom, so adopting the blended learning modality.  The school will conduct enrollment from June 15 – July 30, 2020, for all learners intending to attend SY 2020-2021.  The long duration of registration allows the school to program parents' schedule of admission. The school will divide the class with an exceeding 15 learners to ensure physical distancing.  August 3 – 21, 2020, are intended for Teachers' inset and parents' orientation.  For this purpose, teachers shall start rendering service in August 2020.  (Note: While the government is not allowing face-to-face on the campus, the school will use it online for enrollment and classes.)   To maintain the required minimum number of school days, the school will conduct distance learning during Saturday if necessary.  The school will abide by not launching all the canceled activities of DepEd.

III.             Learning Strategies and Modalities

a.       Streamlining the K to 12 Curriculum to the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs)

DepEd has identified the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) from the K to 12 Curriculum. MELCs is 34% of the total competencies from the original curriculum. (https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/05/21/deped-asks-public-for-a-chance-to-explain-its-learning-interventions-this-sy/) 

  

EMAP wants to streamline the learning competencies to the most essential to focus on the learning activities and have sufficient time for coverage and mastery.  The school will encourage the teacher to contextualize the MELCs to accommodate the varying contexts of learners, teachers, and learning environments, considering both the content and performance standards.

b.      Learning Delivery Modality

Based on COVID-19 restrictions of the province of Davao del Norte (COVID low-risk severity), the municipality of Carmen (zero COVID case), and the particular context of the learners at EMAP, the school adopts the blended learning modality. It is a combination of face-to-face and modular distance learning.  This modality will enable the schools to limit face-to-face learning delivery modality, and decrease the volume of people outside the home at any given time.  (https://www.teacherph.com/deped-learning-delivery-modalities/) In modular distance learning, the teacher will set up online communication with learners for queries. The learners' books will serve as their learning materials.   To ensure social distancing during the face-to-face, the school will divide the big class into two groups.  Each group will report to face-to-face learning at a different time.   The following table shows the daily schedules for two-day face-to-face and three-day modular distance learning of two groups.  (Note: While the government is not allowing face-to-face on the campus, the school will use online enrolment and classes.)

Table 2: Weekly Schedule of Blended Learning

Class Division	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
A	Face-to-face	Modular DL	Face-to-face	Modular DL	Face-to-Face
*Alternative	Online	Modular DL	Online	Modular DL	Online
B	Modular DL	Face-to-face	Modular DL	Face-to-face	Face-to-Face
*Alternative	Modular DL	Online	Modular DL	Online	Online
Teacher	School	School	School	School	School
*Alternative	Home	Home	Home	Home	Home

*While the government is not allowing face-to-face in the campus, the school will go for the alternative.

IV.             Operationalizing the LCP

  

a.       Minimum Health Standards

In compliance with minimum health standards issued by DepEd, consistent with DOH, and IATF guidelines, EMAP develops the Minimum Health Standard protocol in the school campus.  (Note: While the government is not allowing face-to-face on the campus, the following health standard is not necessary since all are not allowed to come to school.)

1.      1. Reduce Transmission.

EMAP will ensure its facilities are ready to receive students and personnel following the social distancing measures and by strengthening its programs on promoting hygiene. It will provide a hand and footbath to disinfect all who enter the campus. It will also offer a thermal scan in the entrance to test the body temperature.  It will strictly observe the "No Mask, No Entry" policy.  All students, teachers, staff, and clients with symptoms related to COVID are not allowed to enter the campus.  Teachers shall regularly and closely monitor the health of their students.  The school personnel who entertain school clients will have an improvised protective shield.

2.      2. Reduce contact.

EMAP will implement strict physical distancing at the school campus. The school installs a "one-way-in-and-out" scheme to minimize contact.  Mass gatherings always observe the two meters of physical distancing in the venue.  For instance, during flag ceremonies, since not all students can attend, the school will provide attendance schedules so that all students can participate in a month and, at the same time, follow the physical distancing.  In the faculty room, the school will install temporary barriers on tables to avoid droplet transmission.  Since no face-to-face on Friday, the school encourages teachers to work-from-home. Davao del Norte has low-risk severity, and Carmen Municipality has zero COVID case, the school will adopt the blended learning modality. It will hold scheduled classes through face-to-face modality with only 15 learners in a classroom, and a combination of modular distance learning using their books as learning materials. The school modifies the classroom design and arrangement to ensure physical distancing and ventilation.  The school will abide by DepEd regarding the canceled activities with a large congregation involved.

3.      3. Reduce duration.

To reduce the duration of contamination of COVID-19, the school will not allow symptomatic individuals to enter the campus. If there are students, teachers, and personnel who are exhibiting symptoms, the school will immediately refer to DOH online consultation for evaluation and further referral to a hospital for possible testing. The school will abide by the authority for contact tracing and quarantine if there is a positive COVID case on the campus.  The school will immediately disinfect the whole campus after a positive COVID case found. 

V.                Orientation Activities

 

·   The school will orient the partners, teachers, PTA, and learners on EMAP Learning Continuity Plan, focusing on the implementation of blended learning options. 

·       The school will encourage partners in the provision of additional computer units, laptops, and the option of establishing a school radio station, which of good help in blended learning modality.

·    The school will encourage parents through the Parents-Teachers Associations (PTA) on possible collaborations with the schools to provide support in the delivery of undisrupted learning adapting the new normal. The school will also encourage them to promote the new school system, their new role, and increased involvement in the learning of their children.

·        The school also encourages the teachers to orient students about the LCP.

Signed by:

ALBERT M. DILLO

School President