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Connect with LEE, Back on Track offered for students

By MEGHAN BRADBURY 4 min read
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news@breezenewspapers.com

Two new virtual programs — one for homework, the other for credit retrieval for high school students — have been introduced by the School District of Lee County.

The district launched Connect with LEE (Live Educational Expert) on Monday for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Elementary Director of Curriculum Dr. Bethany Quisenberry said Connect with LEE is an after-school tutoring homework/assignment help program.

The program will go through Launchpad, which the students are familiar with.

Launchpad can be assessed from any device, such as a parent’s phone, or a computer, which is helpful as elementary face-to-face students do not have a district-issued Chromebook.

Within the Launchpad program there will be a Connect with LEE icon for students to enter if they have an assignment or homework with which they need assistance. Once the icon is clicked, the student will go into a live Zoom link by grade level, or content level for secondary students with a live expert teacher to help support them.

For secondary students, Connect with LEE can be used for core classes such as English, math, science and social studies.

Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jeff Spiro said any student who has a question that they need an answer to can reach out to an educational expert so learning does not come to a stop.

Students will login using their first and last name, so the district can capture what students are using the program.

High School Director of Curriculum Candace Allevato said Connect with LEE provides one-on-one, individualized, personalized help. Students will sit in a virtual waiting room through the Zoom link until the educator has an opening.

The district currently anticipates that a 15-minute window will be set aside for a student coming onto Connect with LEE with a specific question.

There are currently 63 live teachers per session. Quisenberry said they are taking attendance for students in each room. For instance, if they see a lot of traction for middle school algebra, they will be able to increase teachers and have additional rooms. On the flip side, if there are not that many kindergarten families logging in, that can adjusted as well.

Spiro believes as students have the opportunity for individualized one-on-one help, word will get out and the program will become popular.

The program is offered Monday through Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for elementary and high school students and from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. for middle school students. The program will not be offered during holidays.

Spiro said, for example, the program will run for a week before Spring Break, then it will stop during that week of break. Connect with LEE will resume once students return from break for the remainder of the school year.

The second program introduced Monday is Back on Track, a credit deficient program for high school students, so they can graduate with their peers. Students who failed a course during the first semester will have the opportunity to earn back that credit.

Allevato said Back on Track is offered to all high school students, freshman to seniors, at their traditional 15 high schools. Those who did not earn the credit through the first semester of school will have the opportunity to go home and utilize Zoom to work with a certified teacher on credit recovery course work.

The program is great intervention tool for freshmen who are starting their high school career to keep them successful throughout the four years of high school, Allevato said.

Back on Track may be slightly different from high school to high school. For example, some might run the program Monday through Thursday, others Monday through Friday. The schools will begin reaching out to students who are in need of the credit retrieval to establish dates and times for the program.

Each student will have a target to reach each week as to how far they should be in the particular course.

Conferences will be had with the teacher to make sure the student stays on track.

“It’s an additional layer of support to be successful,” Allevato said.

Spiro encourages students and families to take advantage of the opportunity to get Back on Track, so students can graduate with their peers.