The New Dynamic: Students, teachers adapt to SMSD’s Continuous Learning Plan as classes embrace digital transition

As the two-week mark of online school and the continuous learning program passes, East students have set priorities to tailor their workload — tactically focusing on classes they need a higher grade in or classes that prepare them for standardized tests. 

The structure of each student’s workload is under their own control, guided by the Shawnee Mission School District’s policy stating that grades “may go up, but will not go down” through fourth quarter coursework and that attendance to classes is not mandatory. 

In spite of material being optional, a number of students have ramped up studies and formed learning schedules for each day to optimize their free time — with teachers modifying coursework to accommodate subjects included in upcoming standardized tests. 

“I try to make a list every weekend of all the stuff I need to do, so I write down on one piece of paper all the Zoom calls I have and what time they’re at, and on a separate one I write all the assignments I have and what’s due for that week,” junior Lily Utt said. “And then I’ll section off time for myself where I’ll go into the basement and just sit alone, put on some music or whatever and have that time period for myself to get as much done as I can.”

Students who have a select few classes to improve grades in have used the time to hone in on those subjects — working through extra credit assignments and making up any missing work that their teacher allows them to. 

For senior Maguire Hardin, that’s AP Calculus BC. He’s spent most of his days the same way: waking up by 11:00 a.m., catching his Calc Zoom call, spending an hour or so on the work he’s assigned and emailing teachers with any potential questions. Considering his other class grades are relatively spotless, he hasn’t checked in on them or looked at the optional work offered. 

The dynamic differs from seniors to underclassmen, with a number of sophomores focusing in on coursework despite having sufficient grades. For sophomore Jack Rhodes, Honors Precalculus is a central focus considering its importance in his plans for math next year — along with AP Macroeconomics, which he needs to boost his grade in by a few points. 

Sophomore Kay Kay Winn has grades she’s happy with, but knows the material she’ll be learning next year will be easier with this quarter’s work under her belt. With plans to take AP Chemistry 2 and AP Calc AB this fall — and since she’s enrolled in Honors Precalc and Chemistry 1 this semester — this quarter acts as a transition period, in her mind. 

“I know the classes I’m doing next year I’ll need to know the material, so I guess the main motivation is that I’ll want to be prepared for next year and not fall behind…In some of my classes like english, I have suffered some motivation, because there are a lot of random assignments and it’s hard to get all of them done. But the classes that I’ll need to know for next year I’ve been pretty motivated in.” 

– Kay Kay Winn

The amount of time classes take during the day with regards to both instruction and homework have been reduced across the board, according to junior Sophie Rice, who is in the International Baccalaureate diploma program. 

IB canceled its one-year course tests and overall exams for seniors — but since IB diploma juniors still have their exams next spring, they’ve kept up with classes that teach pertinent material, Rice said. And considering the tight-knit community of the IB diploma program, the time away from each other has “almost brought us even closer,” according to Rice, with informal Zoom calls near-daily. 

But the students with perhaps the most investment in the continuous learning program are students in Advanced Placement courses, according to AP Calc teacher and IB coordinator Monique Goodeyon. AP students still plan to take exams in May, as the CollegeBoard announced plans to cancel its normal in-person AP tests and opt instead for a shortened, online format, which students can take from home. 

“There’s also that fine line with the AP classes that yeah, education needs to take a back end because people’s health and security, both financially and emotionally, is far more important,” Goodeyon said. “But if kids want college credit, May 11, when AP tests start up again, will come soon, so they’ll need to prepare.” 

Goodeyon spent time adapting her assignments to fit what CollegeBoard announced the AP Calc AB exam would now contain, along with many other teachers teaching AP courses, she said. Only material taught through March will be covered on the shortened exams. 

But considering some teachers like Goodeyon take steps to teach units in the order they feel most inclined to — not necessarily in the order AP has the units listed in — some content she already taught will not be on the exam, and content she hadn’t gotten to will be. 

Students like Utt, who is enrolled in six AP courses and plans to take each course’s official exam, have spent two to three hours on their AP classes each day — but Utt takes time on her own to search or practice free response questions and fine-tune her test-taking skills.

“The [AP] tests are probably going to be viewed as easier by colleges this year because a lot of the harder sections are being taken out, and there’s only two questions per test as opposed to 60 multiple choice plus like eight FRQ’s regularly…So I’ve just spent a lot of extra time doing a lot of extra practice that probably some other people aren’t doing, since it’s definitely going to be harder to get a better score I think, so doing the extra practice is important.” 

– Lily Utt

Read more about AP’s plans and how East is adapting here.

Students interviewed for this story feel that the Shawnee Mission School District’s continuous learning program has been as successful as it could be — with problems only in the lack of incentive for some students and the shortened class periods, to Utt and Winn, respectively. 

Teachers, according to Goodeyon, hope students will voice opinions on how courses are going and how they can be improved, whether by email or in polls sent out by teachers. The quarter has been specified by the district to meet students’ needs as much as it can, and their feedback is a necessity going forward, Goodeyon said. 

“We’re really doing the best we can at this point, and Shawnee Mission is really lucky that we’re a one-to-one district. I can’t imagine how any of this would be working if we weren’t…So I think right now we’re on the road that we’ll continue what we’re doing unless we hear it’s not working for kids.”

– Monique Goodeyon