Beginning in the 2020-21 academic year, the State of Missouri began allowing schools to utilize up to 36 hours of alternative methods of instruction (AMI) instead of making up hours lost or canceled for weather or other emergency circumstances in person. Multiple schools in Southeast Missouri — including the Jackson School District, Notre Dame Regional High School and Saxony Lutheran High School — have implemented AMI learning within their districts. To qualify, each school must apply to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) before each school year. The deadline for the 2024-25 application was May 22. Through the application, each local education agency (LEA) must assure DESE that students will be actively engaged in the learning process to count attendance hours for state aid, that student work is completed and returned the day students return to the building and that teachers are providing instruction and are available to students during an AMI day. Jackson associate superintendent Janelle Pope said AMI has benefited the district since DESE allowed schools to use it to avoid make-up days. Since implementing AMI learning into its curriculum, Pope said Jackson has “fine-tuned lessons and procedures”, but the overall plan hasn’t changed significantly. “In the years prior to AMI, we would have to extend our school calendar, which often created issues with attendance and conflicted with previously planned events,” Pope said. Pope said the most significant challenge regarding AMI learning is that some students lack Wi-Fi access. Because of this, students within the district are allowed three school days to complete assignments distributed during AMI days. Additionally, when severe weather is anticipated, teachers often send home hard copies for students who may not have Wi-Fi access. Jackson students in kindergarten and first grade use iPads to do their AMI work, and from second through 12th grade, each student uses a Chromebook. All devices are district-owned and loaned out to students. Elementary teachers create virtual lessons in math and English language arts that is shared with students and their guardians via Seesaw — an elementary learning experience platform — by 11 a.m. on the AMI day. Secondary teachers post their lessons to Canvas — another learning management system — by 11 a.m. Lessons are created to take between 30 minutes to an hour to complete, and teachers must communicate available “office hours” in case a student or parent has questions or needs help. Notre Dame began implementing AMI learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement to the Southeast Missourian, Notre Dame officials said the option to utilize AMI has been “instrumental in helping continue education during winter weather or prolonged illness.” While the AMI program has benefited the school, it “doesn’t hit the standard of education that (Notre Dame) students need and deserve.”
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