The Assignment & Work Record fulfills the “assignment” piece of Independent Study law and makes these assignments evident to auditors. The HST is officially assigning work to the student. Assignments are chosen from the curriculum that has been added to the corresponding course. HST may also add custom assignments. For UPK-8 students, the curriculum will be the I Can Statements. For High School, the assignments will vary depending on the nature of the curriculum added to the specific course. See the High School section of the Hawk’s Nest for more details about choosing appropriate curriculum for High School courses.
How to Complete AWR Process
There are two steps to the AWR process
- Assigning the AWRs (during or prior to the Learning Period) See Pathways Tutorial: Assigning AWR’s (this Tutorial is still work in progress)Any changes made to the AWR must be made prior to claiming attendance for the corresponding LP.
- Signing AWRs by HST (after the end of the Learning Period AND after Attendance has been claimed by HST) See Pathways Tutorial: Signing AWR’s (this Tutorial is still work in progress)
AWR signing is due the same day as attendance. Claim attendance first.
AWRs need to only be signed by the teacher with a digital signature. Attendance dates will match the number of days claimed by the HST, NOT the parent. Resolve any discrepancies in attendance (parent logging vs. teacher claiming) prior to signing AWRs. If attendance is adjusted after AWR signing, AWR will need to be re-signed for that student.
Choosing Standards to Assign
HST should use professional judgment and the personalized learning plan of the student to determine how many standards to assign each LP and how to divide the standards over the course of the year.
HST can start by spreading the standards out over the course of the semester and make adjustments as necessary, if needed.
Best practice is to discuss with families what they are planning to do for the next LP and then assign Standards that relate. Assignments can be adjusted up until the signing of the AWR at the end of the LP.
If a student is using a curriculum with a table of contents, this can be used to assist HST in pacing of assigning standards.
How many I Can Standards should be assigned?
The goal is for students to cover 100% of standards for their grade level, yet we know most will not master 100%. Students should “cover” (but not necessarily master) 80% of standards in order to receive full attendance credit. We strive for students to master the greatest amount of standards to their ability.
A standard can be repeated for more than one LP if the student is working towards mastery or is doing more work related to the standard.
Pathways has thousands of curricula available for use. HSTs have the option to use these but are not required. If you choose to use other curricula in Pathways, each student must also be assigned I Can Standards.
Parent Role
Assigning standards in Pathways is the job of the HST. HSTs have the personal relationship with families to know how much or little to involve them in this process. All families should be provided the I Can Standards (in school planners) and work with the HST on developing a Personalized Learning Plan that takes into consideration all of the wonderful things the student is doing and how to creatively tie them to grade-level standards. There are a variety of homeschooling and learning styles amongst our families, so use your professional judgment on how to make this work with each one.
There is flexibility here to customize the process to the needs of each family:
- HST can use the Standards Report from STAR 360. HST will have data three times a year to indicate mastery of standards.
- HST can also assign standards as observed at each meeting. This can be an ongoing conversation with the family. This works well with self-directed/unschooling/eclectic learners.
- HST can add specific curriculum in addition to the standards if a family wants a print out/Portal record of assignments by LP. This is optional and only for families that would benefit.
- The AWR is visible in the Parent Portal and can also be printed or downloaded and emailed to parents at any time if this would be helpful for the family. Please note that if you print before attendance has been claimed, the attendance will say “0 days” at the top. Accurate attendance days on the AWR will be reflected after attendance has been claimed and archived.
Grading
Entering grades in the AWRs is not required at this time.
Work Samples & AWR
The work sample you upload for an LP should correspond to a standard you have assigned in the AWR.. Families may change course and provide work that was not originally assigned. An HST can adjust assigned standards and add custom assignments during the LP, as long as the AWR has not yet been signed.
General Tips and Tricks
After the standard has been clicked, it will be grayed out. Clicking the standard shows that the student is working on the standard but has not necessarily mastered it.
Assignments will be viewable by parents in the Student Portal.
Remember these are assignments, not an exact record of everything accomplished. Students do not have to have these mastered.
HSTs are able to add comments and provide more detail if desired. Files can also be attached to the assignments.
As much as you can, keep the curriculum that you add as standards-based as possible. This streamlines the process and makes CC’ing easier.
Assigning Standards Out of Grade Level
Since Common Core Standards are linked across grade levels, HST should use the student’s current grade level standards. The student may just be working on that standard for a longer period of time in order to reach mastery.
If a student is working below grade level in LA or Math, assign a grade level standard that matches what skill they are working towards. You can also add in custom assignments in which you write a description of the assignment
Students should only be assigned standards below grade level if that is part of the student’s IEP.
Students can be assigned standards above grade level, and this is available in Pathways.
TK-8 Science & Social Studies Options
We understand that many homeschool families work on projects together that may span several grade levels of standards. In Pathways, we have added a group of more project-based standards that can be used for grade span learning. These standards will make assigning for these subjects much easier.
TK – 8 I Can Statements
Special Education Considerations
All students are general education students first. Some students have Special Education Supports and services but all students should be working on their grade level standards. Special education IEP goals are linked to grade-level standards.
Special education supports and services are in addition to the general education program and they work on specific goals identified in the IEP.
AWRs will look the same for special education and general education students.
School-Selected Curriculum and AWRs
Steps to assigning AWRs for students using one or more of our school-selected bundles:
Step 1:
Add the TK-8 School-Selected Curriculum to the relevant subjects the student is using it for. Follow the same process as adding high school classes. Leave the standards as they are—there’s no need to remove or fill them out.
Step 2:
Click on the book icon next to “TK-8 School-Selected Curriculum”. Highlight LP1-4, then click the Check All button. The last step is to click the Assign button.
Step 3:
Refresh your page and check to see if the boxes have turned blue.
If you need assistance with this process, please join the curriculum office hours on Mondays at 10:00 am and Thursdays at 3:00 pm or reach out to your IAs. Zoom Link