Random Lake district to step up in-person instruction

The Random Lake School Board last week voted to send elementary school students back to in-person instruction five days a week starting March 1, with middle and high school students returning to full-time classroom work when spring break concludes April 6.

Meanwhile, middle and high school students will continue attending in-person classes four days a week, with Fridays being an  “academic resource” (AR) day for teachers to meet remotely with students who attend school virtually or need help with their studies as well as  advanced-placement students who  want “extra stretch work,” Random Lake Schools Supt. Mike Trimberger said.

“We have found this schedule allows us the best of both worlds as we try to educate our students in our classrooms as well as the ones that are learning 100% virtually,” he said.

It’s an approach that has been popular with students and parents, Trimberger said, but not as successful with younger students.

“We have found that virtual learning for our younger students is not as productive,” he said. “For this reason, we have gone to five days a week face-to-face learning for our elementary students.”

The approach has been successful in raising students’ grades since fall, Trimberger noted.

“We have been extremely pleased with the learning levels of our students after reviewing our mid-year assessment,” he said. “Many of the learning gaps we identified in the fall have been closed, and our students are doing very well.”

That includes an 88% drop in failing grades at the high school, compared to last year before the pandemic.

“We are not sure if this is because of our AR Fridays, the hard work our staff and students did in quickly switching to virtual learning last year or just a realization of the (Random Lake) Advantage,” Trimberger said.