COVID-19 In-Person Learning Matrix
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133 cases or more: Stage 5, purple, substantial risk: All schools are closed. Students are not physically attending school and are completing coursework through Non-Traditional Instruction/ Differentiated Distance Learning (NTI/2DL).
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83 to 132 cases: Stage 4, red, significant risk: FCPS will consider moving to remote learning with targeted services provided for students who need extra support. Based on FCPS transition factors and the COVID-19 In-Person Learning MATRIX, a graduated in-person learning model will be considered.
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34 to 82 cases: Stage 3, orange, moderate, but increasing risk: Schools are open for graduated in-person learning. Short-term closures may occur for virus-affected classrooms or buildings because of transition factors. These closures will be communicated by the school and district.
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3.3 to 33 cases: Stage 2, yellow, minimal risk: Schools are open for in-person learning. However, short-term closures may occur for virus-affected classrooms or buildings. These short-term closures may be affected by one or more transition factors and will be communicated to families by the school and the district.
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3.3 cases or less: Stage 1, green, low risk: All schools are open. Curriculum delivered on campus via face-to-face instruction, with blended learning strategies that integrate digital resources. FCPS will monitor and be prepared to respond to identification of COVID-19 positive tests that affect staff members or students. We might enact additional health and safety guidelines in consultation with the county’s health department.
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About the matrix
When conditions warrant, Fayette County Public Schools will offer traditional, on-campus, in-person instruction for all students whose families choose that option. We will implement significant health and safety procedures to meet guidelines set by federal, state, and local health officials to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread. Since the number of students in the building is determined by family preference, social distancing will be implemented as much as possible, but will not be possible in all situations. To determine the appropriate mode of instruction, district leaders have developed a COVID-19 In-Person Learning Matrix. This tool, which builds on the state’s color-coded incidence rate map, includes five stages based on the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Fayette County.
In addition, district leaders will consider orders from the governor, student and staff absences, isolations and quarantines, operations and support considerations, community vs. institutional spread, community trends, and vaccine uptake when determining the appropriate mode of instruction. Data will be tracked daily, and decisions for the next two-week period will be announced each Tuesday. Regardless of the in-person learning stage, we will provide remote learning five days a week for students whose families prefer that option.
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Marlene Helm
Read the acting superintendent's April 13 letter to families (click photo); the translations are archived below.
April 13, 2021
Dear Fayette County Public Schools families:
After today’s meeting with our partners from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, I am pleased to share that we continue to see relatively low numbers of community spread, with a 7-day average of new cases of 33. This is a little higher than last week, but the health department team said this morning that some of the increase is coming from a cluster of cases in the detention center.
Since we have not yet reached the two-week mark where spring break travel would affect our data, we remain cautiously optimistic that we will continue to see low transmission rates in Fayette County. Now that our community has reached the yellow levels on our FCPS In-Person Learning Matrix, it is going to take continued work to remain there.
All students whose families have chosen in-person learning are back on campus – a benchmark only made possible by efforts, dedication, commitment, and determination from everyone in our community. This has not been a one person or one committee effort – this has truly taken a village.
We are grateful to our teachers and instructional teams for their creativity, stamina, and masterful ability to keep kids engaged and connect with families. We celebrate our support staff – especially those in food service, transportation, and maintenance – for their tireless commitment to serving students, families, and colleagues. In addition, we recognize our community leaders, community members, and families who leaned into the role of co-teacher, tutor, supporter, and homework monitor.
With just 25 days until the last day of school, we ask everyone to remain vigilant and adhere strictly to the health practices that have gotten us to this point. In the cycle of a school year, this is one of the most important times for us to be together in-person because concepts and skills taught over the previous months begin to merge into mastery.
At our elementary and middle schools, students are taking spring assessments designed to gauge their learning in reading and math. Known as the MAP test – short for Measures of Academic Progress – this nationally normed assessment is given three times a year to track improvement and ensure students master standards for each grade level.
I am pleased to share that data from the winter tests showed growth at every grade level tested – first through eighth. Even more encouraging, scores earned in 2021 at each grade level were nearly identical to the benchmarks earned by students in that same grade level prior to the pandemic. We recognize that not all students participated in MAP testing while they were learning virtually, so this current cycle is critical to get a complete picture.
It is important for us to remember that the 2020-21 school year was a school year. It was certainly different from ever before, but teachers were teaching, students were learning, and support was provided. Now that our students have returned in-person, we are using our remaining time this school year to pinpoint areas where support is needed and target our efforts to ensure that our students are ready for the next challenge.
Programs like Summer Ignite, which will be offered at 69 sites in June and July, will play a role in further shoring up areas of need. We are also looking ahead to supports needed for the 2021-22 school year. Our sense of urgency has never been greater to not simply return to normal, but to reimagine a normal that personalizes learning and helps every child reach their unlimited potential.
Sincerely,
Marlene Helm,
acting superintendent
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Contact us
For questions about the matrix or content on this webpage, please email district spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall.
