Effective immediately, Columbia Public Schools will pause tests, assignments and grades for three days to reevaluate instruction in light of COVID-19, according to an email sent to district staff Wednesday morning.
"We need some time to adjust our expectations for staff and students," said the email sent by Jen Rukstad and Jill Brown, assistant superintendents for secondary and elementary education.
After reevaluation, the district will communicate clear expectations to teachers, students and families. This will include how assignments, grades and credit will be handled, according to the email.
Learning and connection between teachers and students will continue, district spokesperson Michelle Baumstark said, but stressful accountability measures like assignments, due dates and assessments are put on hold while the district reevaluates its remote learning plan.
This week, the district began instruction remotely, using alternative methods of instruction. Middle and high school students received online instruction while elementary students used packets to continue class.
The pause comes after the district received feedback from the community that said what was being asked of students was beyond the capacity of what families could handle, the email said.
Baumstark said there was stress related to how material is delivered online on top of different factors that families in the district are facing.
Additionally, the district's learning management system, Schoology, experienced server issues locally and nationwide, causing technical problems for teachers and students.