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NEW YORK: COVID-19 Information for School Partners

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Isabella Khasina
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Please review below for an update on how Relay New York is responding to the rapidly evolving and challenging situation that is COVID-19. 

Relay New York has regulatory approval and instructional flexibility to administer coursework online this fall. Thus, for the health and safety of our graduate students, school partners, and staff, all Relay coursework for the Fall 2020 term, including Deliberate Practice, will be held online. Our experience with online classes this spring and summer gives us confidence we can continue to facilitate an engaging and effective learning environment in the online modality and we can continue our high levels of support to ensure student success in coursework and with licensure. Please note that Deliberate Practice class sessions will continue to be held during the school day. Relay Residents will need private space within or outside of the school building to attend this 3 hour class.

As a NYS licensure program, Relay faculty regularly observe students via classroom visits and video review throughout the academic year. We anticipate that these observations will mean that faculty members will join virtual instruction and our students will need to record their virtual class sessions. As always, Relay will continue to follow federal and district privacy and security regulations regarding observations and student video.

Coursework Changes for Currently Enrolled Students in Class of 2020 & 2021:

Pass/ Fail Courses 

  • Relay NY will offer the option for all enrolled students to take any coursework Pass/Fail. While we continue to process the events of the crisis, we provide this option to alleviate any stress associated with earning a specific course grade to those who would like this option. The registrar’s office will send guidance to all teachers to describe how to request a Pass/Fail grade instead of a letter grade for all who prefer that option. All requests must be submitted by June 15, 11:59 pm. Please encourage teachers to connect with their advisor if they have questions about this process, or would like support in making this decision. 
  • Please note: our minimum cumulative 2.7 GPA requirement for graduation will remain unchanged for the Class of 2020. This means that taking coursework Pass/Fail for some teachers may not be an option if they hope to graduate on time. Any teacher in the Class of 2020 with a cumulative GPA lower than 2.7, should consult directly with their advisor before opting into a pass/fail grading scheme for a course. By opting into a course as Pass/Fail, your final Pass/Fail grade will not impact your term or cumulative GPA; however, a Fail in any course will require you to retake the course in order to complete your program of study and graduate.

SGA-315: Master’s Defense II

  • Teachers enrolled in this course in the spring of 2020 will not be required to reach a specific achievement floor (or ambitious goal) as a program requirement for graduation or required to collect additional rounds of data. 

TEL-526: Intervention Intensive II & Special Education Capstone

  • Teachers enrolled in this course will not be required to collect the end of year data or describe this data in their Capstone paper. 

Oral Presentation Cancellations 

  • The oral presentation of the program capstone for CO2020 MAT students in all majors and programs are cancelled. The oral presentation is grounded in teachers’ presenting their student achievement data that they collected, analyzed, and responded to over an entire year. Because of our current reality,  teachers will not be able to collect a year’s worth of data and thus would not be eligible to present a meaningful defense. The written component of the capstone has been adapted to include deeper reflection and analysis of student and teacher growth and observations of student learning. Faculty will be sharing details of the revised prompts for the paper in the coming weeks if they have not done so already. We believe this adaptation to the program completion requirements will allow teachers to focus on the act of reflection and effectively prioritize given their current needs.  

Mid-Term/ Final Assessments 

  • Because our program assessments are based on teachers’ clinical experience, we must make significant changes to our assessment requirements. Our faculty teams are working to adjust assessment details to ensure they are flexible enough to meet the new and evolving realities of teachers in New York while ensuring they meet the competencies of our teacher preparation requirements. 

Coursework Changes for CO 2021 or Future Enrolled CO 2022 Students, Beginning Summer 2020:

  • Relay GSE has regulatory approval and flexibility to administer coursework online. We are currently making adjustments to offer coursework online this summer, as we assume the conditions in New York will require it. We will communicate with partners about those changes in the coming months. 

Policy Changes for Currently Enrolled Students in CO 2020 & CO 2021: Account Holds

Bursar Holds

  • We have extended the deadline for Bursar Holds this term. All Bursar Holds will be placed on accounts on April 20, 2020. Students will need to bring their balance below $500 to register for Summer 2020. Students on an active payment plan are placed on a bursar hold until the payment plan has finished and the balance is at $0. 
  • Should you have questions about third party billing, please contact support@relay.edu

Certification Holds 

  • There will be no certification holds on student accounts for Spring 2020. As information from NYSED is evolving, we will notify students about the next steps. In the meantime, the following guidance was sent to students:
  • CO 2020 Students: 
    • EdTPA: Many candidates may not be able to complete the edTPA in their placements this spring due to issues related to COVID-19. In such cases, candidates may be exempt from the edTPA and can take and pass the Assessment of Teaching Skills Written (ATS-W) in lieu of the edTPA. 
    • Certification:  If test centers remain closed beyond May 1, 2020, the Department will exempt candidates whose clinical experience in spring of 2020 were impacted due to COVID-19 from taking their remaining certification exams (e.g., Students with Disabilities CST (060), Content Specialty Tests, EAS, ATS-W/edTPA)
  • CO 2021 Students:  
    • Certification: Relay will extend the deadline to complete all certification requirements to September 2, 2020 (Test must be taken by 8/16/20). If testing centers remain closed after May 1, 2020, the Department has said that they will release additional guidance for teacher candidates. Relay will pass along updates so please continue to monitor your inbox. Given the uncertainty as to when testing centers will reopen, we recommend that candidates wait to register for any exam until after May 1, 2020. 

Policy Changes for Future Students CO 2022: Application Materials and Deadlines

CO 2022 Application Deadlines mceclip0.png

  • 2-Year M.A.T and Transitional B Certification mceclip1.png

GRE 

We have been notified that ETS (GRE testing administrators) has launched an at-home testing solution for the GRE General Test for students affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19). The monitoring of the test will be conducted using live remote proctors. Taking the test at home is now available for students throughout the United States. 

  • The test is identical in content, format, on-screen experience and scoring to the GRE General Test taken at a test center. 
  • The exam must be taken on a desktop or laptop. Phone or tablet is not permitted. For PC windows 7 or higher. For Mac OS X 10.5 or higher.
  • Chrome and Firefox are the only permitted browsers 
  • Access to a computer microphone and movable camera is required 
  • Test administration utilizes facial and voice recognition software
  • No other persons are allowed in the room while test is in progress

ETS is waiving all testing rescheduling fees. If a student’s GRE General Test appointment is postponed, they will be notified by email and their test will be rescheduled in their account. Students should check their account and email regularly to confirm testing status. 

Students with disabilities can submit all GRE disability accommodation requests and supporting documents electronically via their ETS account. Staff is limited and there may be a delay in processing. 

We encourage students to take advantage of free GRE test preparation resources, including:

Certification:

  • Incoming CO 2022 MAT students are required to hold a Transitional B certificate by the state of New York. In order to maintain enrollment, students must hold a valid Transitional B certificate no later than January 31, 2021. Students who do not meet this deadline are not eligible to continue in their program. 

 

 

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