Progress 2021: Mat-Su Borough School District uses blended learning model to offer extra opportunity during the pandemic

Since the COVID-19 pandemic altered the way students learn at schools across the world, educators and school districts have adapted to deliver education in a safe manner to mitigate spread. The MSBSD saw an increase of students returning to take classes in-person during the second semester but over 5,000 of the 17,900 students enrolled in classes at MSBSD remain off campus for their instruction. Looking toward the upcoming school year, MSBSD superintendent Dr. Randy Trani presented early survey results from MSBSD parents about the future of education delivery in the Valley.

“We know that for some families beyond just instruction, we serve a role of caring for their students on Fridays. So we have always been looking at options for how can we offer some sort of support to families for the full five days while simultaneously allowing other families who don’t need that support and want some release time for their students to enjoy that but it’s a balancing act,” Trani said.

In October of 2020, 61 percent of MSBSD students were taking classes at school and that number jumped to 70 percent in January. There were 5,892 total students taking correspondence or at-home courses in October, and still 5,385 doing so in January. There are 2,105.25 students taking at-home courses and 3,283 taking correspondence courses. Trani said that nearly two thirds of all parents of students from sixth through 12th grades felt that their family was appreciative of flexibility with remote learning. Trani said that 57.2 percent of nearly 2,200 respondents support a schedule on Fridays where on-track students are permitted to pursue at home learning days.