Whether they are learning remotely from home part of the week or every school day, all City students will receive remote instruction in two different forms: live interaction with a teacher (sometimes referred to as, “synchronous instruction”), and independent learning (also known as, “asynchronous instruction”), which includes assignments, projects, or recorded video lessons. Here is what that means:
Live interaction means that your student will interact with their teacher via video/telephone conferencing or another interactive medium in real time. During these sessions, teachers may interact with whole classes, small groups, and/or individual students. Live interaction sessions can take place on platforms like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other DOE-approved digital platforms.
Examples of the kinds of activities that can take place during live interaction periods include:
To facilitate remote learning, students can access multiple educational applications—such as G Suite, Microsoft O365, and Zoom—using secure central accounts. Schools should ensure their students haveNYCDOE student account DOE student accounts.
Your child will have a high-quality educator leading their education, no matter where they are learning. Instruction may look a little bit different in every school, reflecting the specific needs of the school community, but here is what you can generally expect:
Blended learning refers to a combination of on-site, in-person instruction at the school some days of the week, and remote instruction at home on remaining days. Your child may have different teachers for on-site and remote learning who work closely together in pairs or teams to create meaningful and connected learning experiences. For example, a student may begin a project in person and then continue to work on it while remote. During the remote portion of blended learning, your child will be with the same group of students with whom they attend school in person.
Blended learning adds technology, resources, and flexibility to personalize instruction. Students will maximize learning time as more digital content and innovative data resources become available.
The DOE will provide supports to schools on:
Schools will have the option to use iLearnNYC or Google Classroom to provide a cohesive and consistent student experience. These tools will be available in phases, based on funding availability and other factors.
Students engaging in full-time remote learning will be taught by teachers from their own school as frequently as possible. Teachers will regularly meet with the same group of students on specific days.
The current situation has created incredible strain in our communities. The health and economic implications of the crisis have deep impacts on students and their families. The loss and pain of loved ones all around us are a great source of grief for everyone, and especially for children, who are in key stages of their development.
While all of this has been happening, students have been physically isolated from their school communities, their teachers, their friends and have had very few supports to help them process these traumatic events. Social-emotional learning is critical to the overall health of students and their ability to learn.
In light of this, schools will need to continue to prioritize the following in the upcoming school year:
For more information, please see here for our Bridge To School plan.
As your child’s learning journey continues this year, it is critical that you have a clear picture of their progress. Grades provide a common language for understanding and communicating with your child’s teacher(s) about their strengths and areas for growth. The 2020-21 grading policy aims to provide you with a clear picture of your child’s progress while honoring each individual student’s experience adapting to new ways of learning.
Here are key elements of this year’s grading policy:
Families have flexibility in determining how passing final grades are reflected on student records. This is an option for families who prefer to have their child’s performance reflected more generally (such as “Pass” instead of a numerical grade) as they continue to adapt to blended and remote learning.
For more information about how your child will be graded this school year, see this letter from Chancellor Carranza or contact your child’s teacher.
There are many benefits to in-person learning, and nothing can replace the instruction a student receives in the classroom. Knowing every student well and learning in-person is a critical way to provide a high-quality education. However, because we are in a global pandemic, we also understand that there are varying levels of comfort in returning to school buildings and families are making decisions that are specific to their circumstances and level of comfort.
While there will be some key differences between the learning in a classroom or learning remotely, the expectation for high-quality instruction that is culturally responsive and rigorous remain the same as they always have across the board, for all students.
Ext | Room | |
Ward, David -Principal | 2701 | 270 |
Arrington, Patrice- AP instr. | 2351 | 235 |
Trani, Pat-AP Organization | 2502 | 250 |
Teachers Adams, Ebonee (sci/sped ed) |
2330 | 233 |
Byrd Catherine (ELA/ senior adv) | 2400 | 240 |
Ceraulo, Michael (soc. stud) Ciquera, Matthew (phys.ed) Dewar-Fullwood Andrea (sped ed) | 2490 gym 2330 | 249 233 |
Frasca, Michael (math) | 2470 | 247 |
Gladden, Anwar (phys. Ed) | 2490 | 240 |
Gordon, Lindsay (ELA) | 2420 | 242 |
Maldonado, Edgar (soc. Stud) | 2620 | 262 |
Mcbean, Akoka (ela) | 2660 | 266 |
Melendez, Angelica (/soc stud) | 2680 | 268 |
Nelson, Suzanne (ela/sped ed) | 2430 | 243 |
Phillips-Smith, Simone (Sci) | 2480 | 248 |
Sgambati, Megan (Phys. Ed/dean) | 2600 | 260 |
Triola, Brandon (ela/theatre) | 2290 | 229 |
Waugh, Geoff (sci) | 2640 | 264 |
Secretary Watson, Debra | 2670 | 267D |
Paraprofessional Philip, Yolanda Pradel, Jeanne Stephen Holness | ||
Support Staff Brian Holness (parent coord) | 2674 | 267 |
Marc Eugene (Dean) | 2600 | 2601 |
School Aides Diane Caputo | 2675 | 267 |
Respect for All Liaison Ms. Megan Sgambati MSgambati3@schools.nyc.gov |
2600 | 260 |
Sexual Harassment Liaison Ms. Chanel Jackson CJackson14@schools.nyc.gov |
2321 | 232 |
Our graduation rate has been 77 - 85% for 5 straight years, and our graduation Seniors earn more than $2 Million every year in financial aid for college.
Testimonial
"My favorite thing about BTA is the sense of community shared by students and staff!"
-Ms. Nelson, CUNY ELA and Special Education Teacher
Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School is a cohesive, vibrant learning community dedicated to college and career readiness and the development of young people with integrity, a strong sense of identity, and an awareness of the world and their place in it. BTA graduates leave our school independent, confident, & well-prepared.