Marlborough – Caught in the back and forth of local cancellations and, then, an emergency declaration from Gov. Charlie Baker, the Advanced Math and Science Academy (AMSA) is navigating lost learning time in the COVID-19 crisis through some of the region’s most comprehensive “enrichment programs.”
Like other area schools, AMSA is closed through April 7 with students and staff having minimal access to their campus, and with all extra-curricular programming cancelled.
Administration has gone further than colleges at other area schools, however, in their implementation of now commonplace enrichment opportunities for students stuck at home.
According to guidance from the state, AMSA is not allowed to introduce new material to students out of fear of violating the rights of students holding 504 and IEP accommodation plans in particular. That being said, though, teachers, according to a statement, are sending students weekly “lessons and material that will deepen what has already been covered in classes.”
“We fully recognize that our students and families count on AMSA to provide a first-class educational experience,” Executive Director Ellen Linzey and Principal Mike Nawrocki said in a joint statement March 14 explaining all this. “Please know that the entire AMSA staff will continue to collaborate and plan effective ways to engage students in learning.”
Beyond those enrichments, AMSA recently confirmed that AP testing remains scheduled for mid-May for students enrolled in AP classes.
The school has also reached out to students through its guidance counseling office to encourage good self-care practices.
Through it all, though, district leaders have not opted to sugarcoat the situation. From academics to extracurriculars, they’re looking forward to the end of the COVID-19 crisis and a return to normalcy.
“We understand that our plan moving forward is not perfect,” Linzey and Nawrocki said in their statement. “It would be better to be together again in our classrooms! That will come soon. In the meantime, let us all work together, communicate with each other, and do whatever we can to help each other.”