Charlotte schools weigh screen limits: CMS seeks public input on classroom tech, i-Ready use
The district is asking parents, teachers and students to weigh in on two proposed screen time caps and how the i-Ready platform should be used through January.
By Rahul Garnier ·
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is seeking public comment on limits to classroom screen time and on how it uses the i-Ready learning platform, with feedback accepted through January on two draft options.
The district began considering limits earlier this year, after parents pushed for less technology in classrooms. CMS Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Beth Thompson said both proposals are drafts that could change as input comes in.
One option would restrict screen use in classrooms from pre-K through fifth grade, with exceptions for required assessments, learning accommodations and specific interventions. The other sets caps by grade: 30 minutes per day for preschoolers, with a weekly limit of 2.5 hours; 30 minutes a day for kindergarteners; 45 minutes for first and second grade; and 90 minutes for third through fifth grade, with no weekly limit for those grades. Teachers would be encouraged to treat any cap as a maximum rather than a target, and both options would emphasize reading, writing, movement, discussion and hands-on work.
Thompson said tracking the minutes presents a challenge. "The concern is how consistently we can track minutes and whether schools might treat the limit as a target," Thompson said. "If selected, we would need practical monitoring guidance, reasonable documentation expectations and family-friendly examples of what counts as student screen time." CMS plans to gather opinions through surveys, virtual information sessions and focus groups.
The district is also asking how it should use i-Ready, an online platform and screening tool that many parents criticized earlier this year. North Carolina requires districts to use a universal screening tool to find students who need help, and CMS uses i-Ready for that purpose. CMS also uses it for supplemental instruction matched to a student's skill level, and currently recommends all students use it about 45 minutes per week in each content area. Thompson said that gives students performing above grade level time with more advanced content.
CMS has proposed an alternative that would limit i-Ready to targeted intervention for struggling students. Parents in CMS and in districts across the country have questioned whether i-Ready works as claimed and argue it adds to screen time.
Source: WFAE
