FAQs
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We’re grateful for the leadership of our pastors and principals across the Archdiocese during this difficult time. We know you are all making very difficult decisions with the information you have been given. These decisions are based on local context, and vary from one school to the next. Our office wants to provide support to you all when making these difficult decisions, and help you communicate those decisions. We will do our best to support you, but will undoubtedly make mistakes along the way. Thanks for your patience with us and for working toward a positive and successful outcome from this difficult time. We are all praying for each other and committed to walking in this together with our school communities and families.
The following is a dynamic list of questions that may be added to as additional questions and concerns arise and are answered.
Q: How are absences being addressed?
A: Due to the nature of this situation, absences are being counted daily as schools check in with students. A waiver for schools has been granted so that the compulsory attendance laws will be waived for these days that we are out due to school closure.Q: How can I ensure that I am getting the latest information and updates?A: We encourage all families to be alert to the updates from each campus. Our principals are meeting two times per week with the superintendent and updated information is being shared with them. We expect that it is also being shared by the school’s leadership, as appropriate, with parents. If your school communication utilizes email, Facebook, IRIS alert, or Facts/RenWeb, please continue to follow whatever the regular communication pattern is for the school as well as any updates they are sending to families. Also, all information will be updated on this website as well as the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s Facebook page.Q: How will grading be handled during this time?A: All schools should close out their 3rd quarter grades with what grades have been taken. We are waiting on direction from the state as to how we will handle 4th quarter grades, and for now, we have asked principals to take completion grades for assignments rather than mastery grades to determine achievement of an objective.Q: What is to be done about the Formative and Standardized Assessments that were scheduled?A: We will not give the IOWA or ACRE tests this year at our schools. Those schools engaged in formative assessment through ESGI, NWEA, and Star360 will not complete end of the year assessments using those platforms as the validity of the scores will not be reliable or usable to enhance instruction.