Virginia Beach City Public Schools use Seesaw to deepen family engagement around student learning

When looking for the best tool to strengthen family communication and create authentic student portfolios, (VBCPS) selected Seesaw. At the time of the initial purchase in the fall of 2020, Seesaw was used at five of the district’s elementary schools. Teachers, students, and families shared positive feedback about Seesaw’s ability to foster proactive communication centered around student growth and learning outcomes.

“We heard from these schools that Seesaw kept parents in the loop with . So much of what’s happening in elementary schools is hands-on, which means it’s challenging to showcase through a static gradebook or a newsletter. Seesaw was already helping teachers showcase what students were learning on a regular basis,” said Sheila Teri, Instructional Technology Coordinator.

Based on alignment with district goals and positive feedback from schools where Seesaw was already used, VBCPS rolled out Seesaw district-wide.

Once the decision was made to use Seesaw across the district, VBCPS formed a committee with representatives from instructional technology, special education, English language learning, and Title I to develop an implementation guide.

The guide provided school administrators, teachers, and families with a comprehensive overview of how to get started, communicate with families, and create instructional activities and assessments that promote student voice and choice. This guide has been used as the go-to resource for teachers, administrators, and families since the district first purchased Seesaw in 2020.

To build trust and excitement with school administrators, the district clearly articulated the value of Seesaw, reinforced the tips from the implementation guide at in-person PD sessions, and set goals around platform adoption.

“We know that students who have involved family members do better in school,” said Sharon Shewbridge, Director of Instructional Technology. “So, our Instructional Technology Specialists work hard to ensure at least one family member is connected to every child in the district on Seesaw.”

The district-level implementation simplified the work for school leaders and teachers, lessening the burden of rostering and technical setup so they could focus on training and family engagement.

Schools and families have reported higher levels of engagement with Seesaw because it gives everyone a window into the great things that are happening in VBCPS classrooms. Seesaw has also helped teachers across the district facilitate better parent/student conferences. Ms. Teri noticed a mindset shift during parent conversations since parents were more informed about student progress.

“In the past, student conferences felt like parents were on the other side of the table from teachers and administrators. Seesaw removes some of that doubt or uncertainty and puts everyone on the same page,” said Ms. Teri. “Since parents now have insight into what students are doing and how they’re doing, conversations have shifted from ‘Is this really happening? Is the teacher or school doing something wrong?’ to ‘How can I help my student at home close the gaps and help their learning?’ Seesaw gives us the ability to have a collaborative and trusting relationship with parents.”

The VBCPS Instructional Technology team saw a positive impact from language translation capabilities on Seesaw. With traditional English-language communication tools, non-English speaking families were often left out of the conversation. Now, all families in the district have access to the same information.

“When one of our parents saw that Seesaw messages were translated to their native language on their phone, it brought tears to their eyes. It was the first time they felt such a strong connection to their child’s classroom,” said Ms. Teri.

“Seesaw gives all parents a direct window into their child’s classroom to see the great things that are happening in Virginia Beach schools,” added Ms. Shewbridge.

Seesaw’s student portfolios help Virginia beach teachers deliver authentic assessments and collect student learning artifacts throughout the school year. One component of gifted and special education resource specialists’ roles is documenting evidence for special supports and accommodations. Seesaw’s portfolios have saved teachers time in documenting these supports throughout the year.

“In Seesaw, teachers and specialists can easily compile evidence that we are providing the necessary supports to our gifted students and students with disabilities. It’s ready to go and already curated on the platform,” said Ms. Teri. “This saves teachers a ton of time and helps parents immediately see how our teachers are supporting their child’s needs.”

Ms. Shewbridge and Ms. Teri highlighted the importance of an intentional approach to technology selection and implementation. They encouraged other districts to first define the problems they’re trying to solve and the needs they’re trying to address, then reflect to ensure that the tool is aligned to district needs.

“When we purchased Seesaw for the district, we were looking for a solution that improved family engagement and kept everyone in the learning loop,” said Ms. Shewbridge.

“For any tool we adopt, we want to make sure we understand its full capabilities and highlight these to teachers and coaches in a number of ways so they can take full advantage of our investments,” added Ms. Teri.

This “learning first” approach to instructional technology decision-making combined with a thoughtful roll-out strategy led to successful outcomes for VBCPS.

“Seesaw is meeting the needs of students, teachers, and families across the district,” said Ms. Teri. “From the beginning, Seesaw has been very responsive to our needs and requests. It has felt like the platform is growing with us.”