Students & Families

The FSSD follows the Tennessee Academic Standards for all courses in all schools. Tennessee’s curriculum standards are considered among the most rigorous in the nation.

For more information, visit FSSD Curriculum and Instruction.

Guidelines for Technology Use (English pdf)
Guidelines for Technology Use (Spanish pdf)

Android Connection to FSSD Guest Network (pdf)

Student Privacy and Social Media

Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Compliance Information

Use of Personal Communication and Electronic Devices

Use of the Internet and Intranet:  The Board supports the right of staff and students to have reasonable access to various information formats and believes that it is incumbent upon staff and students to use this privilege in an appropriate and responsible manner. Complaints alleging a violation of the internet safety measures shall be submitted to the FSSD Associate Director of Teaching and Learning.

The FSSD Instructional Technology Department created the following instructional videos to help families use the FSSD-sponsored resources from home to connect with their children’s teachers and school administrators. 

Videos:

Zoom

• Accessing Zoom
• Accessing Zoom – Spanish

This brief recording shows how students access Zoom to meet virtually with their teachers.

Skyward Student Access

• Skyward Student Access
• Skyward Student Access – Spanish

This brief recording shows how students access Skyward Student Access to view their grades.

Google Classroom

• Google Classroom
• Google Classroom – Spanish

This brief recording shows how students access Google Classroom to find, complete, and turn in assignments.

If families need technology assistance while trying to assist their children in learning, please contact the FSSD Instructional Technology Specialists by phone at 615-472-3115 or by email:

• Shelly Robinson (Grades 7-8)
• Amber Whitley (Grades 5-6)
• Josh Bracamontes (Grades K-4)
• Nichole Johnson, Secretary

The information below should provide answers to questions you might have as your student accesses his/her online resources:

• Clever Login information: English, Spanish
• Clever Badge Login: English, Spanish
• If a student needs their Google password reset, a parent/guardian may email InstructionalTech@fssd.org. The student’s name and grade level will be needed in this communication.
• If a Chromebook needs to be repaired, a parent/guardian may email their child’s principal and include the student’s name, the Chromebook’s TZ number (located on the metal tag on the front of the device), and explain what is not working properly. That information will be sent to the Technology Department, who will then follow up with the parent.

Student Email (Grades 5 – 8)

• Directions on Accessing Your Student Email  (English, Spanish)

Zoom Meetings

• Helping Your Child Log In to a Zoom Meeting (English, Spanish)

The FSSD is committed to protecting student privacy and has worked diligently to ensure teachers and students use Zoom for Education only, not the public Zoom account referenced in various sources of media. Zoom for Education is designed for schools and districts and complies with all FERPA, COPPA, and other privacy regulations. One of the many advantages of this type of account is that we have the ability to control settings districtwide. FSSD students are only able to join a teacher Zoom meeting through our password protected FSSD Clever portal, Google Classroom, or direct student contact and teachers have been instructed to keep Zoom meeting links private. We have the waiting room automatically set up for teachers as well as a few other security measures. These measures prevent the possibility of “hackers” joining meetings and allow teachers to remove someone who is not supposed to be in the meeting, or even a student who is supposed to be in the meeting but not following teacher expectations.

Reflecting on our extensive research across multiple video conferencing platforms, this resource and configuration of settings is the most secure option for students. Families have the option to use Zoom or to refrain from using Zoom at their discretion. To read Zoom’s full privacy statement, please see https://zoom.us/privacy.

Textbook Adoption Information

The State Textbook Commission is responsible for recommending an official list of textbooks to the Tennessee State Board of Education (SBOE) for approval. Once the SBOE has approved a list of textbooks, it is the responsibility of local boards of education to decide which textbooks to use in their districts.

The state textbook adoption process is administered in accordance with the statutory requirements as set forth in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 22 and the Rules and Policies of the State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission. Once the local districts are provided with the list of state-approved vendors, local school systems must adopt books on the official list or submit a waiver request to the department to use textbooks or instructional materials not on the approved list.

Math Adoption 2023-2024
The Franklin Special School District is scheduled to adopt math textbooks for the 2023-2024 school year. The FSSD selects members for the textbook review committee. In accordance with state requirements, the FSSD Board of Education will approve the recommended review committee to review the textbooks and instructional materials proposed for adoption and make their adoption upon recommendations of such committees. These committees are set up by grade and subject matter fields and composed of teachers, or supervisors and teachers, and parents with children enrolled in the district at the time of appointment to the committee.

According to the Tennessee Department of Education:
• the School Board may also choose to appoint experts in the grade level or subject matter field for which textbooks and instructional materials are to be reviewed.
• Teachers and supervisors who serve on the committee must be teaching or supervising the respective grade or subject at the time of appointment and must be licensed to teach in the state with endorsements in the subject matter or grade level for which textbooks or instructional materials are being reviewed.
• Teachers and supervisors must have three or more years of experience as teachers or supervisors in the public schools. The Director of Schools in the district adopting textbooks or instructional materials serves as an ex officio member of all committees.

After the textbook committee makes its recommendation to the School Board, the Director of Schools records the list of all textbooks or instructional materials adopted by the Board, forwards a copy of the recorded adoption to the Commissioner of Education and posts the list on the district’s web site.

Curriculum-Related Resources

 Textbooks are one of many resources used for instruction in our schools.

• FSSD Adopted Textbooks
• FSSD Online Resources
• Open Up Resources for English Language Arts K-5
• Tennessee Book Company Textbook Depository

Parents are accustomed to seeing children work from textbooks as they progress through the curriculum. However, as teachers prepare students for success today and for college or a career in the future, students must be taught how to engage in rigorous instruction that develops an ability to think and problem solve. This type of learning does not always come from within the pages of a textbook. The ability to apply, analyze, synthesize, evaluate and predict cause and effect situations will be more valuable in the future than the ability to retell, label, define or describe. While using detailed standards and goals set by the Tennessee State Curriculum Standards as the guide to course content and instruction, teachers must differentiate for students based on readiness, interest and learning styles. In order to accomplish this, FSSD teachers are encouraged to draw from an extensive bank of resources. Textbooks are one of many tools in a larger toolbox of resources available to support instruction. If you liken teachers to carpenters, you understand that when building a magnificent piece of furniture, a carpenter cannot rely on only a hammer. Rather he must use a plane, chisel, saw, sander, or any number of tools to create a masterpiece.

A great classroom instructional program, just like a great piece of furniture, needs many tools in its delivery. An effective teacher uses web-based resources, specialized informational texts, and various pieces of literature, lab experiences, and field trips to create that perfect instructional masterpiece.

FSSD students use many hands-on experiences to develop key mathematical and science concepts. These experiences yield understanding that is transferable to other situations and is better remembered for future use. This type of teaching requires a student to interpret and internalize learning and not merely respond from rote memorization or with answers retrieved from surface knowledge. While information can sometimes be remembered if presented through textbooks and lectures, true understanding and the ability to use knowledge in new situations requires instruction where children study concepts in depth, make decisions resulting from real-life situations, and analyze and solve problems.

Students in our district are provided with all of the resources they need to support this type of instructional environment.  Parents are urged to contact teachers to learn more about the specific resources used in their child’s classroom and how they can help reinforce material learned in class at home.

For more information about the textbook adoption process, please visit the Tennessee Department of Education’s website for Textbook Adoption Cycle and Textbook Services.

Curriculum and Professional Learning

Summer Carlton, Supervisor
Deb Naber, Secretary

Freedom Intermediate School
840 Glass Lane
Franklin, TN  37064

615-472-3113