The committee, headed up by Craig Callen, was appointed by the school board to research the pros and cons of an alternative calendar. Callen updated the board Tuesday on their most recent research - the public meeting which was conducted on Jan. 5. The public forum was filmed on DVD so that the school board could review it and take it into consideration.
Callen said the general consensus of the meeting, which had about 50 people in attendance, was a couple of people were set against it, a few were really for it, but a majority didn't seem to care one way or another.
“Really, the biggest question we received was ‘Why now?',” said Callen. “A lot of them knew it had been talked about for a couple of years and that was the question that stirred the biggest discussion.”
Out of the estimated 11 school districts the committee had spoken with in the state who had switched to an alternative calendar, none showed negative scores in CATS ( Commonwealth Accountability Testing System), no school could attribute their change of scores due to their calendar change only, all showed a morale boost, and items such as discipline and remediation were hit or miss, depending on the school.
With all their research and findings, the calendar committee came up with one suggestive calendar for the 2006-07 school year. This calendar has opening day for students slated for Aug. 2, with the nine weeks ending on Sept. 29. Fall remediation period would be from Oct. 2-6 and fall break would run from Oct. 2-13, giving students two weeks off. The first semester would end Dec. 20, with kids off for the Christmas holiday.
Students would then return to the classroom on Jan. 3, 2007. The third nine weeks would end March 9, with spring break being held March 19-30 and March 19-23 reserved for spring remediation. The second semester would end May 25 and closing day would be May 29. The dates of May 30 through June 4 would be tentative make-up days.
This schedule is not set in stone yet but just a suggestion from the calendar committee. The board does have the right to change it if they see reason to.
The students were surveyed in the past on different questions involving the alternative calendar and just recently, the teachers, custodians, aides, and lunch workers were also polled for their input. Out of the entire school system, about 60 percent, or 149 employees, returned their questionnaires.
Results of employee survey
- Would you be in favor of trying an alternative calendar for the upcoming school year?
47% Yes, 45% No, 12% Undecided
- Will longer breaks enhance test scores?
19% Yes, 45% No, 36% Undecided
- Would you be available to remediate students during one week of the break if you would be paid for your time?
14% Yes, 79% No, 7% Undecided
- Do you think your morale would go up if we had longer breaks?
51% Yes, 39% No, 10% Undecided
- Would you be willing to schedule doctor appointments during breaks as opposed to scheduling during the school year?
40% Yes, 28% No, 8% Undecided
Is it difficult to put students to task after a vacation?
59% Yes, 32% No, 8% Undecided
Will a two week break give you and your family better options with your personal vacations?
47% Yes, 43% No, 9% Undecided
Both Callen and committee member Bill Powell felt the numbers of the survey do not adequately reflect how some teachers may feel. Powell added his personal feelings on the student's survey, saying he felt it should have been discarded because the students didn't grasp what the committee was asking.
“It's not that the students comments weren't important but if you saw some of the comments they made, it was clear they didn't have a grasp on what we were talking about,” said Powell. “A lot responded by saying they didn't want to be going to school in the middle of June and July.”
Callen said himself, as well as the rest of the committee believes test scores would go up with the additional breaks because it “recharges students.” He added that it was vital for the for the district to stay on the schedule for more than two years.
“You can't tell if there is a change after one year,” he said. “To really see results, you need at least two years on the calendar.”
As far as remediation during the breaks, Middlesboro High School Principal Ed Jones said their after-school program, Second Chance, has been successful for their school so far because students who need extra help are already there after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“We have more success now than we would with remediation,” said Jones. “I don't think we would be successful with our kids coming back for that first week off because high school kids are not going to come back to school - they have their cars, their jobs. It's hard to get kids to come back for sports during Christmas break.”
The school board concluded that remediation wouldn't have to be a requirement for all schools. Many members agreed that different things worked for different schools. The board took no action and will hold a special called meeting to discuss the calendar further sometime before the next regular board meeting.
Post a Comment
