Imlay City SchoolsYear-Round Education (YRE) / Balanced Calendar Presentation

Imlay City SchoolsParent Informational MeetingTuesday, March 18, 20146:30pm

Presentation Agenda / ElementsYear-Round Education / Balanced Calendar

Why offer Year-Round Education (YRE)?

What are the features of year-round school?

What does a balanced calendar look like?

What do I do next?

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What are the pros and cons?

Why offer a balanced calendar?

• Fights Summer Learning Loss – Continuous Learning• Provide Developmental Continuity for Young Students• Better Meet the Needs of Struggling Students• Provides Options for Gifted Learners and Extension• Structure and Stability for Students• Promote Healthy Learning Environments• Provide Choice and Flexibility to Families

Why offer a Year-Round Education (YRE)?Research/Rationale Overview

• Fights Summer Learning Loss – Continuous Learning• Provide Developmental Continuity for Young Students• Better Meet the Needs of Struggling Students• Provides Options for Gifted Learners and Extension• Structure and Stability for Students• Promote Healthy Learning Environments• Provide Choice and Flexibility to Families

Why offer a Year-Round Education (YRE)?Research/Rationale Overview

Over the traditional summer vacation students may stop growing or may lose skills. This is summer learning loss – or “summer slide.”

Some students are more prone to summer learning loss than others, creating an ever-widening performance gap between students.

While we can get all students to learn and progress, it is very difficult for educators to “close the gaps” between students.

Why offer Year-Round Education (YRE)?Research supports year-round student growth.

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Summer Learning Loss Over Time

Student A Student B

A survey of 500 teachers released in 2013 from the National Summer Learning Association showed 66 percent of teachers said it takes three to four weeks to re-teach the previous year’s skills at the beginning of the next year while 24 percent said it takes five or more weeks.

Robert Floden – director of the Education Policy Center at MSU

“Research is clear that adding more time for high-quality instruction would be helpful for all kids. So summer school that provides high-quality instruction would add days and benefit.”

Acknowledges summer learning lossGraphic – learning gaps

Why offer Year-Round Education (YRE)?Research supports year-round student growth.

A balanced calendar, in combination with effective interventions can serve as an intervention strategy for struggling students.

But the advantages of a balanced schedule are not limited to struggling students. They work for gifted and talented students as well.

Intercession may provide enrichment/extension opportunities as well as opportunities remediation.

Why offer Year-Round Education (YRE)?Research supports year-round student growth.

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ResponseAgreeDisagreeNo Answer

Year-Round School ResultsRationale: Elementary Parent Perspectives

I would be interested in my child attending a year-round school.

Features of Year-Round School

• Calendar • Balanced calendar• Same number of teacher days• Same number of student days• The vast majority of student days will overlap

FeaturesYear-Round Program Overview

Year - Round

181 Student Days190 Teacher Days

155 “Common” Days

Traditional

181 Student Days190 Teacher Days181 Service Days

Year-Round ProgramFeatures

INTERCESSION

Intercession is a term used to describe the off-school periods in the year-round schedule. Intersessions can be used to bridge learning, prevent gaps, remediate deficiencies, or provide enrichment. Schools often run daycare and educational options during YRE intersessions.

Year-Round ProgramFeatures

INTERCESSION

Intercessions give schools the opportunity to extend learning blocks for students, one of the few variables to learning which can be controlled logistically.

Intercession participation will be fee-based @ $10 per day.

Students are not required to participate in intercession.

Teaching and

Learning

Assessment and Data

Analysis

Intervention, Enrichment, Remediation

Teaching and

Learning

Assessment and Data

Analysis

Intervention, Enrichment, Remediation

Year-Round ProgramIntercession – a fluid cycle of learning.

• Curriculum• Same curriculum• Same assessments

• Students will be in attendance during testing windows• Same materials• Same standards / benchmarks• Specials / enrichments included• Grade reporting will vary

• Year will be divided into “quarters”• Progress reports and report cards will be issued at relative intervals• Standards-based report cards will be reflective of the calendars / quarters

FeaturesYear-Round Program

• Staffing • We will be staffed with Imlay City teachers in all

year-round classrooms• Intercession teachers may rotate over time• Principals will remain the same, though some

responsibilities will be shared at the beginning of the year

• Secretaries and aides will be Imlay City employees• Latchkey, bus drivers and food service will be

staffed with Imlay City personnel

FeaturesYear-Round Program

• Logistics • Food service program and transportation are

provided• Transportation will look the same from a

service standpoint; may require some bus stop consolidation

• Food service will look the same from a service standpoint; universal breakfast, free and reduced lunch, etc.

• “Summer” schedule will require consolidating locations temporarily

FeaturesYear-Round Program

• Students • Enrollment is voluntary• We will need enough participants to

sustain the offering• Classroom sizes will be “capped”• It is possible that not all interested

students will be able to participate• Some students may be ineligible to

participate in the pilot• An ideal pilot would feature at least one

full classroom at each grade level

FeaturesYear-Round Program

Considerations(Pros and Cons)

PROS• Meets academic needs• Meets developmental needs• Provides opportunities for

extended learning• Provides choice and flexibility for

parents, students and staff• Promotes healthy learning

environment• Possibility of increased

accountability scores• Planning and data review windows

are “built in” for teachers

• Year one transition break – shorter summer this year

• Planning and logistics are more complex

• Daycare options for families• Program participation will need to

be “capped”• Some students may not be able to

participate

CONS

ConsiderationsPros and Cons – Based on what we know to date

Moving Forward:What do I do now?

Ask questionsAttend the follow-up meeting, if necessaryReview the PowerPointContact me or your child’s principal

Complete and submit the enrollment application by May 1st• A

pplications available tonight

• Applications available in the main office of your child’s school

Look for acceptance communication• L

etters mailed the second week of May• S

chool shopping??

Moving ForwardWhat do I do now?

• March 18 – first parent meeting• March 19 – applications available• April 15 – follow-up parent meeting

(optional) • May 1 – applications for participation due• May 7 – target date for mailing acceptance

letters• June TBD – “back-to-school” information

packets• July 15 – first day of school!

Moving ForwardImportant Dates

Calendars

TRADITIONAL• 181 Student Days• 190 Teacher Days• 9 Month Calendar

• 181 Student Days• 190 Teacher Days• Spread over 12 Months• Intercessions

YEAR-ROUND (BALANCED)

CalendarsComparisons

Running both schedules• Approximately 155 days of a

students’ year will “overlap” with the alternate schedule

• Approximately 28 days will not

CalendarsSample Calendars – Refer to Handouts

Sample traditional year calendar

Sample year-round calendar

Sample intercession

Sample “overlap” calendar

Calendars

Questions