Extended School Year Approved for 2 MoCo Elementary Schools

[Anonymous]

Good for MoCo--testing an expanded 210 school day calendar at 2 Title 1 schools.
b
http://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/montgomery-county-will-seek-extended-school-years-at-two-elementary-schools/

The school system will seek a waiver from the state for a proposed “innovative school year calendar” at two Title I schools, Arcola and Roscoe R. Nix elementary schools. Title 1 schools are those with high numbers of children from low-income families.

The school system has been researching the issue for nearly a year and said studies have shown that extended summer breaks lead to learning loss during the summer, often referred to as the “summer slide.”

While some wealthier students may have summers full of enrichment, students with fewer resources and opportunities are more likely to fall behind, school officials said.

[Anonymous]

Yay!

[Anonymous]

Boo, what about kids who visit the other parent for the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boo, what about kids who visit the other parent for the summer.

Your kid's special circumstances shouldn't keep other kids from learning, particularly ones from Title 1 schools who don't have the opportunity for fancy summer camps and spend the summer sitting home.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who is zoned for one of these schools and she is not happy about it at all.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to several school leaders in DCPS who lead extended year schools. They said that off the record, the extended year has not been effective in their opinions. It has been scaled back once and some think it will eventually be dropped completely. One said she wished it were more like a fancy summer camp for the children but is just a dragging out of the school year.

[Anonymous]

Same curriculums taught slower or will they have an enhanced curriculum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Same curriculums taught slower or will they have an enhanced curriculum?

+1. Why not just organize optional summer camps with a mix of learn and fun for those who want to attend? Wouldn’t that be better than forcing 210 days of school on families with different circumstances, and would provide options and enrichment for those who want a longer school year? And the curriculum will not need to drag out for so long.

[Anonymous]

There was a thread on this already.

www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/692193.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is zoned for one of these schools and she is not happy about it at all.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to several school leaders in DCPS who lead extended year schools. They said that off the record, the extended year has not been effective in their opinions. It has been scaled back once and some think it will eventually be dropped completely. One said she wished it were more like a fancy summer camp for the children but is just a dragging out of the school year.

It’s an extended school year with a goal to boost learning outcomes, it’s not supposed to be a “fancy summer camp”. This is a pilot and they’re testing outcomes with data so they’ll be able to see how it impacts test scores and summer slide.

[Anonymous]

There are other states that have been doing this for awhile, as well as many other countries. Generally it’s a good idea, especially (as in this case) for lower income families.

[Anonymous]

I’m happy that MacPS is at least giving it a try. As a teacher (not in ES), I see the impact of summer learning loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are other states that have been doing this for awhile, as well as many other countries. Generally it’s a good idea, especially (as in this case) for lower income families.

+1 both of these schools are about 75% FARMs according to the at a glance page. This is probably highly welcomed by parents (heck I’d love this in my non-Title 1 school) and since it’s a pilot, they can see what happens and adjust along the way.u

[Anonymous]

I’m a former DCPS teacher whose school was extended year. Many of the parents were grateful for the extend year because it afforded their children a safe place during the summer. But other parents in the title one school who were equally socio-economically depressed felt that it was too much schooling and wished that the extended days were camps with opportunities like coding, crafts, etc. When we dissected the data at the end of the year, there was virtually no change. As a previous poster mentioned. I think many school districts are trying to be innovative and grapple with the gap of its minority and/or poor students. However, it still shows that one cannot replace a good family unit with policy and government. I wish I could post the data here for people to see but I’d be breaking privacy laws.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good for MoCo--testing an expanded 210 school day calendar at 2 Title 1 schools.
b
http://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/montgomery-county-will-seek-extended-school-years-at-two-elementary-schools/

The school system will seek a waiver from the state for a proposed “innovative school year calendar” at two Title I schools, Arcola and Roscoe R. Nix elementary schools. Title 1 schools are those with high numbers of children from low-income families.

The school system has been researching the issue for nearly a year and said studies have shown that extended summer breaks lead to learning loss during the summer, often referred to as the “summer slide.”

While some wealthier students may have summers full of enrichment, students with fewer resources and opportunities are more likely to fall behind, school officials said.

uh huh
great
with teachers opting to leave b/c it will be a disaster

This is not a true 12-month calendar; it's like ELO but with the mandate that people either opt in fully or ask for a transfer.

funny, however, that Nix will offer the extended year - But Cresthaven, which is the immediate feeder, won't . . .b/c THAT always works if you have more than one child

[Anonymous]

Are there any MCPS teachers who are at one of these schools that will become an extended year? Can you share how it’s supoosed to work? Will you be fairly compensated?