MCPS Considering Beginning 2020-21 School Calendar Year Before Labor Day

[Anonymous]

DCPS starts at 8:45 because they don’t have any school buses (outside of special needs students) to provide. I wish we could do that here but know it won’t happen.

[Anonymous]

Anything but option 1, which would mean 83 days of summer vacation in 2020.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Voted for Option 3.
Will make my family vote too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Starting after Labor Day is so much better!

My ideal school year places professional days on the Friday before a long weekend when there is a Monday holiday. Gets rid of the random mid week half days, makes the Jewish, EID and Monday after Easter holidays a no test day and an excused absence for those who observe them.

It would include one full week for Spring Break, one full week for Thanksgiving and two full weeks for Christmas/New Years. The unions can decide whether to have all of just some of the following holidays -Columbus, Veteran's, President's, MLK or Memorial Day off.

Every four years when schools need to close for election then that school year can simply have one less day.

So much wrong here I don't even know where to start.

-The Jewish holidays are due to staffing concerns, not student absences. MCPS doesn't have enough subs to cover all the teachers who would be taking off. Heck, they barely have enough on a regular day. And they can't deny the teachers leave for religious observance unless they want to be sued.

-President's Day, MLK Day, Memorial Day, and Easter Monday are state holidays. MCPS does not decide to close on a whim on these days. Legally, they HAVE to. They cannot open without a waiver. Good luck dealing with the media backlash when you try to explain why MLK Day and Memorial Day are not important enough to close despite every other public school in the whole US doing so.

-Election Day is every 2 years, not every 4. Plus primaries the previous spring. So really, it's almost every year. MCPS has a random day off on April 28 this year, that's what it's for. Again, state holidays. Legally have to close. No choice.

Scheduling is so easy when you just ignore all the rules!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I voted for option 3. To start school in the end of August.

Here are my reasons . Feel free to cut and paste and add your own on this thread so others can also use it.

1) Starting school year early allows for revisions in the school year in the middle of the year, if we have to accommodate for extreme weather events - which will invariably happen.

2) Usually the beginning of the school year gets very hectic because teachers want to cover as much as possible before the holiday season in Nov and December. Starting early will mitigate some of that.

3) AP and SAT exams are in May, starting early allows for more instruction time before the exams.

4)October sees a lot of flu cases and absenteeism. Starting school early and also insisting that students get their flu shots before school starts. This will allow children to build up immunity during September, before the flu season starts in October. and will also allow them to NOT start school nearer to the flu season. Students need to be at school for more days, before contagious illnesses come knocking down the door. Also, this way, MoCo can give flu immunizations in schools for school community.

I would love to see the Inauguration Day not be a holiday. If people want their kids to attend they can be absent or take permission or watch the recorded version. C'mon!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I voted for option 3. To start school in the end of August.

Here are my reasons . Feel free to cut and paste and add your own on this thread so others can also use it.

1) Starting school year early allows for revisions in the school year in the middle of the year, if we have to accommodate for extreme weather events - which will invariably happen.

2) Usually the beginning of the school year gets very hectic because teachers want to cover as much as possible before the holiday season in Nov and December. Starting early will mitigate some of that.

3) AP and SAT exams are in May, starting early allows for more instruction time before the exams.

4)October sees a lot of flu cases and absenteeism. Starting school early and also insisting that students get their flu shots before school starts. This will allow children to build up immunity during September, before the flu season starts in October. and will also allow them to NOT start school nearer to the flu season. Students need to be at school for more days, before contagious illnesses come knocking down the door. Also, this way, MoCo can give flu immunizations in schools for school community.

Why are we copying and pasting this? Not very compelling reasons.
#1 - weather days are built into the calendar. They can revise the calendar a week or two later and it doesn’t make a lick of difference if we go beyond what is allocated. .
#3 - SAT exams are not in May, they are offered roughly every two months throughout the year.
#4 is just nuts. Require flu immunizations? How does this even relate to the calendar?

[Anonymous]

Almost every private high school in the DC Metro starts after Labor Day and they all get much higher AP grades than public. Not to mention most schools up north start even later and also take their AP's without difficulty. Many boarding schools start mid September and they all take the AP's and do great. So stop using that lame excuse for a reason to start before Labor Day.

SAT scores are offered year round.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Almost every private high school in the DC Metro starts after Labor Day and they all get much higher AP grades than public. Not to mention most schools up north start even later and also take their AP's without difficulty. Many boarding schools start mid September and they all take the AP's and do great. So stop using that lame excuse for a reason to start before Labor Day.

SAT scores are offered year round.

But I keep reading on DCUM that private schools have abandoned AP classes as being inferior...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Almost every private high school in the DC Metro starts after Labor Day and they all get much higher AP grades than public. Not to mention most schools up north start even later and also take their AP's without difficulty. Many boarding schools start mid September and they all take the AP's and do great. So stop using that lame excuse for a reason to start before Labor Day.

SAT scores are offered year round.

I'm sure the sole reason private schools get higher AP grades than public schools is the start after Labor Day.

My friends' kids in Massachusetts started school this year on August 20. Two weeks before Labor Day. But maybe New England isn't "up north."

Which schools start even later than the day after Labor Day? I must know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Almost every private high school in the DC Metro starts after Labor Day and they all get much higher AP grades than public. Not to mention most schools up north start even later and also take their AP's without difficulty. Many boarding schools start mid September and they all take the AP's and do great. So stop using that lame excuse for a reason to start before Labor Day.

SAT scores are offered year round.

The trend is not to have APs at private schools, so “almost every private school” is not correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Almost every private high school in the DC Metro starts after Labor Day and they all get much higher AP grades than public. Not to mention most schools up north start even later and also take their AP's without difficulty. Many boarding schools start mid September and they all take the AP's and do great. So stop using that lame excuse for a reason to start before Labor Day.

SAT scores are offered year round.

So. Much. Misinformation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost every private high school in the DC Metro starts after Labor Day and they all get much higher AP grades than public. Not to mention most schools up north start even later and also take their AP's without difficulty. Many boarding schools start mid September and they all take the AP's and do great. So stop using that lame excuse for a reason to start before Labor Day.

SAT scores are offered year round.

I'm sure the sole reason private schools get higher AP grades than public schools is the start after Labor Day.

My friends' kids in Massachusetts started school this year on August 20. Two weeks before Labor Day. But maybe New England isn't "up north."

Which schools start even later than the day after Labor Day? I must know.

Yep - sole reason. Couldn't be the demographics, size of class, etc. etc. etc. MCPS is not a private school setting or a boarding school setting. We have people from different backgrounds with different needs. If starting two weeks earlier helps in any way to get these kids better prepared, then do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost every private high school in the DC Metro starts after Labor Day and they all get much higher AP grades than public. Not to mention most schools up north start even later and also take their AP's without difficulty. Many boarding schools start mid September and they all take the AP's and do great. So stop using that lame excuse for a reason to start before Labor Day.

SAT scores are offered year round.

I'm sure the sole reason private schools get higher AP grades than public schools is the start after Labor Day.

My friends' kids in Massachusetts started school this year on August 20. Two weeks before Labor Day. But maybe New England isn't "up north."

Which schools start even later than the day after Labor Day? I must know.

Yep - sole reason. Couldn't be the demographics, size of class, etc. etc. etc. MCPS is not a private school setting or a boarding school setting. We have people from different backgrounds with different needs. If starting two weeks earlier helps in any way to get these kids better prepared, then do it.

Starting earlier won't achieve anyting. All it will do is result in even more partial days and fringe holidays. It does not mean more school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Starting earlier won't achieve anyting. All it will do is result in even more partial days and fringe holidays. It does not mean more school.

Nobody said it did. The point is that the AP tests are when the AP tests are. If you start later, there is less time to cover the curriculum before the AP tests. If you start earlier, there is more time to cover the curriculum before the AP tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost every private high school in the DC Metro starts after Labor Day and they all get much higher AP grades than public. Not to mention most schools up north start even later and also take their AP's without difficulty. Many boarding schools start mid September and they all take the AP's and do great. So stop using that lame excuse for a reason to start before Labor Day.

SAT scores are offered year round.

I'm sure the sole reason private schools get higher AP grades than public schools is the start after Labor Day.

My friends' kids in Massachusetts started school this year on August 20. Two weeks before Labor Day. But maybe New England isn't "up north."

Which schools start even later than the day after Labor Day? I must know.

Yep - sole reason. Couldn't be the demographics, size of class, etc. etc. etc. MCPS is not a private school setting or a boarding school setting. We have people from different backgrounds with different needs. If starting two weeks earlier helps in any way to get these kids better prepared, then do it.

Starting earlier won't achieve anyting. All it will do is result in even more partial days and fringe holidays. It does not mean more school.

It doesn't mean more school, total. It means more school before the AP exams (which are in early May). In my kid's school, teaching after AP tests are over is sketchy at best. Lots of study halls and silly assignments. Sometimes movies (cartoons) just to pass the time. Mid August until Late May would give the same length of summer break, and would line up better with the academic realities of the country. Why are people so invested in having late August off when the alternative is simply to have early June off?