May/June attendance now optional?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:May/June attendance is clearly a problem. Why all of a sudden am I getting texts from the school about attendance when my daughter is out.

Come on FCPS. It’s a problem these last couple of weeks when AP exams were in May and classes gave their finals right before then. DC has had one legit final over the past three days.

Come on, FCPS. Let's start school at the beginning of August and end in late May. Then the semester break will align with winter break, and the AP/SOL schedule will align with the end of school.

They are purposefully choosing early SOL dates to allow a week or 2 of remediation and then one more go at the SOL for those on the margin of a pass. If you end the year in May, then your DC’s SOL would also move up to mid April. They are building the schedule to accommodate the test and repeat takers.

Why can't those students attend summer school for remediation, while everyone else ends at Memorial Day?

It would be a win/win.

Close to year round school for the failing and struggling students, with a normal school year for everyone else

Because:
A) that costs money to staff hundreds more teachers for a week of remediation
B) families wouldn’t show up, so test scores wouldn’t look as good

There aren't thousands of students in this predicament so they won't need hundreds of students

If they can't pass, they should either do summer school or do a 5th year of high school at Bryant.

The hundred seventy thousand plus other FCPS students should nor be forced into year round school for a handful of students who could be served by summer school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to start school in the middle of summer. That's not a thing here.

+100

It's perfectly feasible to start school the last week of August and end the first week of June.

Yes, but the majority of parents do not want a 12 week summer.

Actually, most parents want a 12 week summer.

Only a few want short summers or year round school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to start school in the middle of summer. That's not a thing here.

+100

It's perfectly feasible to start school the last week of August and end the first week of June.

Yes, but the majority of parents do not want a 12 week summer.

Actually, most parents want a 12 week summer.

Only a few want short summers or year round school.

I actually do not think you are correct in this statement about FCPS parents. From what data are you basing your claim?

[Anonymous]

My kid's teacher took off last weekend. We have a dispute on a grade and he is nowhere to be found. Ugh!!! The gradebook was locked today and my son didn't realize he was gone with with the weird hs schedule this last week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to start school in the middle of summer. That's not a thing here.

+100

It's perfectly feasible to start school the last week of August and end the first week of June.

Yes, but the majority of parents do not want a 12 week summer.

Actually, most parents want a 12 week summer.

Only a few want short summers or year round school.

I actually do not think you are correct in this statement about FCPS parents. From what data are you basing your claim?

DP
Do you have data to show otherwise? Is there data that supports either claim?

[Anonymous]

MS, mostly all of the students were there, but it was filed day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to start school in the middle of summer. That's not a thing here.

+100

It's perfectly feasible to start school the last week of August and end the first week of June.

Except the majority also wants a full 2 weeks for Winter Break and a full week for Spring Break. And they want their grades on time, so there needs to be a few teacher workdays at the end of quarters. When you add up the things that people want, there's no "short" calendar available. Even dropping the holidays doesn't get you there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to start school in the middle of summer. That's not a thing here.

+100

It's perfectly feasible to start school the last week of August and end the first week of June.

Except the majority also wants a full 2 weeks for Winter Break and a full week for Spring Break. And they want their grades on time, so there needs to be a few teacher workdays at the end of quarters. When you add up the things that people want, there's no "short" calendar available. Even dropping the holidays doesn't get you there.

Really?

https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1489/Mps/b056a8ae-ed4d-4042-8f64-6d9ec7ceadd5/School-Calendar_2026-27_REVISED-06.16.26.pdf?disposition=inline

how do they do it with 24 days off?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to start school in the middle of summer. That's not a thing here.

+100

It's perfectly feasible to start school the last week of August and end the first week of June.

Except the majority also wants a full 2 weeks for Winter Break and a full week for Spring Break. And they want their grades on time, so there needs to be a few teacher workdays at the end of quarters. When you add up the things that people want, there's no "short" calendar available. Even dropping the holidays doesn't get you there.

Really?

https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1489/Mps/b056a8ae-ed4d-4042-8f64-6d9ec7ceadd5/School-Calendar_2026-27_REVISED-06.16.26.pdf?disposition=inline

how do they do it with 24 days off?

or how does Boston public schools do it with a similar number of days?

https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/district-calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:May/June attendance is clearly a problem. Why all of a sudden am I getting texts from the school about attendance when my daughter is out.

Come on FCPS. It’s a problem these last couple of weeks when AP exams were in May and classes gave their finals right before then. DC has had one legit final over the past three days.

Come on, FCPS. Let's start school at the beginning of August and end in late May. Then the semester break will align with winter break, and the AP/SOL schedule will align with the end of school.

They are purposefully choosing early SOL dates to allow a week or 2 of remediation and then one more go at the SOL for those on the margin of a pass. If you end the year in May, then your DC’s SOL would also move up to mid April. They are building the schedule to accommodate the test and repeat takers.

Why can't those students attend summer school for remediation, while everyone else ends at Memorial Day?

It would be a win/win.

Close to year round school for the failing and struggling students, with a normal school year for everyone else

Extended School year is not set up for this. It is very focused on very specific needs of kids. There also probably isn't enough teachers for this. Most the kids who retake the SOL don't need another month of school. Teachers can dial in on the SOL, review the portions they struggled on retake in a week. It is usually just one or two questions and teachers know exactly what to focus on.

My kid retook the SOL. Stayed after school a few times for extra help and retook the test and passed. He does not need summer school. SOL is ONE day - which could have been a bad one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to start school in the middle of summer. That's not a thing here.

+100

It's perfectly feasible to start school the last week of August and end the first week of June.

Except the majority also wants a full 2 weeks for Winter Break and a full week for Spring Break. And they want their grades on time, so there needs to be a few teacher workdays at the end of quarters. When you add up the things that people want, there's no "short" calendar available. Even dropping the holidays doesn't get you there.

Really?

https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1489/Mps/b056a8ae-ed4d-4042-8f64-6d9ec7ceadd5/School-Calendar_2026-27_REVISED-06.16.26.pdf?disposition=inline

how do they do it with 24 days off?

Madison, NJ Winter break is short only December 24-January 1 (early dismissal on December 23)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to start school in the middle of summer. That's not a thing here.

+100

It's perfectly feasible to start school the last week of August and end the first week of June.

Except the majority also wants a full 2 weeks for Winter Break and a full week for Spring Break. And they want their grades on time, so there needs to be a few teacher workdays at the end of quarters. When you add up the things that people want, there's no "short" calendar available. Even dropping the holidays doesn't get you there.

Really?

https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1489/Mps/b056a8ae-ed4d-4042-8f64-6d9ec7ceadd5/School-Calendar_2026-27_REVISED-06.16.26.pdf?disposition=inline

how do they do it with 24 days off?

or how does Boston public schools do it with a similar number of days?

https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/district-calendar

They have almost no religious holidays but make an exception with Good Friday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to start school in the middle of summer. That's not a thing here.

+100

It's perfectly feasible to start school the last week of August and end the first week of June.

Except the majority also wants a full 2 weeks for Winter Break and a full week for Spring Break. And they want their grades on time, so there needs to be a few teacher workdays at the end of quarters. When you add up the things that people want, there's no "short" calendar available. Even dropping the holidays doesn't get you there.

https://content.myconnectsuite.com/api/documents/29957869e81249f9ac72713812f81f20.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants to start school in the middle of summer. That's not a thing here.

+100

It's perfectly feasible to start school the last week of August and end the first week of June.

Except the majority also wants a full 2 weeks for Winter Break and a full week for Spring Break. And they want their grades on time, so there needs to be a few teacher workdays at the end of quarters. When you add up the things that people want, there's no "short" calendar available. Even dropping the holidays doesn't get you there.

Really?

https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1489/Mps/b056a8ae-ed4d-4042-8f64-6d9ec7ceadd5/School-Calendar_2026-27_REVISED-06.16.26.pdf?disposition=inline

how do they do it with 24 days off?

Madison, NJ Winter break is short only December 24-January 1 (early dismissal on December 23)

yet somehow they don't have planning days

FCPS teachers so lazy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a direct result of the ridiculous school calendar.

School should have been over last week. Continuing to stagger into June is idiotic. The people have spoken, will the School Board listen?

THIS! If you care about the quality of education, you need to be pushing for a school calendar that gets out earlier. MUCH earlier. First week of June at the very latest. They are literally just killing time at school to fill up the required hours now and that goes for all grades, even elementary. My 4th grader is turning in their laptops at the end of the day Thursday but they still have 3.5 days after that. What’s the point?!

Not having laptops is the perfect time to learn cursive.