DCPS starting on 8/31 next school year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they will drop the Feb. break with this late start.

I pray they don’t. This is our Christmas and Spring break vacationing time.

Agree. We love the Feb break.

NP. I don't think we should have both. Either Feb or Spring break. I'm a high school parent. The more breaks before May 1 is detrimental to students who are taking AP classes and exams; those exams are the first week of May. Pushing 10 hours of instruction past the tests makes little sense.

For younger students, especially for those who are below grade level, it probably affects PARCC scores as well.

I'm a former DCPS parent, and my kid's current private has Feb. and April breaks--actually, the April break is two weeks. I haven't heard that these breaks impact academics (although yes, can see the case for summer slide with a 2-3 month break, particularly for kids that are struggling).

Private school student populations are different than public school populations. Same for class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they will drop the Feb. break with this late start.

I pray they don’t. This is our Christmas and Spring break vacationing time.

Agree. We love the Feb break.

NP. I don't think we should have both. Either Feb or Spring break. I'm a high school parent. The more breaks before May 1 is detrimental to students who are taking AP classes and exams; those exams are the first week of May. Pushing 10 hours of instruction past the tests makes little sense.

For younger students, especially for those who are below grade level, it probably affects PARCC scores as well.

These breaks were happening before, just at different times. It all works out at the end. I think it just depends on if you prefer more 3/4 day weekends or an extra full week off.

It ends up even by June, but for high school students you need to maximize instructional time between Aug and April. If you're going to keep a Feb break, the start date matters and should probably be earlier than 8/31.

In 2018-19, school started on 8/20. Through April students had 150 instructional days.
In 2019-20 school started on 8/26. Through April students had 146 instructional days.

Both years there was a Feb break. But the start date "cost" a week of instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they will drop the Feb. break with this late start.

I pray they don’t. This is our Christmas and Spring break vacationing time.

Agree. We love the Feb break.

NP. I don't think we should have both. Either Feb or Spring break. I'm a high school parent. The more breaks before May 1 is detrimental to students who are taking AP classes and exams; those exams are the first week of May. Pushing 10 hours of instruction past the tests makes little sense.

For younger students, especially for those who are below grade level, it probably affects PARCC scores as well.

These breaks were happening before, just at different times. It all works out at the end. I think it just depends on if you prefer more 3/4 day weekends or an extra full week off.

It ends up even by June, but for high school students you need to maximize instructional time between Aug and April. If you're going to keep a Feb break, the start date matters and should probably be earlier than 8/31.

In 2018-19, school started on 8/20. Through April students had 150 instructional days.
In 2019-20 school started on 8/26. Through April students had 146 instructional days.

Both years there was a Feb break. But the start date "cost" a week of instruction.

Well unfortunately it looks like the start date battle is lost. Even if you do away with the February break, you will still be down instructional days as they will just start taking every Friday off in the fall again. I think the question is not how many days off but instead how they are spread out and I feel like a post high school testing break is unlikely.

[Anonymous]

^^ Who would want a post-high school testing break? Just start summer break a week earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they will drop the Feb. break with this late start.

I pray they don’t. This is our Christmas and Spring break vacationing time.

Agree. We love the Feb break.

NP. I don't think we should have both. Either Feb or Spring break. I'm a high school parent. The more breaks before May 1 is detrimental to students who are taking AP classes and exams; those exams are the first week of May. Pushing 10 hours of instruction past the tests makes little sense.

For younger students, especially for those who are below grade level, it probably affects PARCC scores as well.

I'm a former DCPS parent, and my kid's current private has Feb. and April breaks--actually, the April break is two weeks. I haven't heard that these breaks impact academics (although yes, can see the case for summer slide with a 2-3 month break, particularly for kids that are struggling).

Private school student populations are different than public school populations. Same for class sizes.

Fair point, but I just don't see any evidence that a week off will irreparably set kids back.

[Anonymous]

oh man, I hope this doesn't mess with February break! I was so skeptical of it, but if we had to wait until mid-April for a break again kids and teachers would be so fried. (or we'd probably have more dumb long weekends to contend with which are not as easy to manage as a full week!) Admittedly my kid isn't old enough for this AP/other instructional interruption in HS but that seems a bit overblown. They'd be getting days off in a block or drips and drabs, I expect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they will drop the Feb. break with this late start.

I pray they don’t. This is our Christmas and Spring break vacationing time.

Agree. We love the Feb break.

NP. I don't think we should have both. Either Feb or Spring break. I'm a high school parent. The more breaks before May 1 is detrimental to students who are taking AP classes and exams; those exams are the first week of May. Pushing 10 hours of instruction past the tests makes little sense.

For younger students, especially for those who are below grade level, it probably affects PARCC scores as well.

I'm a former DCPS parent, and my kid's current private has Feb. and April breaks--actually, the April break is two weeks. I haven't heard that these breaks impact academics (although yes, can see the case for summer slide with a 2-3 month break, particularly for kids that are struggling).

Private school student populations are different than public school populations. Same for class sizes.

Fair point, but I just don't see any evidence that a week off will irreparably set kids back.

One bit of anecdata - the year Feb break was first introduced my DC was at BASIS, and taking 3 AP classes. The school followed DCPS. Overall the AP scores that year were somewhat lower.

The high school teachers begged for an earlier start date if the school was going to continue having Feb break. It wasn't so much the break that made things hard, it was a fewer classes days before these high stakes exams (which many private school students don't actually take).

The school listened, and the scores went back up. Was it causation or correlation? I don't know. But I trust the teachers.

Obviously DCPS operates differently.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, I hate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they will drop the Feb. break with this late start.

I pray they don’t. This is our Christmas and Spring break vacationing time.

Agree. We love the Feb break.

NP. I don't think we should have both. Either Feb or Spring break. I'm a high school parent. The more breaks before May 1 is detrimental to students who are taking AP classes and exams; those exams are the first week of May. Pushing 10 hours of instruction past the tests makes little sense.

For younger students, especially for those who are below grade level, it probably affects PARCC scores as well.

I don't mind the extra break being transplants it is nice to break up travel. If your kid is truly at the AP level I don't think a extra break is going to hurt them. If it bugs you that much put them in a study camp for the week.
Let the rest of us have our family time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GREAT. They need to eliminate the completely pointless week in Feb and give them a longer summer.

Disagree. Summer is so much more expensive for travel. If we are staying home it breaks up the cost of camp.
Love the extra winter break.

Would only willingly trade it if we either commit to start after labor day or get out by memorial day. If my summer is going to end in August and not start until June I want the week in the winter.

[Anonymous]

So, the calendar is going to be open for comments in December. They need to have it open now and finalized by December. Not on Twitter but maybe someone could tell them to get it together.

[Anonymous]

So, first day at Basis will probably be 8/24. Anyone know when they release the schedule?

[Anonymous]

ick. DPR and other camps better get in alignment now. otherwise that's a loooooong August to have to arrange childcare coverage

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ick. DPR and other camps better get in alignment now. otherwise that's a loooooong August to have to arrange childcare coverage

I feel like the challenge our camps have is that if they rely on college students at all for staffing (and my kids' camp definitely does) they are heading back to school and can't extend camps throughout August. The gap between camps and school is really hard.

[Anonymous]

Lol. I would love more week long breaks. They can keep all these stupid little breaks. There is not 1 month throughout the school year with at least 1 day off. March is the onkh month with only 1 day off. Give us a week in the fall (wish Thanksgiving was in October like Canada) , Christmas /new years, winter, spring week. Stop with the 2-4 random days of nearly every freaking month. Not everyone gets all the little holidays off!
I week at a time I can sign up for camps, arrange for family visits etc. But then of course other have different priorities or factors. Awe,.. To day dream of home schooling and a flexible schedule!