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A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

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Page 1: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR

December 4, 2014

MEMSPA ConferenceTraverse City, MI

Calendar Reform

Page 2: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Welcome & Story

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Page 3: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Chocolate Personality Inventory

•Milk Chocolate

•Krackel

•Mr. Goodbar

•Dark Chocolate

Page 4: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Chocolate Personality Inventory

Milk Chocolate... All-American, loves baseball. Mom, and apple pie A cheerleader for your program Level-headed, good PR person, great fundraiser Kind, thoughtful, always remembers birthdays Playful, nurturing, helps others to shine Dependable, loyal Others turn to you for help

Page 5: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Chocolate Personality Inventory

Krackel…. Creative, optimistic, always sees the glass as

half full Messy (desk/classroom) but organized A hands-on person A little off-beat, funny, friendly, outgoing Always willing to help Likes the "krackel" or surprises in life Prefers situations that allow for flexibility,

growth, and change

Page 6: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Chocolate Personality Inventory

Mr. Goodbar... Analytical, logical, gathers data before

giving an opinion Plays the devil's advocate, sees all the

possibilities, and what ifs Procrastinator, hates deadlines Likes to be the expert but in your own time Prefers structure, rules for everyone to

follow, hates surprises

Page 7: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Chocolate Personality Inventory

Special Dark... Patient, thoughtful, individualist, problem

solver Works well with difficult people Insightful, reflective, good grant writers Little patience with incompetence Sets high standards for self and others Dependable, resourceful, loyal

Page 8: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Introduction

David Hornak – Horizon Elementary, Holt Public Schools

[email protected] 517-694-4224

Kindra Padgett—Horizon Elementary, Holt Public Schools

o [email protected] (517)694-4224

Page 9: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Objectives

To discuss calendar reformTo discuss what a balanced calendar is and how it

works, including advantages and disadvantagesTo check the dataTo discuss considerations for Belding Area SchoolsTo discuss a scan of current schools/districts

transitioning in 2015-16To answer any questions about a working balance

calendar experience

Page 10: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

History

Although the traditional school calendar is the dominant calendar used by districts nationwide, the idea of balancing the school calendar dates back to the 1840s where schools in the big eastern cities were open 240-250 school days (Glines, 2009; Silva, 2007).

It was the 20 year period between 1870-1890, when many communities reduced the school year to 180 school days as summers were used at that point for additional school opportunities to teach English to immigrant families (Glines, 2009; Silva, 2007).

Page 11: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

History, Continued

•Summer in the 1800s became an opportunity for children to help on the family farm.•The agrarian calendar is believed to have roots that date back to farming and ranching (Weiss & Brown, 2003)

Quote from the 2005 follow-up to the Prisoner of Time report:Learning in America is a prisoner of time. For the past 150 years, American public schools have held time constant and let learning vary. The rule, only rarely voiced, is simple: learn what you can in the time we make available. It should surprise no on that some bright, hard-working students do reasonably well. Everyone else, from typical students to the dropout, runs into trouble (p.1).

Page 12: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Fast Fact Gallery Walk

Read the Room

Page 13: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Quote Analysis

“ They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”

Think, Pair, Share

Process as a large group

Page 14: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Article Jigsaw/SWOT Analysis

The Case Against Summer Vacation

TIME Magazine, Thursday, July 22, 2010

By David Von Drehle

Page 15: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Calendar Reform American children spend

the least amount time in the classroom when compared to other countries. Currently, the school year length in the States is 180 days. Advocates are pushing further toward a 200-day school year, which would align with Thailand, Scotland and the Netherlands, and leave us a close second with Israel, South Korea and Japan, who leads with a 243-day school year. The balanced school calendar does not require more days, but rather reducing the number of days off each summer.

Page 16: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

What is a Year Round Calendar?

Students at year-round calendar schools attend class the same number of days and receive the same instruction driven by the same curricula as students at traditional calendar schools. A year-round school modifies the traditional 180-day school calendar to keep the learning process continuous and to maximize the use of school facilities. Students have periodic, shorter breaks rather than one long summer break.

Page 17: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Traditional Calendar

Strengths Summer Tourism Professional

Development Opportunities

Extended Learning Programs for Students

Many buildings do not have AC

Summer Employment Extra Curricular

Scheduling

Page 18: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

What Does a Balanced Calendar Look Like?

YRE students attend the same number of days = 180

Most popular is the 45-15 plan

Several short vacations all through the year, rather than one three-month summer break

Page 19: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

The Single Track Model

Single-track modified calendar plans are designed to conform closely to the natural learning patterns of students (Ballinger & Kneese, 2006).

In 2004-05 there were 1,944 single track schools working on a balanced calendar (Ballinger & Kneese, 2006).

Page 20: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Balanced Calendar

Strengths Continuity of

Instruction= Quality Planning and

Preparation Intersession for

Remediation & Enrichment

Reduces Summer Learning Loss (Summer Slide)

Improvement in Teacher Attitudes

Less Teacher Burnout

Page 21: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Benefits of Balanced Calendar

Facilitating educational improvements. Teachers in year-round programs generally believe that the

quality of instruction is better than in traditional programs due to the continuity of instruction (Quinlan, George, & Emmett, 1987).

Teachers also believe that the YRE schedule has a positive impact on the way in which they think about and plan for instruction (Shields & Oberg, 2000).

The organization of the instructional time allows them to be reflective practitioners because they are able to plan at regular intervals during the academic year when it is needed the most (Shields & Oberg, 2000).

They find it more efficient and productive to plan curriculum for shorter blocks of time and feel that the year-round calendar provides ample time segments for instruction.

Page 22: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Benefits of Balanced Calendar

In schools offering intersession programs during the vacation periods, teachers credit the intersession with enhancing and supplementing the regular curriculum (Quinlan, George, & Emmett, 1987).

In addition, intersession courses provide opportunities for teacher experimentation with different curriculum and grade levels (Zykowski et at., 1991).

Another advantage for teachers is that less review time is necessary at the beginning of each instructional block, as research has demonstrated that the shorter vacation periods reduce summer learning loss (Cooper, et al., 1996).

Page 23: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Benefits of Balanced Calendar

Researchers claim that this is especially true for the low socio-economic status (SES) level and high-risk students (Kneese & Knight, 1995; Gandara & Fish, 1994; Quinlan, George, & Emmett, 1987).

This may be due to accessibility of immediate re-mediation in YRE (Curry, Washington & Zyskowski, 1997).

Page 24: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Benefits of Balanced Calendar

Enhancing the climate of professionalism.

Of the studies in which teacher attitudes have been explicitly examined, the research results clearly indicate that the majority of teachers in year-round schools favor the year-round calendar and believe it substantially enhances the professional environment (Worthen & Zsiray, 1994; Shields & Oberg, 2000).

The year-round calendar can enhance teacher professionalism in several ways. Due to the frequency of breaks on the year-round calendar, teachers exhibit improved morale and motivation, and less burnout and stress (North Carolina Insight, 1997; Minnesota, 1999; Quinlan, George, & Emmett, 1987).

Page 25: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Benefits of Balanced Calendar

It has been reported that teachers were absent considerably less on YRE schedules (Brekke, 1984) and research by Quinlan, George, and Emmett (1987) substantiated the findings that YRE decreased teacher absences considerably (Worthen & Zsiray, 1994).

Page 26: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

SAMPLE CALENDAR

Page 27: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

SAMPLE CALENDAR

Page 28: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Theoretical Framework

Faucet Theory:When children are in school, all children learn at the same rate. When on a recess (vacation), the middle class/upper class child maintains levels and the lower class child loses knowledge.

Page 29: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

To what extent does summer intermission impact the retention of knowledge?

•The amount of knowledge that is lost during a summer break by childrenis paramount (Cooper, Charlton, Valentine, & Muhlenbruck, 2000).

•The extent of summer learning loss becomes more dramatic as studentsget older (Cooper, 2003).

•Smith (2012) indicated that two-thirds of the achievement gap in 9th gradecan be attributed to the amount of required time it takes a teacher to reteach and review what was learned prior to the summer intermission.

•All children attending school on the traditional calendar, according to Cooper et al., (2000) lose an average of 2.6 months of math skills during the summer break annually.

Page 30: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Recent Unpublished Data

Seeking to better understand the relationship between the balanced school Calendar and summer learning loss, I asked the following research questions:

1) To what extent does the length of summer recess impact student mathematicallearning retention?

Pre-test/Post-test comparison quasi-experimental quantitative research design

2) Is there a relationship between student mathematical learning retention and at-risk status of students?

Page 31: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

The unpublished multiple regression results

Coefficientsa

Unstandardized

Coefficients

Standardized Coefficients

Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.

(Constant) -3.947 1.247 -3.164

0.002

What is your sex? 0.308 0.685 0.010 0.449

0.654

Which School? 5.082 0.683 0.172 7.438

0.000

F/R -1.308 0.699 -0.044 -1.872

0.062

Pre-test 0.910 0.024 0.901 38.340

0.000

1

Summer Enrichment or Remediation

6.935 1.353 0.118 5.127 0.000

a. Dependent Variable: Post-test

Page 32: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Unpublished T-test results

Mean Test ResultsSchool Pre-test Mean Post-test Mean Mean Difference

(Spring) (Fall)Traditional 41.94 34.03 7.913

Balanced 42.88 40.11 2.773

Overall 5.527

Page 33: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

TIMSS Report, 2011 (Math)

Country Number of Instructional

Days

Type of Calendar

TIMMS 4th grade Math

Average Score

Singapore 200 Balanced 606

Republic of Korea

220 Balanced 605

Hong Kong 195 Balanced 602

Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)

190 Balanced 591

Japan 243 Balanced 585

United States 180 Traditional 541

Page 34: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Impacting Behaviors

Focused and engaged children tend to behave better

Less time teaching behavior expectations annually allows for more instructional time on current curriculum

Brief behavior expectation review following each break

Page 35: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Considerations

Determine the needs of your environmentWork with the community to ensure

students will not be left without intersession opportunities, child care, summer activities

Work with your educational partners to ensure all children accessing programming outside of the district will not be impacted

Schools may need to offer Professional Development and community meetings

Page 36: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Considerations

Does the Balanced School Calendar have a positive impact on the children that score within the bottom 30% on the MEAP?

Faucet TheoryCan the Balanced School Calendar be

implemented district wide? Yes, it is most efficient for districts to

transition all schools (Michigan examples: Flint Beecher & Baldwin)

Page 37: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Considerations

How would our students that attend the career center manage two calendars?

Independent studies, project based learning, cooperative learning, attend activities on both calendars

With strong partnerships with the ISD, how would we honor IEPs?

Offer make-up sessions in September and May Pay an ISD employee to service balanced calendar

children Allow families to seek their own services to be paid by

the district

Page 38: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Considerations

Does the balanced school calendar require specific adjustments to employee contracts?

No, the entire Holt district has one contract, however, the contract has two different calendars guiding work time.

If my district were to adopt the balanced school calendar, what kind of enrollment numbers do you forecast?

Waiting list at many grade levels Increase in overall numbers Better fit with current lifestyles and workloads

Page 39: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Another Option: Multi-Track Plan

A Multi-track plan is implemented to provide additional capacity within already-existing space to accommodate over enrollment of students, maximize the efficient use of current resources, solve one or more administrative or logistical problems, or a variation of the three (Ballinger & Kneese, 2006).

During the 2004-05 school year, there were 934 schools operating on the Multi-track plan (Ballinger & Kneese, 2006).

Page 40: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

QUALITY INSTRUCTION + TIME = LEARNING

Collaboration and Professional Development

Page 41: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

Muskegon Heights Public School Academy SystemYpsilanti Community SchoolsGEE Edmonson AcademyPort Huron Area School DistrictMadison District Public Schools (Oakland County)Baldwin Community SchoolsMadison School District (Lenawee County)Bay County Public School AcademyNiles Community SchoolsSchool District of the City of Pontiac

School/Districts Transitioning to the Balanced School Calendar

in 2015-16

Page 42: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

VIDEO: HTTP://YOUTU.BE/DLMIM_OGFVS

BALANCING THE SCHOOL CALENDAR: PERSPECTIVE FROM THE PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDERS (KNEESE & BALLINGER)

SCHOOL CALENDAR REFORM: LEARNING IN ALL SEASONS (BALLINGER & KNEESE)

YEAR ROUND SCHOOLS (RUGGIERO)

YEAR-ROUND EDUCATION: CHANGE AND CHOICE FOR SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS (HASER & NASSER)

Other Resources

Page 43: A BALANCED SCHOOL CALENDAR December 4, 2014 MEMSPA Conference Traverse City, MI Calendar Reform

THE BALANCED CALENDAR OFFERS EDUCATORS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK BACK AT THE

CURRICULUM AND LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. TOGETHER,

BALANCED CALENDAR EDUCATORS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN PART DUE TO THE SCHOOL

CALENDAR!

THANK YOU!

QUESTIONS

Questions/Networking