Talking Points: Intersessions

Compiled from school district data, studies and media accounts

Subject

Source

Academics

No significant difference

In scores

NORTH CAROLINA -  An analysis of two years of  test scores of more than 345,000  third- through eighth-graders in North Carolina, where almost all year-round schools offer intersession, found no significant difference in academic performance (compared to traditional calendar students) for the largest percentage of students. The slight bounce in scores of at-risk or lower achieving students is described by the researcher as “educationally insignificant by most standards.”

  Intercession is mandatory in 57 percent of year-round schools in North Carolina. The greatest majority of the 106  schools  examined in the study of test score data of students enrolled during the  1997-98 school year were using a single-track calendar and  only 13 percent a multitrack schedule.

McMillen, Bradley J. (2000) “A Statewide Evaluation of Academic Achievement in Year-round Schools,” North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Division of Accountability Services.

Scores

dropped

for intersession group

HOUSTON, TEXAS – A study found “no significant difference in achievement scores” for year-round students vs. traditional calendar in Houston’s 1980s experiment with a year-round calendar, even though there was a high rate of student participation in intersessions (50 to percent to 100 percent).

  In fact, “children attending two or more intersessions scored slightly lower than those attending traditional schools, disputing the notion “more is better,” according to a study by the Churchwell Group Inc. released in 1988.

  The Churchwell study examined five of the 25 Houston year-round schools that began experimenting with the calendar in 1983. By the 1999-2000 school year, only three Houston schools (with a combined enrollment of 1,103 students) were  on a year-round calendar, two of  those using an extended school year.

  The study concluded “Academic test score comparisons between year-round schools and standard schools matched for key characteristics indicated that year-round participation didn’t effect student achievement. Schools were matched in size, ethnicity, number receiving free and reduced lunches and mobility rates.” 

 “Year-round

 Schools Research

 Report,” Church-

 Well Group Inc.,

 1988.

Houston finds

no significant

test score

differences

HOUSTON, TEXAS – A comparison of test scores of year-round schools and standard calendar schools, adjusted for group differences,  “indicated that there were no significant differences in achievement scores between the year-round and traditional calendar schools,” according to the Final Evaluation report on year-round schools  released by the Houston Independent School District in March 1987.

  “There were no significant [test score ] differences between students attending one intersession and those attending more than one intersession.. . . Analysis of the available cases suggests that intersession attendance could have a marginal effect on achievement.”

“Year-round

 Schools Final

Evaluation Report,”

Houston Ind. School

Dist., March 16, 1987.

Anticipated improvements never materialized

HAWAII – Though the intersession program at a rural, agricultural Hawaii school district was extremely popular, expectations for improved academic performance “did not materialize in all the ways anticipated,” according to one study.

“Results did not demonstrate significant score increase across the years in any of the content areas. Neither did the scores of a single cohort of students, tracked for two years before and then again after YRE implementation suggest improved academic performance across time.”

Greenfeld, T.A. (1994) “Year-round education: A case for change,” The Educational Forum, 58, Pages 252-262.*

Catching up is difficult

&

Discipline is a problem

MONROE, LOUISIANA – Teachers  interviewed at Cypress Point University School  by a graduate student doing research on the intersession expressed doubt that students are able to learn in a one-week remediation period what was missed in a nine-week session. “You have 20 kids on different levels, and you are supposed to catch them up in a week. It’s hard. There needs to be some changes,” one told researcher Phyllis Sanders.

  Sanders concluded from her interviews with teachers who teach the remedial course during intersession: “It appeared most of the teachers felt intersession did not meet the academic needs of the students. Nine of the 10 people interviewed expressed a desire to return to the traditional calendar.”

  The researcher also observed discipline problems in the intersession  classes.

“Qualitative Research Project: Parent, Teacher and Student Satisfaction with Intersession: A Qualitative Study;” Submitted to Dr. R. Parker, Louisiana Tech University, by Phyllis Sanders, May 18, 2000.

At-Risk Kids

Low participation by at-risk kids

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – A voluntary intersession remediation and enrichment program offered by the school district received little participation, with only 10 to 15 percent of the students attending and only small numbers of at-risk children. A pre-test in May 1994 and post-test a year later of students who chose to stay in the YR program or transfer to a traditional year school found  no statistically significant impact of the  intersession for comparison groups.

Haenn, J.F (1996)

“Evaluating the 

promise of

Single-track

Year-Round Schools,”

Spectrum, Fall, 1996,

Page 27-35.*

There are better ways to remediate

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND - “The claim appears to have been made that YRS can help Chapter 1 students and students with disciplinary problems through the acceleration of studies and/or remedial services during intersessions (i.e, vacations). While it should come as no surprise that giving such students additional instruction and providing the structure that they may not receive at home helps such students, it does not follow that the YRS is the exclusive way to achieve such results. Clearly, accelerated programs and/or remedial programs can be designed for such students either after normal school hours or through the summer vacation.  It should not require the wholesale disruption and increased costs of YRS.”

“Memorandum in

Opposition to

Year-Round Schools,”

submitted to the

Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education

by Robert Rosenfeld,

attorney-at-law,

Potomac, Maryland,

Dec. 22, 1993,

Page 39.

At-risk kids put at greater risk of being left back

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, TALLAHASSEE - “Compensatory Education Students who participate in compensatory education programs (Chapter 1, State Compensatory, and Migrant Education) are also prime candidates for extra instruction available through summer school classes. Also, participation in summer school is frequently prescribed as a contingency for promotion to the next grade level. Year-round utilization of existing school facilities would likely limit the availability of traditional summer school classes, and hence instructional options for compensatory education students. Lack of access to summer school programs might also restrict promotional opportunities for borderline students.

  “The impact of compensatory education programs has been traditionally evaluated by means of student growth on nationally standardized achievement tests in the basic skills of reading and math. In the one school in Florida using the year-round scheduling approach, Wyomena Park in Ocala, a review of recent Chapter 1 evaluation data reveals no discernible benefit for compensatory education students.”

Footnote: Wyomena was one of three Florida pilot schools for the year-round calendar, all of which returned to a traditional school year because of disappointing academic results and high operating costs.

“Site Utilization:

Year-Round School/

Year-Round

Education, Florida

Department of

Education,

Division of Public

Schools,“

Jan. 11, 1990,

Page 15.

Costs

Low-income

families

get hurt

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, TALLAHASSEE -“Prekindergarten Program A school schedule that is not continuous will necessitate alternate child care arrangements several times a year for the 3-and 4-year-old children enrolled in the program. Such a school schedule could present a financial hardship to low-income families and make childcare difficult to acquire since it would be needed on a sporadic basis.

  "The issue expressed regarding pre-kindergarten childcare needs also applies to elementary children. There are other major areas impacting students, families, teachers and administrators and communities which also should be given serious thought when considering the implementation of a year-round program at the elementary school level . . . It is widely accepted knowledge that young children need stability, which includes minimal changes, familiar people and routine in their lives.”

“Site Utilization: Year-Round School/Year-Round Education, Florida Department of Education, Division of Public Schools,” Jan. 11, 1990, Page 10.

Intersessions add to facilities shortage

(see Attendance)

HOUSTON, TEXAS - “The year-round plan did not alleviate overcrowding because of high intersession attendance.”

According to a survey of teachers done for the report: “Intersessions created logistic problems, some massive in schools already overcrowded, due to lack of space.”  Said one teacher: “It seemed that if schools initially had space shortage, intersession potentially presented  more major problems.”

– “Year-round

 Schools Research

 Report,” Church-

 Well Group Inc.,

 1988.

Intercessions add to space problems

HOUSTON, TEXAS - “Management of intersessions overcrowding varied from campus to campus. Some schools limited intersession attendance while others worked out innovative space arrangements. Schools reported housing intersessions students on the school stage, on an outside patio and in the cafeteria. One school bussed intersession students to another year-round school that was not overcrowded. A number of schools had to rent space in churches or community buildings adjacent to the campus. Since these facilities were not designed as classrooms, the teaching space was not always an optimal setting for learning. On at least one campus, scheduling of lunch and bathroom arrangements was a problem, even if additional space was located for intersession spill over.”

 “Year-round

 Schools Final

Evaluation Report,”

Houston Ind. School

Dist., March 16, 1987.

Academic focus lacking

HOUSTON,  TEXAS - The following was revealed in a survey of teachers by the Churchwell Group Inc.:

·        “Nearly 60 percent of intersession activities were field trips that took ‘considerable amount of staff time to plan and execute.’ ”

·        “Teachers and administrators expected intersession activities to have positive effects on student achievement by increasing time-on-task. It is not determined how this was achieved since a majority of the intersession activity was spent on field trips.

·        “Some teachers commented they had a difficult time getting students to settle down to regular classes after the more relaxed atmosphere of the intersessions. ‘Instead of the traditional two-week period to get children to settle down, teachers lose eight weeks of instruction in adjustment.’ ”

 “Year-round

 Schools Research

 Report,” Church-

 Well Group Inc.,

 1988.

Children learn best in a stabilized environment

BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA - A study presented to the School Board by Broward Parents for Quality Education, a grassroots study group, found:

“Remediation During intersession, the student experiences changes in teacher, classmates, curriculum, and environment. Because of these changes, and the short amount of time the intersession teacher has to build a relationship with the children, school districts have found them to be ineffective.

“Continuous Progress  There is no time allotted for continuous progress on a multi-track calendar. On a traditional calendar, children can take additional courses during the summertime to advance their education and gain extra credits. Students are also able to make up classes that they have failed during the regular school year. This opportunity is no loner available.

“Stability Consistency and predictability are key to providing a stable environment for young children. It takes time for them to become comfortable in new surroundings. They are very possessive of and comfortable with their space and their belongings. It gives children a sense of pride to see their creations hung around the classroom. Multi-track classes, especially those on choo-choo trains [roving classes] that roam the school do not offer that security to small children. . . While they can and do adapt to change, moving their home is a disruptive process.  It take time for children to re-orient themselves and feel comfortable in their new surroundings.”

“Quality Education in a Multitrack Environment,” Broward Parents for Quality Education, report to the school board, Sept.  7, 1993.

Scheduling

problems

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA –“Students who go to intersession due to failing grades may be grouped with as many as three different grade levels and up to 30 students in a class for a nine-day remediation period,” according to a petition for the return to a traditional school calendar  signed by more than 50 teachers at Sabal Palm Elementary in 1995.  Footnote: The school district dropped the year-round calendar from all its schools three years later.

Public document copy  found in book by Billee Bussard & Suzanne McCrary, “Year-round Education: Lessons Learned the Hard Way,” REB Communications Inc. August 1998

Latchkey Kids

Juvenile Crime

BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Intersessions open the door to  tremendous societal problems, including latchkey kids and juvenile crime,  according to research done by the  Broward County Florida Education Planning Initiative, a group that studied proposals to implement the year-round calendar. 

“One of the common concerns raised when discussing modified calendars, including double sessions, is the issue of daycare. There is already an alarming number of latchkey kids. Rather than losing their job because of the shift in vacation schedules, parents may opt to leave their child home alone,” the group reported in a memorandum to the school board dated Sept. 14, 1993.

“Information on the relationship between intersessions, truancy, gang activity, and juvenile crime rates varies from one multi-track location to the next. However, the same concern exists here as does with double sessions. Whether the figure is 20 percent out of school or 50 percent out of school, when students are unsupervised there is a concern about neighborhood vandalism and gang-related activity.”

“Social and Community Impact of Year-round Education,” memorandum to the Broward County School Board from the Broward County Florida Education Planning Initiative, Sept. 14, 1993. Document found in “Year-Round Education: Lessons Learned the Hard Way by Billee Bussard and Suzanne McCrary, August 1998.

Teachers

Teachers
Shortages

(See also: Recent  Reports)

FRESNO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT  - Staffing and space problems created by a year-round calendar have prompted a proposal to convert a middle school into a site dedicated solely to intersession programs that will serve students from year-round schools.  The proposal will address the shortage of classroom space and teachers to staff  intersessions.

The  multi-track year-round programs have created education inequities for year-round students vs.  students on the traditional calendar, school officials said.  “We continually have a facilities struggle with year-round schools on trying to provide a dedicated classroom every time a group goes off on vacation,” said Terry Simerly, assistant superintendent for elementary education. 

“A lack of a summer school equivalent for students who attend year-round schools has been a long-running problem in the district. For our year-round students, if the school cannot provide a teacher for the intersession, then they don’t have access to ‘summer school,’ ” said Mary Marcelletti, principal of year-round Hidalgo Elementary. “Whereas children who go to traditional schools, there is a summer school they can apply to.”

“Plan puts summer back in year-round school,” The Fresno Bee, Dec. 11, 2000.

Shortages of classroom space and teachers

(see also:

Teacher Shortages

FRESNO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT  - Staffing and space problems created by a year-round calendar have prompted a proposal to convert a middle school into a site dedicated solely to intersession programs that will serve students from year-round schools.  The proposal will address the shortage of classroom space and teachers to staff  intersession programs that have created education inequities for year-round students vs.  students on the traditional calendar, school officials said.  “We continually have a facilities struggle with year-round schools on trying to provide a dedicated classroom every time a group goes off on vacation,” said Terry Simerly, assistant superintendent for elementary education.  “A lack of a summer school equivalent for students who attend year-round schools has been a long-running problem in the district. For our year-round students, if the school cannot provide a teacher for the intersession, then they don’t have access to “summer school,’ ” said Mary Marcelletti, principal of year-round Hidalgo Elementary. “Whereas children who go to traditional schools, there is a summer school they can apply to.”

---“Plan puts summer back in year-round school,” The Fresno Bee, Dec. 11, 2000

1 Review of the literature in a report to the Board of Education, Auburn City Schools, Oct. 20, 1998, by M. Christopher Newland, Ph.D., and professor of psychology, Auburn University.

  2 McMillen, Bradley J,  “A Statewide Evaluation of Academic Achievement in Year-round Schools, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Division of Accountability Services.” 2000.

TALKING POINTS:
YEAR-ROUND SCHOOL

                  Recent experiences, reports and data from school districts

Subject

Source

Academics

YR creates complications

LAKELAND, FL - A year-round calendar presents potential problems for students taking advance placement tests and for sports and other school activities such as band, according to Jennifer Tyre, a student on a study committee at George Jenkins High School, who is opposed to a school calendar change. Tyre returned from a conference of the National Association For Year-Round education, unconvinced of  the benefits of a year-round calendar. “they were really in the business to sell you,” she said of the conference experience.

– “Balanced

Calendar Remains

Emotional Issue:

Many parents are

unconvinced of the

balanced calendar’s

benefits to

children,”  The

Ledger, Lakeland,

FL, Nov. 26, 2000

The early school start provided by the YR calendar at five Denver elementaries didn’t deliver on promised performance improvement. Third grade reading and fourth grade writing test scores fell between 1998 and 2000.; the six schools that had yet to switch to a YRS actually outperofermed the five schools that started early in 1999.

 —Denver Rocky Mountain News, August 1, 2000

Quality of

instruction

affected

LOS ANGELES – Community leaders, including Mayor Richard Riordian, are pushing  to end the “huge construction backlog and overcrowded year-round schools that affect the quality of instruction.”

“Getting past Belmont,”

Los Angeles Times editorial, Dec. 11, 2000

Creates

problems

for  the

college-bound

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – Los Angeles School Superintendent Roy Romer agreed with a group of  high school  student protestors that the year-round calendar creates problems for college-bound students who want to take Advanced Placement classes.

Romer told the 150 students marchers that the AP classes are “not distributed fairly across the tracks” at year-round schools. Romer agreed to provide the students with a report by Feb. 1 to show the number of college prep and AP classes offered at each high school and the percentage of students at each school eligible for admission to California universities and college.

– “Pupils demand more college prep classes,” The Los Angeles Times, Dec. 15, 2000

Hard data

on academic

merits lacking

LAKELAND, FL. – A candidate for school superintendent backed off support of a year-round calendar. “There is absolutely no hard-driven data that says the balanced calendar works,” Denny Dunn told a Kiwanis Club meeting. Dunn, assistant superintendent for human resources, said he was originally swayed by reports provided by Charles Ballinger, executive director of the National Association for Year-Round Education, which claimed the calendar would help struggling students.

–“Dunn Changes Mind on Issue: He says year-round school idea needs more data,” The Ledger, Lakeland, Nov. 4, 2000.

Experiment

found

no  proof of

academic

benefits

PAHRUMP, NEVADA – The Nye County School District is ending its three-year- experiment with a multitrack year-round school, citing high costs and lack of educational benefit at the elementary school. The experiment was a quick fix for overcrowding that would have been continued  if it had academic merit. “Well, all the data is in, and it’s not (educationally beneficial),” said Peggy Smith, school board member.