The Northwest Sampler - Idaho | By Request....

On August 3, 1992, the Meridian School District, in Meridian, Idaho, opened its first year-round school at Pioneer Elementary. Prior to its opening, many staff and parents were interested in the concept of a modified school calendar. In addition, it seemed that overcrowding would soon become an issue in their rapidly growing community. Research and investigation into the subject led the district to approve the year-round modified schedule. Instead of choosing one of its already existent schools to be the home of the modified calendar, the district selected its new elementary school as the site, thus avoiding the conflict that might have arisen had they tried to change the schedule of an existing school.

Because the district was not sure what the response to the modified calendar would be, enrollment at the school was initially optional and opened to everyone in the district. Little did they know that response to the new school would be overwhelming. The district ended up having to limit the student transportation it provided in order to reduce the number of students who enrolled.

Today, Pioneer runs on a five-track, 60-15 schedule. Every three weeks one track of students and teachers goes on vacation. The 60-15 plan allows a schoolwide break during the month of July. This promotes a fresh start feeling in August, and also works well with families' summer vacation schedules. Building maintenance, that would otherwise be difficult to accomplish in an occupied building, can be done in July.

Overall, students, teachers, and parents have adjusted well to the year-round modified calendar. The school has been so successful in fact, that three of the district's four new schools, opening in the fall of 1997, will be year-round schools.

Observed Outcomes

Students and teachers spend much less time getting into the routine of school as a result of the shorter, more frequent breaks in comparison to students on traditional calendars who have one very long summer break.

Students experience less learning loss when attending school on a modified calendar.

Students and teachers experience less burnout.

Keys to Success

Design a calendar that works well for the community.
Make sure that the general school community is committed to trying something different.
Obtain support from the school district administration. The modified calendar has far-reaching effects on school operations.
Everyone in the school community must accept that the modified calendar school will require things be done differently than on the traditional calendar school.

Year-Round Education

Program Location
Oakwood Elementary School
525 S. 4th, E.
Preston, ID 83263

Contact
Dr. Jerry Waddoups, Principal
Phone: 208/852-3976
Fax: 208/852-2233

Description

Fifteen years ago, due to an extreme overcrowding problem, Oakwood Elementary School in Preston, Idaho, shifted to a year-round calendar. In the 1997-98 school year, Oakwood will return to a traditional calendar. To fully understand why the school implemented the year-round concept, and why it will abandon it, it is important to examine the process from the beginning.

The early 1980s brought a time of economic uncertainty for many in the growing Preston community. Though the schools were bursting at the seams, the community would not approve a bond levy to increase funding for new school construction. With no money to build a new school to ease the crowding, the district was forced to examine other alternatives, including year-round education. Preston community members selected the year-round calendar.

Oakwood began its year-round format with a 45-15, four-track schedule. It soon became clear, however, that this was not the most suitable format for the school. Teachers were finding that they only had four or five days off between the end of one school year and the start of another. Taking this into consideration, the school opted for a 60-15, five-track schedule. This enabled everyone to have almost the entire month of July off, thus giving teachers and students the feeling of a fresh start in August. It also provided a common vacation time for families who had kids with different school schedules.

Some of the many benefits experienced by teachers and students at Oakwood included a greatly reduced need for review, intercession periods that could be used for student remediation programs, and the option for added employment if teachers wanted to instruct during the intercession.

A new school building will open in Preston in the coming fall. The opening of its doors ends concerns about overcrowding in the district. Without overcrowding as a problem, local education stakeholders once again were faced with a decision to choose what calendar Oakwood would follow. Though the year-round calendar worked well at Oakwood for over a decade, the community opted for a traditional-school calendar instead. The primary reason for the change is to get the school back on the same schedule as the other schools in the district.

Observed Outcomes

Students and teachers do not feel the winter burnout that their traditional-calendar counterparts may feel.
There is less need for review of previous-grade materials.
Periods of work and rest contribute to good learning.
Teachers don't like moving to different rooms during the year.

Keys to Success

Planning, planning, planning! It is crucial to be very organized.
Ensure all staff is flexible.
Make certain staff is willing to accept change and be committed to teamwork.
Emphasize open communication between staff, students, and parents.

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Date of Last Update: 09/19/2001
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