Wake County students should get ready to spend about an extra 10 minutes a day in class for the 2013-14 school year.
The school board approved tonight the 2013-14 calendars for the traditional, year-round and modified schools. All three maintain the use of 180 days of school.
The General Assembly modified the calendar law this year to say that, beginning in 2013-14, school districts would have to either 185 days or at least 1,025 hours of instruction. When legislators changed the law last year to require both, most districts got waivers to stick with the old requirement of 180 days and at least 1,000 hours.
School administrators don't yet have the details of how they'd modify bell schedules next year to get the extra 25 hours. But it could be a tricky balancing act as high school families probably will complain about starting earlier and elementary school families will object to ending later.
UPDATE
Click here to view the 2013-14 calendars adopted by the school board on Tuesday. The only calendar not approved yet is for the early colleges and leadership academies. Since those schools are linked with the universities, Wake is waiting to see the 2013-14 college schedules.
Comments
without studying all options yet -
Tue, 08/28/2012 - 10:33 — louiselee44Just a quick answer, right off the top of my head - students could attend school through June 13, leaving only two days, or I'm guessing ten hours, to fit in. Yes, that would extend teacher workdays into the next week in June, but I'm just saying, the requirements can be met without adding on 10 more minutes to each day.
I'm trying to get some actual numbers from WCPSS, but no luck so far...
committee?
Thu, 08/23/2012 - 07:55 — EBDarcyDon't members of the calender committee have to be parents of current students if they are not participating as principals, teachers, etc? Why would someone who doesn't have children in the system even want to serve on such a committee? I'm sure there are plenty of parents who actually have kids in WCPSS who would give up a few hours to work on the calender.
Apologies, but this
Wed, 08/22/2012 - 21:32 — willynillyApologies, but this conversation will butt in to the strand. Hey there JB (the college wrestling god). Get ready. The chess piece are being moved and evidence is about to be disclosed (ie going public, provided to media outliets). Remember the letter thanking me for trying to resolve this issue within the WCPS system? Well......it's NOT in the system any longer. Tell your minions to be very carefull about denying things they said. Words have a weird way of resurfacing to divulge lies. The reason MB (the Super of HR who held so many people's careers in his hands) retired is also on the table and TM will be called to clear that item up, too. I don't care if I ever teach again, call my school AH.
OMG...
Wed, 08/22/2012 - 07:37 — bpuli9999wacky everyday!
a tricky balancing act?
Tue, 08/21/2012 - 22:23 — FSandYOUHa, what will they do IF/WHEN they whip up their new diversity based assignment policy, change it all again?
As for RWT, some of us were perfectly happy having a summer period. That was before the Clark/Head/Millberg board wrongfully, incorrectly and wastefully converted 22 schools to having no summer!
Most of us could care flipping less about an extra 10 minutes.
It's the "band-aid approach" that we've all come to expect from the wcpss.
You know what?
Tue, 08/21/2012 - 21:38 — RWTSome of us were perfectly happy getting out before memorial day and returning around August 10. We still had our 10 weeks, it lined up well with college calendars, and the summer, as a whole, had nicer weather. We also liked that the second quarter ended before Christmas break. I believe that Christmas break was two full weeks, then, too, thugh I may be wrong. I wish the law could have simply mandated 9 to 11 straight weeks for "summer" and then left the start and end dates up to the LEAs.
yes
Thu, 08/23/2012 - 07:59 — EBDarcyYes, mandating a number of weeks and letting the systems figure it out makes sense. But as with everything else politics got involved. It certainly would have given schools more local control.
Agree...
Wed, 08/22/2012 - 08:24 — Bob_SconceThe GA needs to butt out. Idiotic to force school districts to change their calendars just because coastal communities want more vacationers.
Excuse me???!!
Tue, 08/21/2012 - 20:38 — louiselee44Wow - I am trying hard to keep from going totally ballistic! This information is entirely misleading, and, once again, blames the school calendar law for something that has absolutely nothing to do with that legislation!!!!!!
If Wake County wants to add ten minues to the school day, unhappy parents need to blame our school board - period.
I was directly involved with changes to the calendar law this year, specifically with regard to waiver provisions. Don't our students currently attend classes for 180 days, with 6.5 instructional hours per day? That's what, 1,170 hours? Even if you cut it back to 6 hours per day for 180 days, that's still more than the required 1, 025 hours. So, where's the problem??????
Keung, I am counting on you to correct this so that it is well known by citizens that the school calendar law changes actually HELP systems fit in their required number of hours, AND give more local control back to school districts. Adding 10 extra minutes to the school day has NOTHING to do with the recent changes to the law.
Furthermore, I was on the WCPSS calendar committee this year. The 2013-2014 calendar that we proposed fits in fine with the new law - no changes were necessary.
Looking at ...
Wed, 08/22/2012 - 08:33 — bpuli9999Keung's response - maybe we need more knowledgeable folks on the calendar committee! If someone on the committee can't figure it out, who will?
You need to allow for the
Tue, 08/21/2012 - 22:34 — KeungHui (author)You need to allow for the fact that not all of that time is instructional time. Factor in things like lunch and, depending on the school level, recess and class changes. Also keep in mind the time lost on early-release days. Wake has consistently said that they can't hit 1,025 hours within the current bell schedule of a 180-day calendar.
Wake has consistently said
Fri, 08/24/2012 - 23:53 — jeffrey1Wake has consistently said that they can't hit 1,025 hours within the current bell schedule of a 180-day calendar.
Don't know about other schools, but Apex High School has four 88 minute periods on 174 regular days, and four 58 minute periods on 6 early release days. By my calculations that adds up to 1044 hours, more than enough to satisfy the requirement without any need to modify bell schedule.
Also checked Salem Middle. Four 69 minute periods and two 45 minute periods on 174 regular days. Four 56 minute periods on 6 early release days. That's almost 1084 hours, again more than enough.
Appears that Louise may be correct!
For your Apex High example,
Sun, 08/26/2012 - 09:51 — KeungHui (author)For your Apex High example, did you subtract the time spent in homeroom each week? Also subtract time for things like pep rallies. They can probably still count the full time spent in the final week in each term when students leave early after exams are completed but I'm not sure. Giving them that time, it would still leave Apex likely hovering around 1,030-1,035 hours. Now you're hoping that there aren't any one- or two-hour delays caused by inclement weather that reduce the time further.
The elementary schools have even less time each day once you take out lunch and recess.
The middle schools, at leas the non-GT schools, are probably in a better shape for meeting the 1,025 hours. But with Wake's bus tiering system, changes made in times to elementary and middle schools would likely impact the middle schools.
Homeroom is 13 minutes, one
Sun, 08/26/2012 - 14:11 — jeffrey1Homeroom is 13 minutes, one day per week (maybe 1 or 2 extra homerooms first week of school). Figure about 8-9 hours for homeroom - that leaves about 1035 hours for instruction. Not sure about pep rallies, but it seems they might be cutting it close.
Following a final exam, there is usually a review session in the afternoons for exams to be given later in the week. It's generally optional, so not sure how that affects instructional time.
Back in 2009 when they did
Sun, 08/26/2012 - 18:53 — KeungHui (author)Back in 2009 when they did the Wednesday one-hour early dismissals, they wound up adding 10 minutes a day to the rest of the week to stay over 1,000 hours. Even then, some schools like Enloe had to make additional adjustments for that adjustment.
Wait a few months and you'll see what adjustments are recommended for 2013-14.
She usually is isn't she
Sat, 08/25/2012 - 17:18 — FSandYOU:-)
Well, now what, Ms. Lee?
Wed, 08/22/2012 - 23:21 — danofncWell, now what, Ms. Lee?
workin' on it
Thu, 08/23/2012 - 17:12 — louiselee44You'll be among the first to know. Too bad the recording at WCPSS said the offices were closed today. Sorry - can't type much due to an injury - having to hit letter by letter with one left hand finger :^(