A chance for other districts to learn
what NOT to do if they want better academic results
“We’re number one!” It is often a
cheer. A cry of joy and pride.
“Colorado now leads the nation in the number
of districts that have moved to four-day school weeks — 111 out of 178
districts in Colorado.[i]
… The vast majority are rural — and many of them poor — but also include
Pueblo and Brighton, which with 19,000 students and 26 schools is the largest
district in the country to hold classes four days instead of five.
“The
trend has ramped up in recent years, with 27 Colorado districts switching all
or some of their schools to four-day weeks in the last four years. The number
has doubled in Colorado since 2005.”
More from The Colorado Sun
(Aug. 2019) in Addendum A.
|
But in public
education, to be first in the country in the percentage of school districts on
a four-day week – Colorado has no cause to
celebrate. We must ask what this says about us. About public support for
education. About the claim that this change is “good for the district,” even if
it means eliminating 25
days of school.[ii]
Our geography —the long bus rides to school, away games, doctor’s
appointments—has been a plausible rationale for this policy in small rural
districts. And yet this was not why 27J Schools and Pueblo 60
joined the trend last year. A close look at the results of year one for 27J Schools
reveals why Colorado being #1 in this category is, as I see it, terrible news. I hope the data here encourages
our legislators to emulate New Mexico (see Addendum B) and forbid any district
from following in 27J Schools’ steps – until we know more.
I was disheartened
to read The Colorado Sun’s in-depth series last August on the four
day-week. We heard painfully little on the issue of whether the move has proved
beneficial for academic performance in over 100 districts. The Sun’s
headlines hinted at its … surprise? Or was it an admonishment? (Emphasis
mine)
Aug. 27, 2019 - "Colorado now has more school districts on four-day weeks than any place in the nation - with little research on the benefits"
Money moved more than 100 districts to forge ahead with the largely untested strategy. Parents and teachers learned to love it, but nobody knows its impact on kids and learning.[iii]
Aug. 29, 2019 – “Colorado
made kindergarten a priority. But when it comes to four-day school weeks, lawmakers
don’t see a problem.”
While many are uncomfortable with
the trend of districts adopting four-day school weeks, it receives
surprisingly little attention in a state where education has long been a
top political issue[iv]
I am convinced it
is a problem, and that we must pay attention. One positive (I guess) is
that with a large district (enrollment in 27J exceeds 19,000) on the four-day
week, we now have results for thousands of students, unlike what our small
rural districts (N<16) can tell us.[v] The
data leads me to raise this warning. The next two pages present the figures
from the Colorado Department of Education’s School Performance Framework of 27J:
I compare results from the last year of its five-day program (2017-18) with the
first year of the four-day calendar (2018-19). We see the declining scores. We
discover the greatest harm is done to its most vulnerable students. (Wasn’t
27J Schools aware of the potential impact of the change on these boys and
girls? See Addenda A - C.) CDE’s data shows the decline in most every category
for 27J students who are English Learners, Free/Reduced Lunch
Eligible, Minority Students, and Students with Disabilities. Note
too the achievement gap increasing. And observe where the gaps reach
well into the double digits.
School District 27J - Scores and ratings from Final
District Performance Frameworks, 2018 and 2019[vi]
Double-digit
figures highlighted in yellow and declining scores in column on right – all
mine.
2018
|
2019
|
Decline
from ’18 to ’19
|
|
Page 1
|
% pts earned
|
||
Academic Achievement
|
49.3
|
46.3
|
-3.0
|
Academic Growth
|
56.0
|
49.4
|
-6.6
|
Postsecondary & Workforce
Readiness
|
54.2
|
51.4
|
-2.8
|
Summary of Ratings by EMH level
|
|||
E - Academic Achievement
|
59
|
58.3
|
-0.7
|
E- Academic Growth
|
58.9
|
50.0
|
-8.9
|
M - Academic Achievement
|
45.1
|
43.1
|
-2.0
|
M - Academic Growth –
|
46.4
|
48.2
|
In
ELA, UP 5 pctl. pts. for white students; DOWN 2 pctl. pts. for Hispanic
students. GAP WIDENS.
|
H - Academic Achievement
|
43.8
|
37.5
|
-6.3
|
H - Academic Growth
|
62.5
Rating:
Meets
|
50.0
Rating: Approaching
|
-12.5
|
H – Postsecondary & Workforce
|
54.2
|
51.4
|
-2.8
|
Page 2 – LEVEL - ELEMENTARY
|
|||
Academic Achievement -
|
Mean
Scale Score
|
||
CMAS-ELA (grades 3-5)
|
|||
English Learners
|
727.0
|
725.0
|
-2.0
|
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligible
|
730.3
|
728.2
|
-2.1
|
Minority Students
|
735.6
|
734.5
|
-1.1
|
Students with Disabilities
|
704.5
|
701.1
|
-3.4
|
CMAS – Math (grades 3-5)
|
|||
English Learners
|
724.6
|
723.0
|
-1.6
|
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligible
|
727.0
|
724.0
|
-3.0
|
Minority Students
|
731.9
|
729.1
|
-2.8
|
Students with Disabilities
|
704.2
|
703.1
|
-1.1
|
CMAS – Science (grade 5)
|
|||
English Learners
|
547.4
|
531.0
|
-16.4
|
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligible
|
552.4
|
545.6
|
-6.8
|
Minority Students
|
567.8
|
564.0
|
-3.8
|
Students with Disabilities (142
students)
|
468.6
|
473.2
|
UP
|
Academic Growth
|
Median
Growth Percentile / Rate
|
||
CMAS-ELA
|
|||
English Learners
|
48.5
|
46.0
|
-2.5
|
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligible
|
48.0
|
43.0
|
-5.0
|
Minority Students
|
48.0
|
46.0
|
-2.0
|
Students with Disabilities
|
44.0
|
35.0
|
-9.0
|
CMAS - Math
|
|||
English Learners
|
49.0
|
47.0
|
-2.0
|
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligible
|
50.0
Rating: Meets
|
47.0
Rating: Approaching
|
-3.0
|
Minority Students
|
52.0
Rating: Meets
|
47.0
Rating: Approaching
|
-5.0
|
Students with Disabilities (253
students)
|
43.0
|
46.0
|
UP
|
Page 3 – LEVEL - MIDDLE
|
2018
|
2019
|
Decline
from ’18 to ’19
|
Academic Achievement
|
Mean
Scale Score
|
||
CMAS –
Math (grades 6-8)
|
|||
English Learners
|
715.1
|
710.9
|
-4.2
|
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligible
|
718.3
|
714.8
|
-3.5
|
Minority Students
|
721.6
|
718.8
|
-2.8
|
Students with Disabilities
|
698.0
|
695.6
|
-2.4
|
Page 5 – HIGH SCHOOL
|
|||
SAT –
Reading & Writing (gr. 11)
|
|||
English Learners
|
418.8
|
401.4
|
-17.4
|
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligible
|
453.5
|
447.4
|
-6.1
|
Minority Students
|
459.3
|
457.1
|
-2.2
|
Students with Disabilities
|
398.5
|
365.9
|
-32.6
|
SAT- Math
|
|||
English Learners
|
419.6
|
392.5
|
-27.1
|
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligible
|
452.1
|
432.1
|
-20.0
|
Minority Students
|
458.5
|
446.6
|
-11.9
|
Students with Disabilities
|
370.7
|
369.6
|
-1.1
|
Page 7 - ACHIEVEMENT GAP GROWS
|
CMAS -
Mean Scale Score - ELA (gr. 3-5)
|
GAP WIDENS
– 2018 to 2019
|
|
Elementary - White
(1,933 students)*
|
746.8
|
749.7
|
|
Hispanic (1,812
students)*
|
733.1
|
732.2
|
From 13.7 to 17.5
|
CMAS –
MATH (gr. 3-5)
|
|||
White (1,934 students)*
|
744.8
|
744.3
|
|
Hispanic (1,819 students)*
|
729.4
|
726.4
|
From 15.4 to 17.9
|
CMAS
- SCIENCE (grade 5)
|
|||
White (645 students)*
|
605.4
|
619.7
|
|
Hispanic (610
students)*
|
563.5
|
555.8
|
From 41.9 to 63.9
|
SCIENCE: That achievement gap in grade 5 widens even more in the
upper grades. Why? Less time for science? Fewer labs? Note the severe drop
for both White and Hispanic students in grades 8 and 11.
|
|||
Page 3 - Student Groups
|
CMAS
-Mean Scale Score-SCIENCE (gr. 8)
|
Decline
from ’18 to ‘19
|
|
English Learners
|
491.1
|
471.7
|
-19.4
|
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligible
|
533.2
|
504.3
|
-28.9
|
Minority Students
|
552.5
|
522.0
|
-30.5
|
Students with Disabilities
|
440.0
|
434.0
|
-6.0
|
Page 8 White (523
students)*
|
600.4
|
582.7
|
GAP WIDENS – 2018 to 2019
|
Hispanic (643 students)*
|
543.8
|
515.9
|
From 56.6 to 66.8
|
Page 4 - Student Groups
|
CMAS–Mean
Scale Score-SCIENCE (gr. 11)
|
Decline from ’18 to ‘19
|
|
English Learners
|
503.4
|
486.2
|
-17.2
|
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligible
|
538.8
|
536.3
|
-2.5
|
Minority Students
|
555.2
|
523.6
|
-31.6
|
Students with Disabilities
|
506.1
|
456.6
|
-49.5
|
Page 9 White (220 students)*
|
599.8
|
586.1
|
GAP WIDENS - 2018 to 2019
|
Hispanic (201 students)*
|
546.1
|
514.3
|
From 53.7 to 71.8
|
*Number of
students taking the test in 2019. Numbers were too small for other student
groups to be meaningful.
This should be a red flag to any district
exploring a 4-day week. Need more evidence? See the dismal growth scores in 27J
and Pueblo 60 - Addendum D.
In spite of this, we recently heard an alarming report on TV - FOX31
DENVER. Reporter Michael Konopasek told viewers of the positive results from a
survey 27J conducted on the four-day week: a 78% favorable response from nearly
5,000 educators, families, and community members. He concluded on this
optimistic note, which – in light of what the 2018-19 results tell us – is
dumbfounding.
“And school
leaders here say that other districts in Colorado have floated the idea of
4-day school weeks and could learn from this district’s experience.”[vii]
(Feb. 6, 2020)
“The district had hoped to improve its
standing to an accredited level school — the second-highest level in Colorado
— when statewide scores were released this year by the state education
department, but 27J fell short. It remains on an improvement plan.
“’If
scores were to drop immensely, obviously that is something we would have to
look at, but we are not expecting that to happen,’ said Tracy Rudnick, the
district’s public information officer. ‘It’s going to take a couple of years
to really create the concrete data.’”
The
Colorado Sun, Aug. 27, 2019[viii]
|
I
hope they will - and learn what not to do.
That district survey, may I add, merely asked about the change to the
schools’ start times and the move to the four-day week. To be sure, the far
majority are supportive. Students too, based on the Adams County Youth
Initiative survey: 84% of the student preferred the four-day week to five days.
(Did anyone expect they’d say otherwise?)
But “Do we
like it?” is not the important question. This change is far more
serious—and consequential. Thoughtful educators in 27 Schools will first want
the school board and parents to ask: “Is this change proving beneficial for
student learning?”
In the fall of 2018, as this new schedule went into effect,
district spokeswoman Tracy Rudnick told KUNC
News: “The district is happy with the new schedule … and plans to reevaluate
the program in three years.” Last summer she spoke of “what if” scores
dropped (see box). Well, it has already happened. I shared my concerns with
her, but “one year’s data doesn’t make a trend,” she insisted, and (quite
righty) reminded me that there are many factors that can lead to a decline in
student performance. “We’re going to look at things,” she said, but for now,
“we have no intention of switching back to five days.”
In presenting its
“Four-Day School Week Information,” the district states:
“27J Schools must be increasingly strategic
in funding the priorities that matter the most for our students and their
learning. In 27J Schools, our core mission is to prepare students with the
necessary skills and competencies that will enable a future far beyond
graduation.
“A prepared tomorrow begins with the best teaching and learning today. Implementing the four-day student contact week is part of a long term plan to invest in the Thinking Classroom today to prepare our students for life and a career into 2038.”[ix] (Emphasis mine)
“A prepared tomorrow begins with the best teaching and learning today. Implementing the four-day student contact week is part of a long term plan to invest in the Thinking Classroom today to prepare our students for life and a career into 2038.”[ix] (Emphasis mine)
The school
board for 27J must ask—as any good board would—if its decision to drop one
school day per week advances its own goals. What if it leaves students even less
well prepared “with the necessary skills…”?
And Colorado must ask what we can
learn from other states that have tried the four-day week—albeit less
aggressively than we have done. See Addendum B. Perhaps one place to
start: why not follow New
Mexico’s example and put a moratorium on allowing any new district to
take this drastic step?
More
evidence is needed, I know that. Sure, let’s see what year two looks like in
27J—and in Pueblo 60: results for their 30,000-plus students will tell us a
lot. But what we know today compels us to ask: Is this the best we can do? To
have most districts, now even urban districts, offer just four days of school each
week? We all want Colorado schools to be #1 – in something we can be proud of.
A shorter week is not it.
Addendum A – What we don’t know
From The Colorado Sun series
on the 4-day school week – Aug. 2019 (Bold mine)
(Aug. 27) “What researchers don’t know is how it
affects children’s academic achievement over the long term, and as experts across the country try to get a
handle on that question, they are raising alarm about how quickly the
phenomenon is taking hold.… Among education experts, the four-day week is
seen as a phenomenon that’s taken off without much debate and ahead of any
conclusive research.”
“What worries education experts is whether
kids who in some ways are already at a disadvantage will be further so because
of fewer days at school. It’s a question that comes amid a national debate
about whether American children should go to school more days — not less — than
the typical 180.”
“A team of Oregon State researchers, including those
who studied the academic effects of four-day weeks, is attempting to gather
data on all of the nation’s four-day schools. … The goal is to learn more about
student achievement, but also nutrition and diet, physical activity and sleep,
said assistant professor of economics Paul N. Thompson…. Schools need metrics so they can weigh the impact on
students’ academics and health before they decide on four-day weeks, he said. 'We
really don’t know much about it.'"
(Aug. 29) “What suffers?” Lawmakers aren’t sure.
How difficult is it to be
approved for the 4-day week?
I asked the Colorado Department
of Education if, over the past several years, all districts applying for permission
to operate on a calendar of less than 160 days (commonly called a four-day
school week) were granted permission.
Answer: “Yes, all applicants were granted permission.”
|
"The neutrality of the state
Department of Education, coupled with a constitution that limits the state’s
ability to dictate school policy at the local level, has created an unusual
dynamic at the General Assembly.
"On the one hand, many agree that the overall trend is bad. On the other,
it’s not clear that it’s a problem in every case — and to the extent that it
is, the legislature is limited by the state constitution in how it can respond.
School districts are granted local control over most of their operations, including
the school calendar."
__
"McLachlan, the House
Education chair, said she suspects there are academic downsides to four-day
weeks — the problem is, she hasn’t seen any studies to explore what they
are.
The national research on
the academic effects of four-day weeks is inconclusive, with the handful of studies that
exist in conflict about whether scores improve or decline. One of the most comprehensive reviews, from Oregon State University,
found that scores dropped overall after schools switched to four-day weeks, but
boys and students who qualify for free or reduced lunch had their scores
drop the most.
"McLachlan says it’s time
for Colorado to do a comprehensive study of its own now that a majority of
districts have made the switch….
'What suffers? I think
something suffers, and it may be something that’s completely irrelevant and it
may be something major,' she said."
**
[For more information on Colorado’s policy and the
application process from districts seeking to be on a four-day school week, see
“The Four-Day School Week Information Manual.”
Addendum B
What other states have learned and
done (and why they’re glad not to be #1) (Bold
mine)
New
Mexico puts brakes on four-day school schedules[x]
Morgan Lee, Associated Press - Feb. 23, 2018
SANTA FE - New Mexico
is threatening to cut off funding at public schools that try to switch to a
four-day week as the practice has spread to more than four in 10 school
districts across the state.
State lawmakers this month
placed a moratorium on additional four-day school scheduling within a general
fund spending bill that has yet to be signed by the governor.
Education officials and
legislators say it’s not clear that student academics and working families are
helped by fewer, longer school days, even as teachers and administrators
embrace compressed schedules.
School administrators in
far-flung districts have pushed back, noting that four-day weeks have become a
tool for attracting teachers who can improve academic results at schools with
limited financial resources.
__
New Mexico lawmakers including
Democratic state Sen. Howie Morales of Silver City have said they fear the
four-day week will spread in a domino effect as school districts compete with
each other for talent — without
regard to statewide academics.
__
“The Public Education
Department is most interested in the extent to which this is driving improved student
outcomes and the verdict is still out,” said Lida Alikhani, a
spokeswoman for the Public Education Department, in an email.
__
Jeannie Oakes, a New Mexico-based
researcher affiliated with the University of California Los Angeles, said not
enough is known to say firmly whether or not four-day schedules hinder or help
overall school academics.
At the same time, three-day
weekends may have an outsized effect on students from low-income, working
families, she said.
“I think people have an image
that these kids are in rural areas, that they’re going to work on the farm with
mom and dad,” she said. “But it’s not clear if they’re spending a day in front
of the TV.”
Sen. Mimi Stewart, chairwoman of
the Legislature’s lead education policy committee, said a moratorium buys
time for state analysts to study academic consequences. She said the four-day week is partly a
symptom of austere state spending on education in recent years, as districts
look for ways to avoid utilities and transportation costs. At the same time,
schools are clamoring for state money to expand preschool and extend the school
year for students in kindergarten through third grade.
“I don’t think (four days) is the best for working families,”
she said. “I don’t think it’s the best for students.”
Oregon, California, Oklahoma,
Minnesota – also from The Colorado Sun series last August
(Aug. 27) “A 2019 report from Oregon State University, however, found that four-day weeks have ‘detrimental
effects’ on the achievement of Oregon students. The study was different from
the Colorado research[xi]
because it looked not at schools’ average test scores, but the scores of
individual students. It found that both boys and girls saw math and reading
scores drop on standardized tests, but that boys’ scores dropped more. It
also found reading scores dropped more for students who were eligible for
free or reduced lunch compared with students who were not eligible. More
research is required…”
“In Oregon, students at four-day
schools are losing about three and a half hours of instruction per week.”
“Some
states—including California — require districts to return to a five-day schedule if their
scores drop. … Other states
— including Oklahoma — require an extensive application
process, including a written proposal to explain why a four-day week is
better academically for their students.”
“Minnesota ordered seven districts to return to a five-day
schedule after failing to make academic progress and the state is no longer
accepting applications for four-day schedules, according to the Center for
Reinventing Public Education.”
National research: “The
four-day school week: Research behind the trend” (Oct. 30, 2019)*
“To save money and help
with teacher recruitment, numerous school districts in the United States have
decided to give students and employees Fridays off. An estimated 560
districts in 25 states have allowed at least one of their schools to adopt a
four-day school week, with most moving to a Monday-to-Thursday schedule,
according to the National Conference of State Legislators. Generally, schools make up for
the lost day by adding extra time to the remaining four days.”
“Colorado, Idaho, New
Mexico and South Dakota are among the states leading the trend, which is especially popular in
rural areas in the Midwest. In Colorado alone, 111
out of the state’s 178 school districts are using a compressed
schedule, The Colorado Sun reports. Meanwhile, four-day
scheduling started spreading so quickly across New Mexico that lawmakers
have placed
a moratorium on
the practice until state leaders can study its impact on student performance
and working-class families.”
*https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/education/four-day-school-week-research/ - This site also provides an abstract of six studies on the
four-day school week.
Missouri – school leaders
waiting for the evidence
“Small school districts say move to 4-day week helps attract, retain teachers”
(Jan. 26, 2020)[xiii]
"Bigger schools in the
area are taking a wait-and-see approach.
"Jefferson City School
District Superintendent Larry Linthacum said he might consider switching to a
four-day school week in the future if it is proven to increase academic
success.
"'We're always
looking at how we can better educate our kids and better prepare them to be
successful citizens upon graduation and ensure that they do graduate,' Linthacum said. 'So we're open to considerations, but not at this
time.'"
Addendum
C
Commentary
and Research from the Center for Reinventing Public Education (CRPE)
“Beware
the Four-Day School-Week Trap - A shorter school week could hold
students back”
Commentary by Paul Hill, Education Week, July 14, 2017 (Bold mine)
As many school districts
around the nation grapple with declines in state funding, some district leaders
are arriving at a questionable solution: Cut the school week to four days. But
are these districts adopting the shorter week without both considering other
ways to save money and counting the risks to students?
__
Supporters of the
four-day week assert that the longer days make up for the missed fifth day. But
teachers and students, especially the younger children, may not work as effectively at the end of such
long days, thus reducing overall learning. Low-income and minority students,
who generally have fewer learning resources at home, stand to lose
disproportionately from the loss of a day in school. High school students
assigned homework every school day will have one less evening of preparation
per week. And days lost to illness or weather will have a greater impact on
learning time.
Nobody seriously
argues that less time in school will increase student learning. And here's the rub: The hundreds of four-day-week districts in
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, and Oregon are overwhelmingly rural
districts, which, on average, fall below state means on student achievement,
graduation rates, and college attendance. A policy that just holds student
results to previous levels will not expand students' college options or help
communities attract new businesses and jobs.
__
At the Center on
Reinventing Public Education, we have been studying the spread of the four-day
week throughout the West and Midwest and often hear how popular it is with
teachers and some families who enjoy a day off or the ability to take advantage
of the long weekend. We also hear how rural district leaders are finding that
teachers like it so much that returning to a five-day week would be politically
difficult, no matter what happens to revenues or how it affects student
outcomes.
At a time when rural and
small-town communities are suffering in many ways, nobody should be
complacent about actions that could make things worse. Some localities
might look at all the facts and decide that a four-day week will work for their
students. That's their right in an era of local control. But governors and
state superintendents of education need to make sure local communities look at
real numbers and don't jump blindly onto a bandwagon that they might never be
able to get off.
CRPE Research
Addendum
D
Growth
scores for 10 urban districts in 2018-19 – Who is at the bottom? Cause and
effect?
Ten urban districts in Colorado where achievement is below (often
well below) the state average
Literacy
Growth*
|
Math
Growth*
|
Total
Growth Figure (adding Literacy and Math Growth)
|
||
STATE
|
50
|
50
|
100
|
|
Districts
on 5-day week
|
||||
1
|
DPS
|
55
|
53
|
105
|
2
|
Westminster
|
56
|
47
|
103
|
3
|
Aurora
|
49
|
51
|
100
|
4
|
Montezuma-Cortez
|
51
|
43
|
94
|
5
|
Sheridan
|
41
|
53
|
94
|
6
|
Englewood
|
42
|
51
|
93
|
7
|
Mapleton
|
45
|
46
|
91
|
8
|
Adams 14
|
45
|
46
|
91
|
Districts
on 4-day week
|
||||
9
|
27J Schools
|
46
|
42
|
88
|
10
|
Pueblo 60
|
43
|
42
|
85
|
* *https://chalkbeat.org/posts/co/2019/08/15/find-your-2019-colorado-cmas-scores-and-compare-schools/
If
you examine what the 27 J Schools Board of Education was told in its September
24, 2019, session, board members might be surprised to discover that overall
the district’s growth was so low. (They might also be surprised to learn growth
fell below 40 in grades 6 and 8.) What the board was told*, in the
district’s excessively upbeat report on 2019 achievement and growth scores, included
this happy news:
Analysis:
·
6 elementary schools have MGP greater than 50
for 4th Gr. ELA and math (Henderson-ELA, Pennock-ELA & Math, Reunion-ELA
& Math, Thimmig-ELA & Math, Turnberry-ELA & Math, North-Math,
BECS-ELA, Landmark-Math)
·
9 elementary schools have MGP greater than 50
for 5th Gr. ELA (Pennock, Reunion, Second Creek, Thimmig, West Ridge, BCCS,
Foundations, Landmark)
·
6 elementary schools have MGP greater than 50
for 5th Gr. ELA (Reunion, Second Creek, South, Turnberry, BCCS, Landmark)
·
Reunion had MGP greater than 50 for 4th &
5th grades in ELA and Math
·
Turnberry had MGP greater than 50 for 4th in
ELA & math and 5th grades in Math
·
Thimmig had MGP greater than 50 for 4th in ELA
& math and 5th grade in ELA
·
Pennock had MGP greater than 50 for 4th in ELA
& math and 5th grade in ELA
·
PVMS had MGP greater than 50 for 6th, 7th, and
8th grades in ELA
·
BHA had a MGP greater than 50 for math
·
RRHS had a MGP greater than 50 for EBRW and
Math
·
PVHS had a MGP of 50 for EBRW
·
ERA had a MGP greater than 50 for EBRW and
Math
*From
report to School Board, “Academics
- 1.2 Composite SAT Scores and 1.3 Academic Status of Schools.”[xiv]
Addendum E
We’re
#1
From NCSL[xv] - 2018 data
1.
Colorado 55%
2.
New
Mexico 43%
3.
Idaho 38%
4.
Oregon 32%
5.
South
Dakota 23%
% of districts in the state on a 4-day school
week
% in 2019-20 is even higher in Colorado – 62%
(111/178)*
*CDE’s “The Four-Day School Week Information Manual,“ (Revised July 2019) http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeedserv/fourdayschoolweekmanual
On a related matter – time in school –
one final question: what is required of Colorado schools? Is it possible we
have the shortest school year in the country?
“A 2018
report from
the Education Commission of the States offers a 50-state comparison of
students’ instructional time requirements. For example, students in Colorado
are required to be in school for a minimum of 160 days a year while in
Vermont, the minimum is 175 days and in Alabama, it’s 180.”[xvi]
Endnotes
[i]
The list of the 111 Colorado school districts “approved for less than 160 days
for the 2019-20 school year “ is at the
website for the Colorado Department of
Education - https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeedserv/fourdayschoolweekmanual
[ii]
CDE uses “144 days” in its “The Four-Day School Week Information Manual.” CDE
expanded on that in an email to me: “The 144 day calculation mentioned is a
mathematical example to provide the reader with a general sense of how reducing
days while maintaining the same number of required instructional hours over the
course of the school year may be accomplished. The actual calculation will
vary between districts” (email received 3/6/2020). Typical number of school days in Jeffco is 174;
Roaring Fork - 173; Littleton – 172; Denver – 171; Douglas - 170.
[iii] https://coloradosun.com/2019/08/27/four-day-school-weeks-in-colorado/, by Jennifer Brown, with
Kevin Simpson.
[iv] https://coloradosun.com/2019/08/29/four-day-schools-politics/, by Brian Eason.
[v]
Though it is worth noting the trend for the only two small rural districts
featured in The Colorado Sun series, North Conejos (about 1,000
students) and Center 26J (roughly 620 students), that recently switched to a
four-day school week. Both have declined in their ratings and/or points
earned since shifting to a four-day schedule.
School
Performance Ratings – DECLINE of Total % of Points Earned - 2015-16 to
2018-19
|
||||
District
|
15-16
|
16-17
|
17-18
|
18-19
|
Year
1 on 4-day week
|
Year
2 on 4-day week
|
|||
Center 26JT
|
59.7
Accredited
|
49
Accredited on
Improvement Plan
|
48.2
Accredited on
Improvement Plan
|
44.2
Accredited on
Improvement Plan
|
North Conejos RE-1J
|
76.4
Accredited on
Distinction
|
69.1
Accredited on
Distinction
|
70.2
Accredited on Distinction
|
64
Accredited
|
[vii] https://kdvr.com/2020/02/05/school-district-27j-survey-shows-widespread-support-for-4-day-week/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cb_bureau_colorado
THORNTON,
Colo. — School leaders in Denver’s northern suburbs say their four-day school
week is paying off. Parents and students told FOX31 they agree.
In 2018, the 27J School District made a progressive move —
making school days longer and turning every weekend into three-day weekends.
“It’s just more consistent,” a parent told FOX31.
The eight-hour days allow students to be off Saturday, Sunday
and Monday.
“It gives me that one day that I can just relax my brain, plus I
can catch up on extra class work,” a Rodger Quist Middle School student said. The
change was implemented in 2018.
A newly released district survey of 5,000 people — including
parents, staff, middle and high school students — shows 78 percent view
four-day weeks favorably, according to the district.
Just more than 78 percent are overall on board with current
start times, the survey showed. Elementary schools start at 7:50 a.m. while the
older children start at 8:30 a.m.
Research shows the move is better for health and academic
performance, according to a district press release.
Some
parents, who spoke Wednesday, expressed sympathy for parents of younger
children who are forced to find Monday childcare.
[xi][xi]
That Colorado study was done nine years ago. Of the 67 districts in the study, all but
five had fewer than 600 students. The total of CSAP tests that informed that
study of those 67 districts was 17,547. In contrast 27J Schools and Pueblo 60
had over 35,000 students last year. http://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/research/download/pdf/coloradofourdayandfivedaydistricts.pdf
[xii] “50-State Comparison: Instructional Time Policies,”
Education Commission of the States, Jan. 14, 2020 -https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-instructional-time-policies/
[xv] National Conference of State Legislatures, https://www.ncsl.org/research/education/school-calendar-four-day-school-week-overview.aspx (9/2019)
[xvi] “50-State Comparison: Instructional Time Policies,” Education Commission of the States, Jan. 14, 2020 -https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-instructional-time-policies/
[xvi] “50-State Comparison: Instructional Time Policies,” Education Commission of the States, Jan. 14, 2020 -https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-instructional-time-policies/
