Learning Together Year-Round Education at Piedmont
Written by Megan Bevins
M ost children follow a traditional academic calendar: nine months of classes followed by a two-month summer break before advancing to the next grade. Year-round schools, however, take a different approach— students receive the same number of days off, but their breaks are divided into shorter, three-week intervals spread throughout the year. In West Virginia, Piedmont Elementary is the only school currently running on a year-round schedule.
The long summer breaks offered by a traditional academic calendar can sometimes result in learning loss, as students go months without instruction and may not retain everything they learned during the prior school year.
This is often referred to as the summer slide and can mean students spend the first several weeks of a new school year reviewing old material rather than beginning new lessons. According to an article by Jennifer Graves published in the Economics of Education Review, summer learning loss is even more severe for disadvantaged students, possibly the cause of the difference of environment between school and home. Dana Grogg, principal at Piedmont Elementary, says the year-round schedule addresses this issue.
“ The model of year-round school has been in effect for more than 35 years,” Grogg says.“ It helps decrease learning loss. We go to school for nine weeks and then we get a threeweek break. During the first week of the break, students can come to school for intercession. Students could potentially receive 15 extra days of instruction if they participate during each break.”
Intercession ensures that even if students do fall behind during the shorter breaks, they can still come to the school for additional instruction in order to stay on track with their classmates. Grogg says these intercessions usually service around 100 students who oftentimes gain additional skills as a result of participating.
Stacia Lamb, teacher at Piedmont Elementary, says the shorter, more frequent breaks also allow for both students and teachers to reset. This can prevent burnout and help them stay more focused and engaged when they’ re in the classroom.
“ I’ ve never felt that there are stressors from the short breaks,” Lamb says.“ I do better with routine in my life and the shorter breaks allow me to take a break for a few weeks and then get back to my routine rather than having months off in the summer.”
With Piedmont being the only year-round school in the state, all students are on a different schedule than their peers at other schools, which might include their friends or siblings. However, Lamb says parents are typically receptive to the year-round schedule and appreciate the flexibility it offers.
Many of the daycares Piedmont students attend remain open during breaks, so parents often don’ t have to seek additional childcare. Lamb adds that students can continue practicing and competing in their extracurricular activities while on break and often use the time to schedule doctor’ s appointments without having to miss class. While planning vacations might seem more difficult for a family with children on different academic schedules, Piedmont also works with families to help them find the best time to take a trip together.
“ The breaks give parents and teachers a chance to be able to schedule appointments so they don ' t have to take a day off work or away from school,” Lamb says.“ I’ ve also heard parents mention that if they have students on two different schedules, it gives them a chance to spend extra time with one child while the other child is in school and vice versa.”
The year-round school schedule is not only a routine but a strategy that helps students succeed together. Piedmont Elementary is serving as a model for this approach in West Virginia, showing that it could be a valuable option for other schools to consider. •
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