By Cade Smith
Although it may sound like a bit of a crazy concept, there are schools that have schedules that last all year around. Instead of having a long summer vacation, the days of school are evenly distributed throughout the entire year, resulting in more breaks among the year.
There are a few types of all year school schedules, but the most commonly used is the 45-15 plan. This means that students attend school for forty five days and then get a fifteen day break. There is also the 60-20 plan and the 90-30 plan.
There are many benefits to an all year around school that can help students with learning. With a more even school year, the impacts of summer learning loss is decreased, making students ready to get right back into learning.
According to LDOnline, “The meta-analysis indicated that summer learning loss equaled at least one month of instruction as measured by grade level equivalents on standardized test scores-on average, children's tests scores were at least one month lower when they returned to school in fall than scores were when students left in spring.”
Having a shorter summer break can help students get back into learning.
For some communities, overcrowding in schools is an issue that a year round school schedule could help. A multi-track plan helps to maximize the number of students in the same building. The school is divided into four or five tracks and vacations are staggered between the tracks so only a few of the tracks are in school while the rest is on break. When one track comes back to school another goes on vacation.
There are more frequent breaks for students and teachers to relax after a semester is over. While the breaks would be a few days less, the breaks would be more consistent. A more consistent break schedule is good for students as well as teachers.
There are some cons to an all year schedule for schools. Students that want or have to work may have difficulty finding a job without the entire summer off. With a shorter summer break, students would have to get part-time jobs on the weekends or evenings.
For many schools where there are extracurricular activities, there could be a scheduling conflict between the two schools due to different schedules. When two schools are competing in a sport, there could be an issue of scheduling if one has a year long school schedule, one school could be on break while the other is in session. It would be difficult to set a date when both schools have no activities during that day.
Another con to year round schooling would be the cost. A year long school would cost more to keep the school going constantly over the year.
According to Learningliftoff.com “From a fiscal perspective, year-round school increases expenses for facility maintenance, student transportation, employee benefits such as paid vacations, and overall administrative costs.”
It would cost more to keep the school, its activities, and programs running.
For New Prairie, it would be more beneficial to stick with the regular schedule. With the different schedule, there would be issues for scheduling sports and activities. While there is an option for a year long schedule, we should stick to the traditional school year schedule.