School Schedule Modifications

Recommended Initiative 2.6

Modify daily school schedule and/or extend the annual calendar to add learning and enrichment time during the day or over extended breaks for all or a subset of students.

Deliverables & Design Considerations

Click each deliverable below to expand its key design considerations.

TIMING: SPRING 2021

Plan for expanded summer program offerings, including for academic acceleration, credit recovery, and enrichment

Do we have strong staff and high quality instructional materials available to support extended time?
What does data (e.g. academic, attendance, social-emotional, etc.) suggest are prioritized student needs for summer learning?
To what extent, for which kids, and for what purpose might we utilize expanded summer programming?
If we decide to implement expanded summer programming, are we drawing from research and best practice such as Doug Lemov’s blog post which outlines a straightforward and research-aligned approach to summer learning in middle and upper grades ELA?
How will we ensure students extended time aligns well to our overall academic approach and engages students meaningfully?

Source summer learning staff, leveraging external providers as needed

How can we ensure that compensation for summer learning staff is sufficient to attract our most effective educators?
What external providers can we partner with in order to offer a rich array of programs responsive to student and family desires beyond what we can develop and staff internally? Organizations such as Cadence Learning support school systems in implementing high quality summer learning.

timing: SCHOOL YEAR 2021-22

Implement expanded summer learning

Are our expanded summer offerings meeting needs in academic acceleration, enrichment, and/or credit recovery? How do we know?

Use data to determine purpose (academic, SEL, enrichment) and audience of extended time for SY22-23, prioritizing students who need these opportunities the most

Do we have strong staff and high quality instructional materials to support extended time?
What does data (e.g. academic, attendance, social-emotional, etc.) suggest are prioritized student needs for extended time?
To what extent, for whom, and for what purpose might we extend learning time?
If extending time, are we adjusting instructional time such that a meaningful impact can be made?

Publish extended learning plan for SY22-23, including goals monitoring

Knowing that ESSER funds will sunset in 2024, what is our theory of action as it pertains to extended learning time? How will we know if we are successful?

Publish revised SY22-23 student schedules and calendars

To what extent can you extend the school day vs. extend the school year?
Where do opportunities exist to make adjustments to daily routines that can boost school day productivity? (e.g. cohorts, adjusting transition time, consolidating announcements, etc.)

Determine staffing and compensation model for extended time

To what extent are internal staff (e.g. teachers, paraprofessionals, etc.) able to staff extended learning time? Can you compensate them for additional time?
What restrictions or opportunities, if any, are there on use of funds that dictate our entry point(s) to extended learning time?

Build a training plan, if extended time relies on internal staff

To what extent have teachers and leaders been deeply trained in the use of curriculum, resources, and materials to be used during extended time?
What other tools and/or resources are needed for implementation?
Can training be offered internally, or will you need to source an external training partner?

Plan for blending the staffing structure between school and extended time, if reliant on external partners, possibly using teachers as “academic liaisons” to the extended day program to ensure academic alignment

Who on the team can serve as an academic liaison to the extended day ensure academic alignment?
What structures, schedule, and cadence will ensure consistent monitoring and support from an academic liaison?

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