CHAMPLAIN VALLEY
SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 23, 2013
Proposed Calendar 2.0: Forum Details and More
about the Proposal
The Champlain Valley Superintendents Association
(CVSA) has scheduled four regional forums to collaboratively discuss the
proposed Calendar 2.0 with area residents, families, students and educators.
The Superintendents in CVSA want to engage families and educators in
brainstorming ideas for a school calendar that supports and maximizes learning
of all students.
Superintendents are exploring options around how
to create a more efficient and effective use of the school calendar, with time
and support as the variables to positive student outcomes. This calendar is a
proposal intended to stimulate conversation.
The calendar proposed by CVSA preserves the
current 175 student days, while shifting about 10 days into summer in order to
build in blocks of times, or intersessions, during the school year. The
goal of the proposed calendar is to organize student instruction time so
students have opportunities to pause and reflect and expand upon
their learning. These intersessions are designed to be used in a variety of ways,
including: student enrichment opportunities, chances to provide timely intervention
for students who need it, in-depth and project-based learning, opportunities
for teacher professional development, opportunities for teachers to review student
data during non-instructional times, and opportunities for families to schedule
routine appointments or take vacations without interrupting learning blocks of
time.
The current century-old calendar offers limited
flexibility in how time is paced throughout the school year. As a result,
opportunities for additional learning time for students only occur during the
summer months, which is often not timely for students. In addition,
teacher professional development days are either front-loaded at the beginning
or end of the year, with early release days structured throughout the year, and teachers leaving the classroom for
professional development opportunities. Intersessions could also provide
time for students to participate in relevant learning activities, such as
internships, foreign language trips, job shadowing, etc. without being out of
the classroom.
“While earlier information indicated a 2014-2015
timeline, implementation of a new calendar is flexible and this proposal is a
starter intended to stimulate conversation,” CVSA Co-Chair Judith DeNova said.
“Superintendents recognize change is hard and wish to engage the
community in this change process.”
The forums are designed to provide an
opportunity for families and educators to connect directly about how time could
be used to further the quality of education in this region of Vermont.
The forums are open to parents, educators,
students and interested residents. Please join the Superintendents, and
be prepared to have a creative conversation as to how time can better be used
to support student learning:
- Wednesday, October 2, 6:30 p.m. -
Essex High School
- Thursday, October 3, 6:30 p.m. -
BFA St. Albans
- Wednesday, October 9, 6:30 p.m. -
Burlington High School
- Thursday, October 10, 6:30 p.m. -
Champlain Valley Union High School
The forums will be facilitated, and have been
created in a format to ensure all participants have a voice in the conversation
to talk about ways to improve upon the current calendar structure. The
evenings will be broken up into four parts: a general introduction/background,
an activity for participants to provide their opinions to specific questions
related to the proposed Calendar 2.0, an activity for participants to have
conversations about how a calendar could be created, and a closing. Ideas
and suggestions will be compiled and made public after the forums, and will be
used by Superintendents to inform future calendar decisions.
