For several years, the Southern Boone County School District’s calendar has included some “early release” days when students were dismissed so that teachers could devote an afternoon to professional development. For the 2009-2010 school year, the periodic early release days will be replaced by weekly late start days. The official school day will start at 8:45 a.m. each Wednesday, beginning in August 26, 2009 and extending through May 12, 2010.

On those dates, students may report to school in time for class at 8:45 a.m., or they may come to school at the usual time. In making this change, the district realized the importance of not disrupting family schedules, knowing that many parents take their children to school as they themselves are going to work.  On late start days, children who arrive at school at the usual time will be engaged in specific activities supervised by school staff members. Each school’s activities will be based upon the needs of students. Busses will run on their usual schedule every day, including late start days.

There are three main reasons for the change. The first reason is that some expectations for teachers’ work have changed. Nowadays, teachers constantly track student learning (instead of just at grade card time), intervene immediately before students fall behind, and review and use data from a variety of sources to “cross-check” what they know about their students. Instead of working in isolation (no matter how conscientiously), teachers are expected to collaborate with their colleagues on these tasks. As a result, teachers need time to discuss student progress and their own practice on a regular and frequent basis. Although teachers traditionally have a planning or conference period, their colleagues may or may not have a planning period at the same time. And, after-school activities and meetings of other kinds mean that’s not a good time for this ongoing work.

Another reason is a changing view of professional development. Beyond sporadic events inside or outside the district, the best professional development pertains to what teachers are actually doing in their classrooms.  The official curriculum should match what is actually taught and assessed and must be aligned across classes and grade levels. Developing better ways of assessing and monitoring learning, differentiating instruction based on student needs, creating and sharing more effective instructional practices, and using data well are all areas of constant focus, which aren’t perfected until every student learns everything the school asks. Like other professionals, teachers are expected to be up-to-date with best practices in their field, and like students, they learn best by doing!

A final reason is convenience for families. Early release days require working parents (a majority) to make alternate arrangements for after-school child care several times a year, in addition to normal school holidays. With the new late start days, parents have the choice of bringing their children to school at the same time as any other school day or bringing them in time to start class at 8:45 a.m.

If families have questions about the new schedule, they can contact any district administrator.