Review of Year-Round Schools

JOINT LEGISLATIVE AUDIT AND REVIEW COMMISSION

Report To the Governor and The Gener al Assembly of Virginia

Review of Year-Round Schools

house document no. 3 (2013) Commonwealth of Virginia Richmond

october 2012

Members of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission

Chair Delegate John M. O'Bannon III Vice-Chair Senator John C. Watkins

Delegate David B. Albo Delegate M. Kirkland Cox Senator Janet D. Howell Delegate Johnny S. Joannou Delegate S. Chris Jones Delegate James P. Massie III Senator Thomas K. Norment, Jr. Delegate Robert D. Orrock, Sr. Delegate Lacey E. Putney Delegate Lionell Spruill, Sr. Senator Walter A. Stosch Walter J. Kucharski, Auditor of Public Accounts

Director Glen S. Tittermary

JLARC Staff for This Report Justin Brown, Division Chief Kimberly Sarte, Project Leader Katie Francis Greg Rest David Reynolds

Photo of year-round elementary school in Lynchburg, Virginia (upper right). Copyright by Kipp Teague. Used with permission.

Report No. 430 This report is available on the JLARC website at

November 28, 2012

The Honorable John M. O'Bannon III Chair Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission General Assembly Building Richmond, Virginia 23219

Dear Delegate O'Bannon:

House Joint Resolution 646 of the 2011 Session directed the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study the efficacy of year-round schools. Specifically, staff were directed to determine which Virginia school divisions have implemented year-round schools and conduct a comprehensive analysis of each yearround school, examine year-round schools utilized in other states and countries, and review the Board of Education's procedure for approving year-round schools.

The final report was briefed to the Commission and authorized for printing on October 9, 2012. On behalf of the Commission staff, I would like to thank staff at the Department of Education for their assistance during this review. I would also like to thank the division- and school-level staff in Virginia who are currently operating year-round schools or have utilized them recently for the assistance and information they provided during this review.

Sincerely,

GST/mle

Glen S. Tittermary Director

Table of Contents

JLARC Report Summary

i

1 Year-Round School Calendar Redistributes

1

Traditional Summer Break Throughout Year

Nearly All Virginia Schools Operate on

2

Traditional Calendar Rooted in Agrarian History

Other States Also Use Year-Round Calendars,

4

While Other Countries Use Differing Calendars but

Tend to Have Shorter Summer Breaks

Year-Round Calendars Have Shorter, More

5

Frequent Breaks Compared to Traditional

School Calendars and Are Often Used to Increase

Student Achievement

Year-Round Schools Teach Same Curriculum but 9 Use Intersessions for Extra Educational Opportunities

Local, State, and Federal Funding Sources Are 13 Used for Year-Round Schools in Virginia

2 Test Scores of Certain Students at Year-Round 15

Schools Were Better Than at Traditional Schools

Research Finds Limited Academic Impact of Year- 15 Round Schools, but That Certain Student Subgroups May Benefit

Some Student Subgroups at Year-Round Schools 17 Appear to Do Better on SOL Tests

Intersession Instruction and Shorter Summer

23

Breaks May Be Reasons for Higher SOL Test

Scores of Certain Student Groups

Educational Best Practices Influence Student

26

Achievement Regardless of the School Calendar

3 Financial Impact of Year-Round Schools

29

Depends on Their Design and Purpose

Research Indicates Single-Track Design Increases 29 Costs, While Multi-Track Design Can Avoid Future Capital Costs

Year-Round Calendars in Virginia Result in Small 31 to Moderate Increases in Total Expenditures

Cost Is the Primary Reason Reported by Virginia 38 School Divisions for Discontinuing Year-Round Calendars

4 Teachers, Administrators, and Parents Support 41

Year-Round Schools, but Acknowledge Challenges

Teachers Report Year-Round Schools Can Benefit 41 Students, but Administrators and Teachers Agree They Complicate Certain Division Operations

Parents of Year-Round School Students Have

46

Positive Views About the Calendar

Year-Round Calendars Have Unknown, but

48

Likely Minimal Negative Effect on Tourism

Businesses and Childcare Providers

5 Expanded Instructional Time May Have No

51

Clear Positive Impact on Student Test Scores

Expanded Instructional Time (EIT) Increases

51

Required School Time for All Students

It Appears That Less Than Half of Virginia School 53 Divisions Expand the School Day, and Other States and Countries Use Both Extended Year and Extended Day

Mandatory EIT Appears to Have No Measurable 58 Impact on Student Achievement

6 Year-Round Calendars Can Be a Useful

63

Approach for Certain Schools

Certain Divisions May Want to Consider

63

Year-Round Calendars as a Method to Improve

Student Performance

State Has Minimal Role in Local Decision to

65

Operate a Year-Round School

Localities Reported Key Steps in Deciding

66

Whether to Adopt Year-Round Calendars

Appendixes

A: Study Mandate

71

B: Research Activities and Methods

73

C: Summary of Year-Round Schools in Virginia 79

D: Capacity Gain on Multi-Track Year-Round

85

Calendars

E: Standards of Learning Test Score Analysis

87

F: School Start-Date Laws in Virginia and

103

Other States

G: Bibliography

107

H: Agency Responses

111

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