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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