Dallas ISD trustees have voted unanimously to change the school calendar to prevent "COVID slide." Derek Little, deputy chief academic officer for Dallas ISD, says 33% of students have fallen behind in reading; half are behind in math.
Trustees voted to adopt three different calendars for the next two school years. One would keep the traditional calendar in place. Another would add five weeks of class time at 75 schools; families there could choose whether to attend additional classes. The third would add five weeks for an entire school.
The district says almost two thirds of students would stay on the traditional calendar.
The "intersession calendar" would apply to about one third of schools and give students five additional weeks of class time if they have fallen behind. Only the lowest performing elementary and middle schools would have a "calendar redesign," adding five weeks for all students.
Some parents spoke against changes that would lead to a summer break of just five weeks.
"Kids need time off during the summer, especially right now. There's not been an opportunity for them to have social interaction," the mother of kids at Sanger Elementary and Travis Academy said. "Kids need time off from school work. They need time for socialization, for camps. They need time to be with their families over the summer."
"My main concern is even though we're not in it right now is once 'intersession' takes root, it will eventually spread throughout the district," the father of another student said.
Trustees unanimously approved the plan, saying most parents and teachers have supported a proposal to try to correct learning loss because of the pandemic. Teachers will receive additional pay.
But some teachers spoke against the plan, saying additional time in the classroom would affect their ability to plan.
"The 'pro' part of that is if you only want to work two of those intersession weeks, you're getting breaks in the year to regenerate and refresh yourself that you never got," Little says.
Little says class sizes will be smaller during intersession weeks, giving teachers a greater ability to work with individual students.
Dallas ISD has not identified which schools will follow which calendar. Principals, teachers and parents will meet to discuss their preferences for each school.
