DOCUMENT RESUME EF 005 689 ED 439 597 TITLE YRE Program Guide. California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento. Div. of INSTITUTION School Facilities Planning. PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 31p. AVAILABLE FROM For full text: http://www.cde.ca.gov/facilities/yearround/proggde.htm. Non-Classroom (055) PUB TYPE Guides MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Codification; Comparative Analysis; Educational Planning; DESCRIPTORS Elementary Secondary Education; *Public Schools; *Track System (Education); *Year Round Schools *California IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This report examines single- and multi-track educational programs as found in California's public school system, explores the pros and cons of using year-round education (YRE) programs, and how to implement these programs. Each year-round tracking system is detailed using each of their calendars in a side-by-side comparison along with the advantages and disadvantages that exist for each. Final sections describe the education codes pertinent to YRE, including codes for establishing a year-round program, year-round scheduling, intersession funding, year-round grant program, air-conditioning allocations, and year-round facilities. Over half of the document consists of a listing and description of state education codes pertinent to YRE. (GR) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. N YRE Program Guide (2, California Department of Education School Facilities Planning Division 1999 http://www.cde.ca.gov/dmsbranch/sfpdiv/yrenewmain2.htm U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND Office of Educational Research and Improvement DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization C. Robinson originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points of view or opinions stated in this INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) document do not necessarily represent 1 official OERI position or policy. BEST COPY AVAILABLE CONTENTS Introduction 1 ......... Statistical Summary of Year-Round Education Programs, 1997-98 3 Year-Round Calendars 4 Year-Round Costs 6 Implementing a Year-Round Education Program Implementation Steps A. 7 Track Assignment Considerations B. 9 Operational Strategies for Special Services C. 10 Pros and Cons of Year-Round Education Programs 11 Education Codes Pertinent to Year-Round Programs Establishing a Year-Round Program A. 13 Year-Round Scheduling B. 17 Intersession Funding C. 18 Year-Round Grant Program 20 D. Air-Conditioning Allocations E. 25 Year-Round Facilities 26 F. State Allocation Board Year-Round Policy 28 G. 3 INTRODUCTION typically not an alternative way to deliver the Year-Round Education is It is an alternative way to construct the school calendar. It can, curriculum. positive however, have student achievement, especially effects for on disadvantaged students. Both traditional and some year-round school calendars can have 180 days of The traditional calendar, of course, is divided into nine months of instruction. instruction and three months of vacation during the summer. Year-round calendars break these long instructional/vacation blocks into shorter units. The most typical instructional/vacation year-round pattern is called the 60/20 calendar (sixty days of instruction followed by twenty days of vacation), with the second most popular being the 45/15, and the third the Concept 6 (roughly eighty days of instruction followed by forty days of vacation). There are numerous other possible patterns but they are not common. Year-round education is also known by the number of "tracks" it uses. A school year-round using calendar "single changing track" simply a the is instructional/vacation sequence of the school year; all the students and staff are in school or on vacation at the same time. But a school using a "multitrack" year- round calendar does something quite different: it divides the entire student body and staff into different tracks (from three to five). If, for example, a school is using a four-track system, then at any one time three of the four tracks are attending school while the fourth is on vacation. The rotation sequence depends upon the year-round calendar being used. Using the 60/20 calendar, one track returns from vacation and one track leaves every twenty days. The advantage of a multitrack system is that it expands the seating capacity of a For example, a school with a seating capacity of 1,000 could school facility. potentially enroll 1,500 if it uses a three-track system (each track having 500 students and one track always on vacation). The school's seating capacity has been increased by 50 percent. In practice, however, three-track plans typically If a school with a seating expand the seating capacity by about 33 percent. capacity of 1,000 uses a four-track system, it could potentially enroll 1,333 students, increasing its capacity by 33 percent. In practice, four-track plans typically expand the seating capacity by about 25 percent. 1 4 Incentive grants are available for school districts planning and operating multitrack year-round education programs. These grants are allocated annually based on the number of students claimed in excess of school site capacity. A disadvantage of adopting a multitrack system and collecting State multitrack operational grant money is that the school district's new construction entitlement in the State School Building Program is reduced by the number of additional students housed at a school as a result of its multitrack calendar. Because of rapid growth, overcrowding, and its cost-effectiveness in achieving class size reduction, the number of districts using multitrack year-round education has grown significantly. In 1988 there were 69 districts using year-round programs. By June 1997 there were over 100. For many, the advantages of multitrack year-round education are compromised by Several recent legislative initiatives are difficult to realize in its disadvantages. multitrack year-round education schools. For instance, lengthening the school year beyond 180 days, using on-site classrooms, is thwarted by the available-day limitations of each multitrack year-round education track. And offering mandatory remediation sessions, when all classrooms are used all year, is likewise a challenge. A district considering the implementation of multitrack year-round education must consider both its facility needs and its instructional objectives and then choose a course that provides each of its students with the maximum opportunity to learn. That year-round education can relieve overcrowding has overshadowed its effectiveness as an educational strategy. Yet there are, in fact, compelling reasons why year-round education should be considered in its single-track form simply for its educational benefits, especially for at-risk students. There can be academic benefits for students with learning disadvantages. Student achievement scores improve when those students are attending year-round schools.' The explanation is simple: the loss of retention that occurs during the three-month is minimized by the shorter, more frequent vacations that summer vacation For those characterize year-round students calendars. without intellectual stimulation, enrichment, or reinforcement during the summer, summertime is intellectually pernicious. Also, summer school, the typical time for remediation in traditional calendar schools, occurs just once a year. It occurs after the school year has been completed, which is often too Year-round calendars replace summer school with late. intercession (those periods of shorter vacations that punctuate the instructional year). Because intercessions occur more frequently, remediation can occur in sequence, offering a student help in a timely manner. Of course, there are other benefits that some associate with the year-round calendar: teacher and student stress are relieved by punctuating the year with breaks; vacation time can be used more creatively; and the curriculum can creatively incorporate seasonal learning. Implementing a year-round education calendar has both facility and programmatic In its multitrack and single-track forms, it can be an important implications. strategy for insuring that a district can deliver the best possible educational program. Carolyn Calvin Kneese et al. the effects of single-track year round education on achievement of at-risk students." Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, April 18-22, 1995, San Francisco, CA. Harris Cooper, et al. Review of "The effects of summer vacation on achievement test scores: a narrative and meta-analytic review." Educational Research, Fall 1996. Vol. 66, No. 3, pp. 227-268. 5 STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF YEAR- ROUND PROGRAMS, 1997-98 School districts in California: 994 School districts with enrollments greater than 1,000: 581 School districts using year-round education programs: 179 Total year-round enrollment: 1,190,658 Public schools in California: 7,900 Public schools using year-round education programs (by grade level) Elementary schools: 1,155 Middle/junior high schools: 126 High schools: 38 Alternative high schools: 21 Continuation high schools: 31 Total: 1,371 Single-track programs Number of districts with single-track programsP: 117 Number of single-track schools: 422 Enrollment in single-track schools: 244,958 Multitrack programs Number of districts with multitrack programsP 109 Number of multitrack schools: 947 Enrollment in multitrack schools: 945,700 Year-round calendar plans used by schools": 45/15: 206 60/15: 21 60/15 Orchard: 7 60/20: 782 90/30: 87 Concept 6: 162 Concept 6 Modified: 76 Flexible Year: 28 Districts may use both plans. Districts may use more than one calendar plan. List includes basic plans only; variations are not listed. 3 YEAR-ROUND CALENDARS Traditional Characteristics `45/15 Concept 6 Orchard 60/20 90/30 multitrack multitrack multitrack multitrack Number of tracks 4 4 4 3 5 1 Number of 2-4 4 2 3 2 3 instructional periods Length of periods 45-90 days 45 days 81 days 60 days 90 days 60 days Number of 180 180 180 167 180 180 instructional days Length of 3 days-3 15 days 43 20 days 30 days 3/15 days vacations months 1/20 days Number of 4 1 long 2 4 3 2 vacations Maximum 0 50 33 33 25 33 capacity gain (percent) Features Long Frequent Long Long Long Teachers instructional vacations instructional instructional instructional and blocks, blocks, blocks blocks, students Long short school Long on vacation year vacation vacation at same time BEST COPY AVAILABLE 4 7 THREE TRACKS ONE TWO FOUR TRACKS FIVE TRACKS TRACK TRACKS Concept Modified Single- 90-30 45-15 4 Two 60-15 60-20 5 ADVANTAGES Quarter track Concept Quarter tracks 6 6 Increases school capacity by: 33% 0% 33% 33% 33% 33% 25% 33% 100% 25% 1. Provides for 180 days of 2. 0 0 0 0 0 0 instruction Breaks up 3-month traditional 3. summer into 2 or more periods, 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 enhancing continuity and pacing of instruction. Provides multiple vacation 4. 0 0 0 0 options for students and staff. Provides opportunities for 5. salary enhancement through 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 substitute and/or intersession employment. Provides for a common 3-4 6. 0 0 week summer vacation for all students and staff. Provides multiple intersessions 7. 0 0 0 0 to accommodate enrichment and/or remedial instruction. Offers maximum opportunity 8. 0 0 0 for course offerings in a departmentalized program. Provided space and funding 9. 0 allow, students may attend all 4 quarters. 10. Retains a calendar which 0 0 0 0 accommodates 2 semesters or 4 quarters. 11. Requires fewer room changes, 0 0 0 0 including start-ups and closings. _ 12. Allows teachers and students to 0 0 retain the same classrooms all year. 13. Permits the addition of school 0 0 days beyond the required 180 - day school year. Concept Modified 90-30 Single- 45-15 Two 60-15 60-20 4 5 track Quarter Quarter tracks Concept DISADVANTAGES 6 6 Requires class rotation or I. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 teacher rover. Requires three more "start-ups" 2. 0 0 0 0 and "endings." Require additional storage 3. 0 0 0 0 0 0 space for teachers and students. Requires a calendar which does 4. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 not coincide with a traditional school year calendar. Additional demands placed 5. upon cafeteria, custodial, 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 maintenance, instructional support and administrative services. Student testing schedules will 6. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 defer from track-to-track. Graduations, parent conference 7. days, annual music, athletic and 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 other events must be given specific accommodations. There is no common vacation 8. 0 0 0 0 break of longer than 3 weeks for all staff and students. Limits the school year to 9. approximately 163 days which 0 0 are lengthened to meet state requirements for cumulative annual minutes of instruction. 10. Winter vacation is generally limited to one week. Source: La Canada Unified School District Feasibility Study Osborn Architects. 1998 8 BEST COPY AVAILABLE YEAR-ROUND COSTS Areas of Savings outlay; avoided extra-site operation and staffing Avoided costs capital including classified, certificated and administrative staff, furniture, supplies and equipment, utilities and maintenance, and transportation. additional ADA generated; shared materials Potential savings (library, computer, audio-visual, science resources, textbooks); benefits (calculated on a 12-month basis for most employees), reduced absenteeism (additional ADA and less substitute pay); and decreased vandalism. California Department of Education Year Round Education Incentives Implementation and Operational Grants. Areas of Costs administrative planning, staff development, communication, Transition costs storage units, storage space, air conditioning. expanded office and administrative staff, increased utilities, Operational costs maintenance and transportation costs. Example Cost Analysis 500 Student Enrollment Position/Cost 581 Student Enrollment 635 Student Enrollment Traditional Traditional Traditional YRE Item YRE YRE Personnel Principal $73,030 $67,000 $67,000 $73,030 $67,000 $73,030 Clerical $50,490 $42,075 $50,490 $42,075 $50,490 $42,075 Noon aides $10,334 $7,751 $10,334 $7,751 $10,334 $7,751 $55,854 Custodial $55,854 $59,576 $59,576 $55,854 $59,576 Fringe $51,804 $58,029 $58,029 $51,804 $51,804 $58,029 Operational Additional $28,178 $46,960 $0 $0 $0 $0 Facilities $36,562 Utilities $34,546 $40,578 $44,816 $44,816 $44,816 $11,850 $11,850 Supplies $13,650 $13,650 $15,450 $15,450 Total Cost $302,874 $270,880 $308,125 $309,925 $327,472 $311,725 Cost per $616 $533 $490 $515 $521 $542 Pupil Model is based on a school site with a capacity of 500 students. Source: La Canada Unified School District Feasibility Study. Osborn Architects. 1998. 6 IMPLEMENTING A YEAR-ROUND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM A. IMPLEMENTATION STEPS Select schools and grade levels 1. Establish a process for resolving issues 2. Construct a "Pert Chart" for organizing issues, time lines, and responsibilities 3. Meet consultation requirements [ECS 37616] and November 1 public notice 4. deadline [ECS 37611] if needed Working with employee groups, select and approve a calendar 5. Assess the need for facilities modification, including shade modification and 6. storage areas for off-track teachers Submit budget requests to district business office 7. Decide if year-round education will be implemented on a voluntary or 8. mandatory basis for students and employees Develop and approve a track preference and assignment policy for students, 9. keeping in mind the need for same schedules for family members. Balance tracks by ethnicity, ability, socio-economic level, and educational need. Develop and approve a track assignment policy for teachers and staff 10. Determine staff-inservice schedule 11. Institute a YRE informational network for certificated and classified staff and 12. parents Send track-preference notice to parents by early spring 13. Notify parents as soon as possible of track assignment 14. 7 1-0