ROGERS — Students return to class Monday at Eastside Elementary School, which this year is the only school in the district on what is called a continuous-learning calendar.
Students and teachers get shorter breaks spread throughout the year but have the same number of class days and break days as a traditional calendar.
“I love it,” said Rachel Watterson, a fourth-grade teacher who was preparing her classroom Friday. “It’s nice to have breaks. It’s good for everybody.”
Joe Mathias Elementary School is back on a traditional calendar this year after spending four years on the same schedule as Eastside.
Proponents say the continuous-learning schedule prevents the phenomenon known as “summer slide,” the loss of knowledge over long summer breaks.
At A Glance
Eastside Elementary School
2011-12 school year, key dates
• Aug. 1: First day of school
• Oct. 12-16: Break/intersession
• Nov. 21-25 Break
• Dec. 19-30: Break
• March 19-23: Break/intersession
• April 23-May 4: Break
• June 7: Last day of school
Source: Rogers School District
And indeed, Eastside has test scores above the average for the Rogers district, despite having much higher than average populations of students who speak English as a second language or come from lower-income families.
Misty Dawn Newcomb, director of outreach and events for the Department of Education Reform, said in an email she is impressed by the school’s performance.
Eastside students outscored their counterparts at the district and state level in 2010, she said.
It’s unclear whether that’s because of the calendar or other factors, or a combination.
Robin Wilkerson, Eastside principal, said she credits the calendar with at least some of that accomplishment.
She said she wished the whole district were on the continuous-learning schedule, which she said lets teachers and students work hard toward short-term goals, then take breaks.
“We’re not harvesting crops in the summer anymore, so we don’t need to be out for three months,” she said.
Wilkerson’s not sure what the future holds for the school, but said she hopes to keep the continuous calendar as long as she’s principal.
“It’s a needed calendar in the district,” she said. “We need to be able to have that option in our district.”
Stephanie Tangman has three daughters. They live in the Mathias enrollment area, but she’s hoping they can transfer to Eastside as they did last year so they can stay on the continuous calendar.
Tangman said she thinks the year-round schedule helped her daughters do better in school.
“I’m hoping I can get the admin to work something out,” she said.
Eastside has an initial enrollment of 531, up 28 from last year.
Wilkerson attributed that to some students returning to the school from Northside Elementary School, where they transferred for the traditional calendar, and some students moving in to the district.
Amanda Garcia was at the school Thursday night with her fifth-grade son Izaac Haro, to meet Izaac’s teacher.
She said she thinks Eastside’s calendar is a good idea and will perhaps allow teachers to be less rushed.
Izaac said he is happy for the change.
“I think it’s better because you have a lot of breaks,” he said.