FAYETTEVILLE -- Two schools operating on the continuous learning calendar likely will return to the traditional one this fall in hopes of boosting attendance.
The principals of Asbell Elementary and Owl Creek schools told the School Board on Thursday they believe making the switch will boost student attendance rates.
Surveys
Percentages of staff and parents at Asbell Elementary School and Owl Creek School who indicated they prefer the traditional academic calendar over the continuous learning calendar, according to the schools’ recent surveys.
Asbell Elementary School
Staff: 66%
Parents: 50%
Owl Creek School
Staff: 66%
Parents: 54%
Source: Fayetteville School District
Board members will vote on the proposal at their meeting next month. No members expressed opposition to it Thursday.
Asbell, Owl Creek and Happy Hollow Elementary School operate on the continuous learning calendar. These schools get an additional week off during both the fall and spring semesters, but summer break starts two weeks later than it does on the traditional calendar.
That presents attendance problems late in the school year, said Asbell Principal Tracy Bratton. Some children go to live with grandparents outside the region during the summer months, and they leave at the same time their siblings on the traditional calendar get out of school.
Summer camps, traveling and custody agreements also play a role in decreased attendance late in the year, according to Bratton.
"A lot of it also is student attitude toward the end," Bratton said. "In June it's hard to come to school, especially when your big brother or big sister is not attending. We just want all of our students to have access to as many days of education as possible, and this really has been impacting our attendance over the last few years."
Brandon Craft, Owl Creek's principal, said his school has many international students whose parents are pursuing advanced degrees at the University of Arkansas. Once the parents finish their semester in May, they often return to their home countries to maximize their summer vacation, he said.
"So we'll have a number of students who leave campus around May 5, May 10, when we still have 20 days of school," Craft said.
Student attendance is one of numerous factors that make up each school's Every Student Succeeds Act Index Score, which is used to compare schools on their achievement levels.
Craft said the continuous learning calendar, compared to the traditional one, also leaves his school with five fewer days to prepare students for standardized tests in the spring.
"It doesn't seem like much, but for some of our kids, that five days can mean quite a bit of difference," he said.
Asbell has been on the continuous learning calendar since 2008. Owl Creek has been on it since 2014.
Happy Hollow Elementary School has operated on the continuous learning calendar for more than 20 years and will remain on it for at least another year, said Superintendent John L Colbert.
"We're going to revisit their calendar. We do that every year," Colbert said. "And now with (Asbell and Owl Creek) coming off that, we're probably going to look at things a little closer, and evaluate and look at the benefits that we're receiving from that."
Some teachers and students appreciate the continuous learning calendar because the more frequent breaks help them avoid burnout, Bratton said. The shorter summer also may help students retain what they learned from one school year to the next, she said.
Administrators, however, haven't seen any conclusive evidence the continuous learning calendar has a positive impact on academic achievement, Colbert said.
The Bentonville and Rogers school districts both used to have at least one school on a continuous learning calendar, but both districts eliminated it within the past few years. Arkansas Arts Academy, a charter school in Rogers, switched to the continuous learning calendar two years ago.
NW News on 01/24/2020