Modified School Calendars

Reasons for Policy

• Long summer vacation breaks may lead to poor information retention and lower academic scores. ²
• Children that speak a language other than English at home may lose the English skills they learned during the school year while on a long summer break. ²
• The United States has one of the lowest number of school days among industrialized nations. ²

Community Groups

• Local Government
• Local Private/Charter Schools
• Local School Board
• Local School District
• Parent Teacher's Association
• School Counselors
• School District
• School Officers
• Teacher's Union

Policy Components

• Modified calendar schedule (e.g., 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off; 12 weeks on, 4 weeks off)
• Educational activities offered during intersession

Desired Outcomes

• Improved information retention
• Increased achievement scores
• Improved attitude toward school
• Improved accessibility to remedial and/or enrichment programs during breaks

For all policies we describe on this website, we have applied the Standards of Evidence as defined by Flay et al. (2005) in the Standards of Evidence document published by Prevention Science. ¹

The levels of effectiveness as noted are: 1 = meets criteria for policy effectiveness (consistent, positive outcomes from at least two high-quality experimental or quasi-experimental trials using a comparison group or interrupted time series design); 2 = consistent evidence available linking policy with positive outcomes from high-quality observational studies only; 3 = insufficient evidence available for policy or policy components.

Level of Evidence Available to Evaluate Effectiveness of Policy

For all policies we describe on this website, we have applied the Standards of Evidence as defined by Flay et al. (2005) in the Standards of Evidence document published by Prevention Science.

The effectiveness level of this policy is 1: Evidence-Based Policies Meeting Criteria for Effectiveness.

The levels of effectiveness as noted are:

1. meets criteria for policy effectiveness (consistent, positive outcomes from at least two high-quality experimental or quasi-experimental trials using a comparison group or interrupted time series design);
2. consistent evidence available linking policy with positive outcomes from high-quality observational studies only;
3. insufficient evidence available for policy or policy components.

Achievable Results

The following summary of achievable results is based on a published review of the scientific evidence.

On average, a modified school calendar can achieve:

• Small improvements in academic achievement scores (effect size: 0.11) ²

More than 80% of teachers, parents, students, administrators and staff favor a modified school calendar. ²

Community Examples

• Fairfax County Public Schools (Virginia) instituted a modified school calendar in seven of its elementary schools http://www.fcps.edu/about/modifiedcal.htm.

• Salt Lake City School District (Utah) allows schools to create a modified school calendar http://www.slc.k12.ut.us/schools/#special

Links to Policy Examples

• Fairfax County Public Schools Regulations 1345.1 and 1345.2. http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/0/eaebbfbbda0e379985256fcd005aadd3/$FILE/P1345.pdf http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/0/99dd7a6a94e44572852571fd00659bd5/$FILE/R1345.pdf
• Salt Lake City School District Board Policy I-6.

Be sure to check with your state, county, and municipal governments regarding existing laws that may impede new policy development.

References