Glory Reitz
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has selected Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) as one of three Florida school districts for its Year-Round School Pilot Program. For the next four years, Metcalfe and Rawlings Elementary Schools will follow a year-round calendar.
The participating schools will still run the same 180 days of instruction, but the school year would begin in July, with shorter breaks distributed throughout the year. Metcalfe and Rawlings will implement the new calendar in July, and it will run through the 2028-29 school year.
“As a former teacher and principal, I saw so many students who lost a lot of ground academically over the summer,” Superintendent Shane Andrew said in a press release. “I’m excited about the great potential this program has to provide the students at Metcalfe and Rawlings with the consistent support they need to keep learning throughout the year.”
The schools will make “every effort” to align the new calendars with existing holiday breaks, according to an ACPS release. The district will also adjust school transportation, meals, after school programs and other schedules.
In May 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 891 into law, which the Florida House of Representatives and Senate had both passed unanimously. The new law established a pilot program to test year-round schooling. Participating schools will provide data about the results of the changed calendar to FDOE, which will then make recommendations to the governor and Legislature about possible expansion of the program.
The district applied for the program with goals of improving academic performance, behavior and attendance at the two elementary schools. The district highlighted more opportunities for ongoing academic support and targeted intervention, continuity and structure, and a reduction of learning loss that occurs over a long summer break.
Marion County, Brevard County and P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville will also participate in the program.
Principals at Metcalfe and Rawlings discussed the program with members of their school community before the applications were approved.
“They’re definitely open to the potential benefits, but of course they’re also interested in hearing the details,” Metcalfe principal Christiana Robbins said in the district press release. “We want to make a long-lasting impact on our students’ achievement, and this could be the answer that everyone is looking for.”
School Board Member Kay Abbitt said she also will be looking for more details, and that the way the program is implemented will be the key to its success.
“I think a lot depends on how they do it,” Abbitt said in a phone interview. “If the district just changes the schedule but doesn’t change other things, I don’t think it’s going to make that much of a difference.”
Since the state created the year-round pilot program, Abbitt has been advocating for ACPS’s application in school board meetings. She has told other board members that the district needs to try new, different educational methods to improve student achievement.
Abbitt said smaller breaks throughout the school year should help refresh students and teachers without summer learning loss, but that the need for new methods does not stop at a simple change of schedule.
Abbitt said the schools should build on the pilot program by extending their school days and compensating their teachers for the extra time, and that they should make sure all members of the administration and staff want to be involved with the new schedule.
Abbitt also acknowledged that not all parents and students want to be involved with a year-round schedule, and that she hopes there may be some flexibility for students to opt in or out.
“We could definitely make a lot of growth and be a model for other districts in the state, if it’s done correctly,” Abbitt said.
This was tried years ago. It didn’t work. Instead of changing a school year, why not change the curriculum. Get rid of DEI and Gender studies and concentrate on the basics of math, science and English. Improve discipline in the class room so that children actually learn because they can hear (has anyone been inside any of these schools during school hours? The noise level is unbelievable. There is a reason why libraries maintain silence and homework should be done with the TV off). Actually train teacher to TEACH instead of indoctrinate. Parents are abandoning public school by the thousands in favor of private, religious and home school options because the public school system has failed and it has NOTHING to do with the way the school year is arranged. All you will do is create misfunctioning families who are trying to coordinate their all-year elementary children with their middle and high school children and their own work schedule for time off and child care. You all have very short memories. Go back and study what happened to this plan years ago.
What’s wrong with teaching children about diversity, equality, and inclusion? And can you confirm they are teaching “gender studies” in Alachua County middle schools? It sounds like you’re just making that up because that’s what you want to believe. Maybe if you’d have paid attention in school, you’d have learned how to separate facts from opinion, but if you have any concrete evidence for any of your claims it would be great to see them in writing.
Where’d you go to college, by the way? Just curious.
I agree with Sam, 100%. What in the world is wrong with teaching about diversity, equality, and inclusion? And the rest of the objection–noise level, parents “by the thousands” abandoning real schools in favor of “private, religious and home school options”–I just don’t believe that.
University-level teacher education programs do a darn good job at teaching how to teach. My two granddaughters both graduated from public schools, received a good education and are now doing fine, thank you.
If, indeed, some families are opting for expensive non-public education, I would first suspect the politicization of public schools–governors and legislatures forcing schools to become culture warriors, book-banning organizations such as Moms for Liberty and other such interference in the education process–to be the cause.
This is a good initiative but parents need to be more involved at home to capitalize on any educational program. Most schools around the world do more than 180 days per year – that should be considered in the future as well.
I’m glad they’re worried about school performance and appearance, but this kind of ‘lowest common denominator’ is going to take a toll on those students that are over-achievers. Teaching kids to never take breaks isn’t a good plan.