by Stuart Singer, The Teacher Leader

The solution was a blending of one of those highly beneficial “little things” with the proven advantages of increased time and student success.  Mel Riddile in his role as a high school principal was determined to provide his teachers and students more time to prepare for the state of Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) exams that were required for graduation.  It is a story that deserves to be told because it demonstrates the difficulties that can be encountered when trying to implement new ideas in education.  It is a vivid illustration that making such changes requires courageous and determined leadership.

An Arcane System

For decades Virginia has had the quaint belief that the school year should not commence until after Labor Day.  This practice known as “The Kings Dominion Rule” is primarily the result of lobbying by the vacation industry.  This policy created a school year in 2009-10 that began on September 8 and ended on June 24.  The number of scheduled days (180) was similar to many states.  But due to the decision to delay the start of classes until after the first Monday in September, these students were placed at a serious disadvantage. The most glaring discrepancy revolved around the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams.  These tests are strictly administered on dates determined by AP and IB.  Consequently last year any district in the country that began classes two weeks, three weeks or a month prior to September 8, gave every one of their students that much additional class time to prepare for the same competitive test with the ones in Virginia. 

Finding a Better Way

An obvious solution to this disparity is to start school earlier.  The question is how could this be accomplished?  More than a decade ago Mel Riddile began to look for the answer.  In previous years our district had discussed the possibility of requesting an exemption to the “After Labor Day” rule from the state. On at least one occasion they were given the opportunity to do so, but declined.  Thus, it was apparent exceptions could be made and after a bit of research it was discovered that more than 50% of the districts in the state were quietly beginning classes one to two weeks prior to the traditional starting date.  The implications of this discovery went well beyond the AP and IB exams.  The SOL testing program had set testing “windows” each year and beginning school earlier in the year would give students additional time to prepare for those exams as well.  While an extra two weeks of instruction for the advanced students was helpful, ten more school days for students in the core SOL courses could well be the difference between success and failure.  This concept, which would trade two weeks of school that would occur after the testing for two weeks of instruction prior to the exams was greeted with strong enthusiasm from several teachers who were consulted on the idea.  The quest was about to begin.

Hurdle after Hurdle after Hurdle

The plan was not drastic.  It did not add school days to the year—it was to start and end school two weeks earlier.  But in order to make this somewhat modest adjustment Mel was required to jump through numerous educational hoops.  He would have to petition the local school board to receive permission to then get the approval of the faculty and the community to the proposed change.  He would also have to convince the middle school feeder to agree to the same adjustments.  

The explanation to the faculty included the following points.  In addition to the increased class time prior to the exams, it was noted that a large portion of the student body and staff was in the building by that time anyway.  Every fall sport began practices prior to school as did the band, drill team, newspaper staff, etc.  Anyone who walked through the school on a typical August 15 would feel as though the session had already begun.  Moreover, any experienced teacher was well aware of the decline in student performance that occurred every year with the influx of warm weather after the first few weeks of May.  But old, entrenched educational habits do not die easily.  While nearly everyone clearly understood the academic advantages to having a two-week head start, the concept of the school year beginning in mid-August was difficult for some to accept.   Only after endless meetings and long explanations did Mel get the support of the community and staff.  Then he had to travel to the state school board to get their okay.  Eventually they agreed to the idea but only for a limited amount of time.

A Few Setbacks, a Bunch of Gains

The district did not make the transition easy.  They required the school to have the same end dates for grading periods as the other schools.  Thus the first quarter was significantly longer and the last very truncated.   In-service programs prior to the start of the year were not made available to the faculty unless they took leave during the first few weeks of school.  Priority processing for summer school results was not given.  But the overall positive impact was easy to see.

It was quickly apparent that starting school after Labor Day had no magical qualities.  But by the second week the school was running smoothly and the staff began to appreciate the advantages to implementing lesson plans earlier in the year.  Teachers would consistently report covering more curriculum and having more review time than in previous years.  And the fact that the school year ended on June 3 was a bonus.

And Then It Was Gone

There is no way to quantitatively measure the benefits of the two-week early start.  Perhaps the best way to determine the positive impact occurred after Mel had left the school.  The program had been extended several times past the original termination date given by the state.  The new principal, however, was not committed to the idea and her perceived disadvantages were cited on a regular basis.  Even so, the staff was polled on several occasions and each time the vast majority of the votes were in favor of keeping the early start.  But with the loss of Mel’s intensity and tenacity, the concept was scrapped in 2009, ostensibly due to district budget concerns, which were never fully explained.  How this change will affect student success should be very interesting.