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Early classes are difficult
Updated: June 4, 2012 10:47AM
Early classes are difficult
I am opposed to the recently announced plan to start classes in District 86 “early” (Aug. 14, 2013 for the 2013-14 year).
The stated motivation for the proposed early start is the desire to have high school fall final exams prior to the winter holiday. Thus, while such a change will potentially provide a benefit to some students in grades 9-12, it is not clear if there will be a net benefit on average to grade 9-12 students. And, no evidence has been presented to support such a conclusion. Furthermore, such a change will indisputably adversely affect many students and families in kindergarten-eighth grade (as well as some in ninth-12th grade).
There are many adverse consequences of the proposed policy (loss of vacation time during best outdoor weather periods, loss of dedicated time for athletic practices and other extracurricular activities in August, logistical problems with feeder district calendars, spring final exams immediately after Memorial Day) that are too numerous to be discussed in detail here. Moreover, it appears that there has been a total lack of comprehensive analysis done in regard to this issue (no quantitative analyses of costs/benefits are available from District 86). I attended one of the community forums on April 17. Parents in attendance expressed almost uniform opposition to the proposed change in calendar for a variety of sensible reasons, including those noted above.
Based on the information available, the adverse effects of the proposed change in calendar easily exceed the presumed benefits.
Merle Erickson
Hinsdale
