Year Round Education . . . the name given to year-round education, a pilot project implemented by the Indianola School District.
This web site is a source of information for the Indianola School District's pilot Year-Round Education program. With a successful two-year trial run at Irving Elementary School, the district voted to continue the program and expand it to two sections per grade, kindergarten through fifth, if there are sufficient numbers.
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Student Amber Alexander: "I am so glad we have year-round. So is my mom. I like it because I have something to do in the summer instead of going swimming all the time." Student Jesse Sinclair: "I like year-round school because you get breaks every nine weeks and during those breaks you can have a vacation. During the three week breaks you can go to intersessions for one or two weeks! Intersessions are fun: One subject, half a day school." Teacher Scott Bandy: "My fifth grade students often times still think they are in fourth grade due to the continuous learning model that year-round education presents." T.A.G. teacher Kathy Glenn: "When I'm teaching T.A.G. classes in the summer, I open them to the traditional students as well, providing more opportunities for all." |
Parent Lisa Green: "I do believe the time for year-round education has come. My daughter is part of what I hope will be the education wave of the future." Parent Dixie Olsen: "Intersessions helped my children catch up." Parent Lisa Gray: "Summer is just a season. It would be educationally backward to go the other way." Principal Dee Allen: "It is a different atmosphere because it is summer, but teachers still get all the curriculum taught." Student Katy Dyer: "I get to have school on my birthday." Student Emily Cory: "I like it because my teacher is nice and I have a lot of nice kids in my class and I like school." |
- YRE Education is a choice.
- Multi-age grouping is cone for special projects.
- Students can participate in summer community activities.
- Students can take field trips to places during July and August.
- Students can improve student learning and test scores.
- Students spend less time reviewing.
- Family vacations at times other than June, July and August.
- There is more individual help due to the number of student volunteers available.
- There is more continuity in classroom routines and study habits.
- Intersessions offer expanded learning or remediation.
Because we begin in July, Year Round Education has been able to make use of a variety of volunteers.
Students from grades six through nine, who are on the traditional calendar, were recruited through the TAG program to become Teachers' Assistants. During the summer months, they helped by reading and listening to first grade students, and assisting teachers in other grades. This gave them an idea of how it might feel to be a teacher as well as providing valuable assistance.
Students from the high school service learning classes also were available to provide help.
Students from Simpson and Upper Iowa University volunteered and/or received their student teaching training.
Parents and people from the community continued the volunteer help during the months after traditional classes had begun.
Intersessions offer 20 additional days to improve reading and math skills or extracurricular courses. They offer multi-age grouping in an informal, relaxed atmosphere.
Intersessions, which are optional, are offered for two weeks of the fall and spring breaks. Remedial classes are free. There is a charge for enrichment classes.
Year Round Education 1997 Fall Intersessions offered the following choices. The first session was devoted to cooking, which included making apple cider, cookie and cake decorating, and the production of a cookbook. The second session centered on wildlife and conservation, which included working with a conservationist, the zoo, fishing, bird watching and nature crafts.
- Q. Does that mean the children go to school EVERY DAY of the year?
A. No, students enrolled in Year Round Education attend school 180 days of the year the same number in the standard school year. The breaks, or vacation days, fall at different times.
- Q. How does the schedule differ from the "regular" year?
A. The standard year has students attending nine months of the year, with three months vacation. Students in the Year Round Education option attend school for nine weeks and have three weeks off, alternating throughout the year with six weeks off in the summer.
- Q. When do the vacations occur?
A. In addition to sharing the first six weeks of the summer with those students on a standard calendar, Year Round Education students have the same Christmas break plus an additional week. They also have the spring break week in common, with an additional two weeks.
- Q. What are the advantages of shorter learning terms?
A. Currently, students who attend nine months and have three months off spend several weeks of the new school year reviewing what they learned in the previous spring semester. Those students with shorter breaks between learning terms retain information learned and can start a new term with fresh challenges.
- Q. What do the children do during the three weeks off?
A. During two weeks of the fall and spring breaks, optional intersession classes are offered. Children may register for morning or full-day sessions.
- Q. What is the cost to the children for intersessions?
A. Half-day sessions are $35 per week; full-days are $65. This is in line with the cost of daycare, which is $70-75 per week.
- Q. What if a family wants to take a vacation during the breaks?
A. Intersessions are optional. Children may spend their breaks with their families.
- Q. What if parents have children in other buildings, such as middle school or high school?
A. Parents who have had students in this type of situation have enjoyed more one-on-one time with their children. Also, vacations are scheduled so that all children have the same Christmas break, spring break, and first six weeks of summer together.
- Q. When did the program start?
A. The Year Round Education pilot project began July 17, 1996.
- Q. How do I get more information?
A. Contact:
Dee Allen, Principal Irving Elementary School 500 West Clinton Indianola, Iowa 50125 515-961-9560
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Indianola Community Network Last updated on February 26, 1999 |