K-6 students who need reading intervention to catch-up. 

This is a starting point to address the key issue of reading, which impacts a student's ability to perform well in many other subjects. We would like to expand to additional grades in future year.

Special education students would be able to attend school and receive individualized instruction during the intersession weeks if they are not on track for their individual learning plans. 

After-school tutoring programs are typically less effective than intersessions because of:

• student fatigue after a full day of school
• transportation challenges
• inconsistency of student and instructor attendance.

Teachers start one week earlier, on August 26.
Students start two weeks earlier, on August 2.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Breaks are the same.

This calendar adds in an intersession week in the fall and spring.
Students and teachers end the same week.
The Elementary and secondary school days would end earlier.

Intersessions are pre-planned weeks where students who are behind academically can receive instruction. The weeks are breaks for all other students.

MISD first presented an alternative “intersessional” calendar to the Board in the spring as a way to combat potential closures due to COVID-19. Now, we are exploring the calendar for academic purposes, as a way to provide intervention for students who need it.

A calendar like the one proposed allows pre-built blocks of time (the “intersessions”) for academic support. It maximizes opportunities for academic growth.

For students who struggle in a particular area, rather than getting further and further behind until summer school is necessary in some cases, these blocks of time allow teachers to address learning gaps early in the year. And because learning is cumulative, it prevents gaps from growing as the year progresses.

The impact of summer slide may create a gap of up to 3 grade levels for low income students by 5th grade. "The bulk of the research speaks to the fact that lower-income students do better on the balanced [extended] calendar." Source: TEA, HB3 in 30: Additional Days School Year Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyKYj5VrBeA. District Administration May 2016 https://districtadministration.com/schools-say-goodbye-to-the-long-summer/?highlight=balanced%20calendar

Innovative calendar models have been employed at districts around Texas for many years. Districts including Clint ISD, Socorro ISD, Spring ISD, Alief ISD and Coolidge ISD already utilize a calendar like this. “School leaders are increasingly adjusting their calendars, with more than 3,700 public schools operating year-round in 2011, according to a 2014 Congressional report. In addition, at least 30 states have schools operating on the alternative calendar.” Source: District Administration May 2016 https://districtadministration.com/schools-say-goodbye-to-the-long-summer/?highlight=balanced%20calendar

Some of the benefits reported from Socorro ISD include:

• The fall and spring intersessions are used for both enrichment and acceleration opportunities. They are "optional, but highly encouraged." Most students in the district participate because there is something for everyone, regardless of their levels of need.
• Prior to an intersession, parents receive a letter indicating the type of intersession offered to their student(s) based upon progress thus far in the year.
• These periods of time allow several opportunities in the year to catch up rather than participating in the "STAAR Boot Camp" models that many districts use right before STAAR to try to accelerate learning in one fell swoop. Students learn better because they have multiple chances to catch up throughout the year rather than spending their time all year trying to catch up.
• Deeper opportunities for students who are on track are embedded during this time. 
• The length of the school day is adjusted during the intersession periods. They run from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. This gives parents the opportunities to make doctor appointments, dentist appointments, etc. without missing school.

The curriculum is the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), or the standards that are outlined for each grade level and content area.  The resources used to teach the TEKS would be an extension of the classroom and district-supported resources that help teachers differentiate based on student need.

Midland ISD would work with our child care partner Right at School to offer an option to parents similar to what is currently offered during school holidays.

Currently, some sports like football and basketball have practices or games during school holidays. Others start practice in the summer before classes resume. The same would be true under an intersessional calendar model. Even if the district was closed for an intersession week, teams could still practice and compete.