11/9/98
Opelika * Auburn News* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*11/9/98
Letter: Reader has seen YRS
My family and I have followed the Auburn City School's discussion of Year Round School (alternative calendar, extended calendar, etc.) with great interest. It is extremely apparent that none of the principal players in this drama have any first-hand experience with this concept.
We, on the other hand, have actual experience with this alternative and would like to share our perspective with Auburn's School Board and the community. My husband and I are both dedicated secondary educators. Our experience with YRS was not a pleasant one for us as educators or our children who were also involved in this experimental fiasco. I've always kept meticulous, thorough records on my students and followed their progress closely. As secondary educators, my husband and I experienced vastly negative results, especially in the areas of absenteeism and grades. We saw the negative effect on students' jobs and extracurricular activities.
Our children were most hurt by the disruption of their normal summer activities, such as not being able to attend Boy Scout camps, extended art camps like Interlochen or march drum and bugle corps. They were not isolated instances. The administration excused the inability of gifted students to attend college summer sessions away from home by saying, "A few will be hurt." Why should we punish our gifted and talented students?
The proponents of this system relentlessly pushed it down our throats, promising pie-in-the-sky results of greater retention, higher test scores, etc. None of this could be delivered. Consider for a moment that rather than briefly reviewing once in the fall after a single long summer break, suddenly there were three extended "breaks."
Now we had to review previous materials in the fall, after fall break, after a lengthened Christmas break and again after an extended spring break. We had more time spent in cumulative testing, since we had to test each nine weeks rather than administering semester exams. They had figured out that these students couldn't retain it for a semester with a three-week break in it. The system not only did away with semester examinations, but lowered the grade scale. Even with these modifications, we actually had more failures and fewer straight "A" students than before when we had used the standard schedule.
The "breaks" not only impacted the learning process, but were disruptive. Any teacher can describe a classroom before and after a holiday break. YRS is not an easy transition, but rather a disruptive pattern that breaks up the flow of instruction and learning. The discipline problems in the classroom increased due to this disruptive pattern.
None of the proponents of YRS want to discuss any of the negative findings of large school systems that have disliked it so much that they have returned to the traditional calendar. Reasons for the return to the standard practice have included the high cost involved, ineffectiveness in raising test scores or grades, increased absenteeism and discipline problems caused by the lack of continuity.
These are factual findings. I won't even touch the personal impact to familiesÛfinancially or personally. Most of the proponents of YRS in the various systems would like to be perceived as "movers and shakers," but remember that earthquakes move and shake and it is not all positive in effect. I have no vested interest in this issue. My concern is purely for the welfare of the students, parents and the community upon which this experimental change will be foisted. My children do not attend school in the system, nor do my husband and I teach in the system. We, however, know from our experience that it is NOT a positive addition to the education of a community's youth. When asked by someone how I liked YRS, I simply stated, "WE MOVED ! ! "
Please think upon these things as you make a decision that may ultimately alter the lives of thousands of young people, their families and the community.
Marian PeoplesOpelika