New Kensington-Arnold adopts new calendar with earlier start, ‘catch-up’ days built in
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The 2023-24 school year will start earlier for students and teachers in the New Kensington-Arnold School District under a new calendar that includes other significant changes.
Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said students were at the “very center” of the calendar’s development.
“The only thing budgets and grant money cannot buy is time,” he said. “With traditional school calendars, time is limited. If we want our learners to do their best, we need to grow many factors for creating a high-quality learning environment.
“There was also a ton of research built into strategies that prevent learning loss that strongly correlate more time with students improving growth and achievement.”
Under the calendar approved by the school board, students will return to classes Wednesday, Aug. 23. That’s six days earlier than the current school year, which started Aug. 29.
Before students, teachers will come back for professional development Thursday, Aug. 17. This school year, they started Aug. 24.
“Teachers typically reported the next week, so the difference is not that significant,” Sefcheck said. “We are starting them earlier so we could build days into the schedule without school for mental health breaks, time for students to catch up with learning and provide opportunities for acceleration beyond the classroom.”
New to the 2023-24 calendar are six “catch-up” days on which there is no school. Those dates are Sept. 25, Oct. 27, Nov. 6, Feb. 16, March 8 and April 12.
“This is a new idea to utilize these days to provide learners with time and resources to accelerate their learning so they can either catch up or accelerate based on individual needs,” Sefcheck said. “They provide faculty and staff with regular interval breaks to help eliminate burnout and mental health triggers. Additionally, this presents opportunities for administration to host in-school suspension, so students aren’t missing class for nonviolent discipline issues.”
Among traditional holidays and breaks, Sefcheck said spring break was increased by three days, March 25 through April 1, “so the energy levels are improved before the end-of-year stretch, when burnout experienced by both students and staff is highest,” Sefcheck said.
Before students return, a back-to-school festival — a half-day clerical day and half-day open house — will be held Aug. 21.
“The festival serves as a celebratory return to school,” Sefcheck said. “We are hoping our clubs, activities and athletics can offer fun games and activities with our families and students.”
The first three days of the school year will be dedicated to benchmarking assessments: math and science Aug. 23, English and social studies on Aug. 24, and electives and humanities Aug. 25.
By testing students at the start of the year on things they don’t yet know, Sefcheck said, schools will be able to show what they learn over the course of the year.
The last three days of school, June 3-5, 2024 are designated for final exams, with graduation June 5 and the last day for students June 6.
Sefcheck said he worked with the New Kensington-Arnold Education Association, the district’s teachers union, in developing the calendar.
Former association president Ashley Pujol, a health and physical education teacher, raised concerns about temperatures in schools that don’t have air conditioning. Sefcheck said the district is working on “air handling,” but air conditioning is not part of that.
Teachers will be permitted to dress comfortably and casually, Sefcheck said.
Current association President Andy DeAntonio said the union will not challenge the calendar, but said there would be an “ongoing conversation” about its details.
DeAntonio would not detail any of the union’s concerns with the calendar. He said the union wanted to ensure that the process under their contract allowing them the opportunity to comment was followed, which he said happened.