Students dread Labor Day weekend, the last weekend of summer. Soon the last weekend of summer could change.
Henrico County Public Schools has requested a waiver from the Virginia Department of Education, which would allow the county to start and end the school year two weeks early. The waiver would give the school system permission to consider a school year that would run from mid-August to the end of May.
The calendar change would benefit students and teachers who would have more time to prepare for standardized, end-of-course tests. HCPS should definitely consider making the change if the Virginia Department of Education grants the waiver.
Some students who may not want to start school earlier should take into consideration that the length of the school year would be exactly the same.
Because AP tests are on the same date all across the country, students in school districts that start their school year before Henrico County have more time to prepare for the exam. AP Biology teacher Cheryl Boggs, who served on the county calendar committee this year, said that those two extra weeks would not only give more time to cover material and review before the test, but would also help eliminate the wasted time after AP testing. The earlier start time could also benefit other standardized tests such as SOLs and SATs.
Many students do not take the last month of school seriously as the schedule is now, so allowing the school year to end earlier, shortly after most testing is finished, may keep students more focused throughout review and testing.
If the Virginia Department of Education passes the waiver allowing Henrico County to consider starting school two weeks early, Henrico County should vote to do it. The change would benefit students and teachers. More preparation for standardized testing and less wasted time at the end of the school year will probably lead to higher scores and decrease the negative impact of spring fever.
Recent Comments