District Calendar Review Task Force
Recommendations – June 2021
Purpose Statement
The school calendar, including professional learning days, teacher workdays, snow days, late starts, start and end times, are guided by state statute, State Board of Education, Colorado Department of Education, Academy District 20 Board of Education Policy and Administrative Policy. Over the past few years questions have surfaced, warranting further investigation into several aspects of the current Academy District 20 school year calendar.
Additionally, research shows that providing time for teachers to collaborate around learning standards/targets, common assessments, and lesson planning can produce better outcomes for student achievement and growth. Individual District 20 schools have developed unique school plans to allow time for Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to meet during the regular workday, but no consistent district-wide plan has been developed to allow for school-to-school consistency and advance communication through the published district calendar.
Therefore, the District Calendar Review Task Force was formed, and, using the Collaborative Input Model, developed recommendations relative to the implementing of PLC time in the school year calendar and recommending number and placement of professional learning days, teacher workdays, start and end times, and instructional use of snow days/delayed starts to comply with statutes, regulations, rules, policies, and employment contracts of the state and district.
Meeting Dates
March 18, 2021
April 1, 2021
April 15, 2021
May 6, 2021
May 20, 2021
Task Force Members
Pam Abbs, ASD20 Parent (Middle School)
Valerie Angelo, ASD20 Student – Challenger Middle School
Michael Arsenault, Human Resources
Alexia Bastiaansen, ASD20 Parent (High School)
Mary Elsner, Administrative Assistant
Susan Field, Assistant Superintendent for Learning Services
Tiffany Hulsey, ASD20 Parent (Elementary School)
Anne Hund, ASD20 Parent (Elementary School)
Donna Hussain, Classroom Teacher – Timberview Middle School
Tracy John, Finance Department
Jonathan Johnson, Principal – Legacy Peak Elementary School
Brittany Johnson, ASD20 Parent (Elementary School)
Dawn Klock, Academic Support – Chinook Trail Elementary School
Robin Lowery, Principal – Edith Wolford Elementary School
Belinda Lujan-Lindsey, Executive Director – Special Education
Amy Magnone, Classroom Teacher – Discovery Canyon Elementary School
Adrienne Morey, Principal – Douglass Valley Elementary School
Michelle Poss, ASD20 Parent (High School)
Mario Romero, Principal – Discovery Canyon Middle School
Karissa Rytting, Classroom Teacher – Eagleview Middle School
Elizabeth Schlichter, Classroom Teacher – Air Academy High School
Brett Smith, Principal – Timberview Middle School
Jim Smith, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services
Matthew Stanley, ASD20 Parent (Middle School)
Ron Sukle, Athletic Director/AP – Discovery Canyon High School
Alan Thimmig, Principal – Liberty High School
Laurie Uddenberg, Registrar – Chinook Trail Middle School
Matt Wibbels, Classroom Teacher – Pine Creek High School
Goal Statement
Committee members will provide informed recommendations to the superintendent for:
Implementing consistent PLC times in the school calendar, with a frequency of no more than two such occurrences per month, beginning in the 2021-22 academic year.
Maintaining compliance with existing instructional time requirements, teacher work year contracts, and transportation parameters are expected.
Establishing start and end times for all levels (elementary, middle, and high school).
Utilizing eLearning on inclement weather days, to avoid loss of required instructional time.
The placement of teacher professional learning days throughout the school year.
The placement of teacher workdays on the calendar.
Task Force Recommendations
Recommendation #1: Inclement Weather
Build in two traditional snow days and 5 E-Learning days (10 hours of contact time for 2-hour delay portion of the E-Learning day) due to inclement weather. Use one traditional snow day per semester and use E-Learning days for additional days of inclement weather.
On E-Learning days, secondary students and teachers would have an E-Learning Day, Primary teachers would have a workday, Primary students would have a traditional snow day.
Snow Days/E-Learning days will be called as soon as possible but no later than 5am.
Activities and sports would not automatically get cancelled when an E-Learning day is called. This decision will wait to be decided until 1:00pm that day, by the District Athletic Director.
Recommended Timeline: Start of the 2021-2022 school year
Recommendation #2: Professional Learning Communities
2-hour late start twice a month on Wednesday for Professional Learning Communities (PLC). This will be built into the school calendar, while also tending to weeks for conferences, testing, and short weeks due to time off.
Teachers would be expected to collaborate on other weeks as part of their on-going school PLC time.
Principals set accountability for PLCs, provide structure, guidance and on-going training for the groups to utilize.
Prior to the start of the 2021-2022 school year, survey the community to gage perception as to concerns and feedback for bi-weekly late starts.
Recommended Timeline: Start of the 2021-2022 school year
Recommendation #3: Start and End Times for all levels
In order to support the recommendations of the PLC and weather groups, the start and end time group recommends that an additional 10 minutes be added to the school day for the 2021-2022 SY. This time would need to be consistent between levels (ie end of the school day) but would need to look at site specific needs due to current start and end times (i.e., no later than 3:45).
Any addition of time would be carried out with the intent of stabilizing the end date for the school year (no floating end date).
Impacts to pay and schedules for non-exempt staff will need to be explored to confirm there are not budgetary impacts or changes to calendars.
To make a complete system change to start and end times at all levels, this group proposes a separate task force to be formed to research, plan, and communicate the change(s).
Recommended Timeline: Start of the 2021-2022 school year