The RISD is seeking community input to finalize the school calendar for next year, after three years of using a system which all agree is imperfect – semester exams are given after the Christmas holidays.

To recap, as the state adds to the required number of instructional days and the mommy contingent (and the leisure lobby) fights to keep summer from ending too soon in August, districts have grappled with a math word problem: If schools must administer 176 instructional days but they may not begin before late August, should they have exams halfway through the year (in January after winter break) or schedule them for the week before the holidays and create lopsided semesters?

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I’ve already expressed my opinion here on the blog. Kids need the holidays to rest, rejuvenate, and experience life. Lots of LH kids go on mission trips, join youth ministry ski trips, catch up on reading for pleasure, visit Grandma, or travel with their families. These activities are valuable – to their education, to their life, and to their happiness. However, in today’s competitive world of applying to college and seeking scholarship dollars, taking two weeks off just before finals is just too risky – many will forgo the fun to hole up in their room with their textbooks.

On the other hand, exams before Christmas means semesters are divided unevenly. If you take Economics first semester and I take it in the second, you had 79 days of instruction to my 97. Also unfair, since we may be competing for that lost spot in the top ten percent.

Of course, we’re not the only district to grapple with the question. Highland Park and Plano give exams before Christmas, while McKinney and Coppell hold them afterward. RISD has been studying these and other districts in an effort to find the best fit for us. There’s a way to craft a school year that helps our students stay competitive, while fostering a well-balanced life of varied enrichment experiences, and now it’s time for RISD trustees to find it. Deputy Superintendent Patti Kieker looks forward to hearing your vote. After studying Option 1 here and Option 2 here, you may email her here to give your opinion.


Author

  • Carol Toler

    Blogger CAROL TOLER and her husband, Toby, are the parents of four LHHS graduates. She has an MBA from SMU and is the proud recipient of the Exchange Club of LH's Unsung Hero Award and Councilman McGough's Blake Anderson Public Service Award. She received LHHS PTA's Extended Service Award, FMJH PTA's Charger Award and a Life Membership from the LHFC PTA. She has moderated candidate debates for Dallas Mayor, Dallas City Council and RISD Trustee races and taught seminars on garnering publicity for nonprofits. She completed training with Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation and Inside RISD, and she's a sustaining member of LH Women's League. She has served on the boards of After8 to Educate, Dallas Free Press, Healing Hands Ministries and Camp Sweeney and chaired fundraisers for multiple Dallas nonprofits. Email ctoler@advocatemag.com.