Description:

On July 8, 2019, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) began implementing the Innovative School Calendar (ISC) at Arcola and Roscoe R. Nix (Nix) elementary schools. The initiative extends the school year calendar by 30 days to increase students' exposure to academic content and access to innovative and enriched content and social-emotional learning programs. This report presents the findings from the first two years of implementation, 2019-2020 through 2020-2021.  Surveys, interviews, and document reviews provided information on the initiative's implementation, as well as the experiences and perceptions of stakeholders.  The report also evaluates the effect of an extended academic calendar on student performance in reading and math.

Recommendations:

1. Move up timelines for staffing and recruitment procedures at ISC schools.
2. Collaborate with the Office of Curriculum and Instruction to develop specific guidance on delivering the various curricula and related professional learning during the summer learning months.
3. Provide staff with larger blocks of time off, particularly in the first quarter and at the end of the school year.

File Name: ISC Summary Eval Rpt Dec2021_FINAL.pdf (11.1MB PDF)