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MISD discusses potential changes to the academic calendar

The MISD board met Monday to discuss the benefits and issues of moving to an intersessional calendar.

MIDLAND, Texas — Midland Independent School District had a lengthy discussion when the topic of the academic calendar came up during their board meeting. 

The point of discussion? Switching over to an intersessional calendar for the next school year.

One thing that the school board made clear: this does not mean that school will last year-round. If the move was made to switch over, school would start earlier in August and end in early June.

"That basically has the same number of student days, but what you’ll see right off and what I'll explain is that they’re just plotted differently to accommodate different needs," said Jill Rivera, MISD Executive Director of Professional Development.

The move to the intersessional calendar is not meant to only have a positive impact on the students. It should also help the teachers recharge and continue teaching with the same vigor and energy they brought at the beginning of each semester.

"Typically there is a teacher slide that begins in October. The teachers come in so fast coming out of professional development and coming into the calendar year that there is a significant energy dip that begins to occur."

One sample calendar presented to the board had designated two weeks in October and one week in March for intersessions that would allow students to catch up on any material they may be falling behind in.

The teachers who would be reteaching that material would also be compensated accordingly, whether that be a stipend or some other form of compensation.

"This calendar advances how we want to navigate, how hard we push the rigor and the learning, when you get your breaks, how we maximize student time. There is no intersession time built in on a traditional calendar so I have to keep kids either in the morning or at lunch or after school to help maximize what gaps and deficits they may have or bring them on a Saturday."

No decision was made as to whether or not MISD would switch over to an intersessional calendar. The board would like to send out surveys to families before coming to any kind of decision. However, they could reach a decision in June.

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