| Summary: | This study was designed to investigate changes, if any, in the curriculum design of reading and/or language arts and arithmetic, student scheduling, student attendance, staffing patterns, expenditure patterns, reporting procedures and attitudes of parents, students and teachers for three years prior to and one year following implementation of 45-15 year-round programming. A review of the current literature, at that time, revealed that four school districts met the above time criteria. The four school districts were as follows: Francis Howell School District, St. Charles County, Missouri; Mora Public Schools, Mora, Minnesota; Valley View School District, Romeoville, Illinois and the Prince William County Public Schools, Manassas, Virginia. Representatives of the four school districts were then contacted by telephone and by written correspondence as to their (1) willingness to participate and (2) the amount of data available. Only two school districts, Francis Howell and the Mora Public Schools, had sufficient data available to participate. Each school district had one elementary school (grades 1-6) which was operating on a 45-15 year-round schedule. They were the Becky David Elementary School from the Francis Howell School District and Fairview Elementary School from the Mora Public Schools.
A Data Collection Instrument was developed and mailed to the two selected school districts. In addition to the Data Collection Instrument, telephone conversations end written communication, district evaluation reports were reviewed and curriculum guides for language arts and/or reading and arithmetic were reviewed.
Curriculum guide(s) were developed by both elementary schools. A change in curriculum design occurred when the two schools developed curriculum guide(s) and moved to 45-15 year-round scheduling. The curriculum guide for Becky David Elementary School was designed around a continuous progress concept. Fourteen levels of work for language arts and arithmetic replaced the traditional graded classroom situation. The curriculum guides for reading and arithmetic for Fairview Elementary School were developed around a self contained graded classroom situation. The curriculum guides for reading and arithmetic in each grade did utilize sessions, levels and units. Reporting procedures to parents were modified for the above curriculum areas after 45-15 year-round scheduling was begun.
The pupil/teacher ratio for Becky David Elementary School decreased while the pupil/teacher ratio for Fairview Elementary School increased after 45-15 year-round progranuning. Both school districts' budgets increased each year after year-round school operations were begun. District expenditures for curriculum development, in-service education for teachers, instructional materials and instructional equipment were not available for Becky David Elementary School. District expenditures for Fairview Elementary School for instructional equipment and materials and curriculum development were available. The expenditures for instructional. materials and equipment and curriculum development increased with 45-15 year-round programming.
A majority of teachers, students and parents of Fairview Elementary School and Becky David Elementary School expressed a favorable attitude toward 45-15 year-round scheduling as determined by appropriate questionnaires. Student attendance remained stable over the five year period of this study. === Ed. D.
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