Late start/early release provides for staff collaboration

Currently, as school districts, we are considering the implementation of a weekly release time during the 2012-2013 school year. I want to take this opportunity to discuss the structure, as well as the purpose and importance, of weekly release time for our staff members and our system as a whole.

Beginning in the fall of 2012, we are proposing to utilize either a weekly late start on Monday mornings or an early release on Wednesday afternoons. A Monday morning late start would mean that school would start at 9:35 instead of the 8:35 time we are proposing. A Wednesday early release would mean that students would be released at 2:20 p.m. instead of 3:20 p.m.

The hour per week would be utilized for staff collaboration time. Specifically, we would create content specific or grade level teams. For example, our content specific teams could be middle school math, high school math, band/music or language arts. Our elementary staff members could form grade level teams between Lind and Ritzville (Kindergarten, first grade, etc.) or vertical teams such as K-1, 2-3, and 4-5.

The question most people will ask is what are staff members going to do with one hour per week that will benefit students more than the hour they would have spent instructing students. This is a fair question.

First of all, content specific and grade level teams will focus on a deep understanding of the state standards at each grade level and for each content area. Teachers will make decisions related to the importance of each and every standard and how much time to spend teaching each skill. Once we have a solid understanding of each and every standard, and have planned the amount of class time to spend on each skill, our focus will shift to assessment.

Following our focus on state standards, teams of teachers will spend time discussing how to assess the standards they have identified for each course and grade level. Common assessments can be created, utilized, and analyzed by staff members. Our teacher teams will then be able to utilize assessment data to analyze their practice, how well students learned the specific standard/skill, and can plan together on how to provide interventions for students who need additional help or enrichment activities for students who have mastered the skill.

Overall, the purpose of the late start or early release will be to work on our individual and collective practice in order to provide the best possible education system for all students. As I have stated many times, working on practice and getting better as teachers and staff is not admitting a weakness or that we are currently doing a bad job. Rather, as professionals, we should constantly analyze our practice and continuously try to improve our instructional skills in order to improve our system for all students.

I know that a late start or an early release could adversely affect some families in the area of childcare. I apologize for any inconveniences that will be created. However, I can ensure that we will use the release time intentionally and that we will focus our efforts on standards (what we teach), instructional practice (how we teach), assessment, intervention and enrichment. I also commit to giving periodic updates to the public related to our release time, what we are working on, what we have accomplished, and the next steps.

If you have any questions or comments related to our proposed release time, or if you would like to express your preference to whether we utilize a late start or early release, please contact me in Lind at [email protected] or by phone at 677-3481. For Ritzville families, contact me by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 659-1660.