Montgomery County, MD – December 28, 2023 – Parents, educators, and community members in Silver Spring, Maryland, are raising their voices in opposition to the Innovative School Calendar (ISC) for the 2024-2025 academic year. In 2019, MCPS rolled out the Innovative School Year (ISY) to two pilot schools in Montgomery County; Roscoe Nix (Pre-K - 2) and Arcola (Pre K - 5) Elementary Schools. The initial purpose of the ISY program was to prevent summer learning loss. While the concept of a non-traditional calendar may seem appealing on the surface, closer examination reveals a multitude of concerns that have detrimental impacts on students, families, and innovative school staff. Lack of Transparency: MCPS has not made readily available comprehensive data on the performance of its innovative school programs. A findings report was only shared with a select few after repeated requests and not distributed widely to parents and program stakeholders. This lack of transparency makes it difficult for stakeholders to assess the programs' impact and hold MCPS accountable for its stated goals.
Ineffective Results: MCPS’s Office of Shared Accountability report stated: "Despite five and half weeks of additional instruction, ISC did not have a detectable effect on student reading and mathematics performance by the year end.” Although MCPS has considered plans to scale up the ISC initiative, study results suggest “caution is warranted in doing so." The recommendation from the report was for the ISY program to cease “after a year.” Though the front of said report states that the evaluation was completed in August, a later page in the report shows the study was completed in June of 2023. Was the front page altered with ulterior motives?
BOE Ignoring Stakeholders: In addition to the reports showing this program to be ineffective, concerned parents and staff from the ISY community have reached out to the Board of Education via board meeting presentations, demonstrations and email. More than 200 signatures from parents and staff requesting to revert back to a traditional calendar have been collected and presented to the board, our concerns have fallen on deaf ears. The ineffective program not only costs taxpayers more than $2.5 million to operate, it's taking a toll on the mental and emotional wellbeing of ISY students and staff.
Negative Impact on Learning: The MCPS innovative schools do not follow a true “year-round calendar,” which typically provide frequent breaks throughout the year. The lack of breaks are causing fatigue and burn-out amongst students and staff, making it difficult to maintain momentum and focus. Additionally, the shorter summer break limits opportunities for enrichment activities and academic programs, potentially widening the achievement gap for underserved students.
Strain on Working Families: The unconventional calendar throws childcare arrangements into disarray, forcing working parents to scramble for solutions during half-days and closures that do not align with the traditional MCPS school calendar. The ISY program has been especially burdensome for parents with children at Roscoe Nix (Pre-K - 2) and its partner school, Cresthaven (3-5), which follows a traditional calendar. This creates undue stress and financial burdens for families, potentially impacting employment and overall well-being.
Call to Action: We, the concerned parents of Roscoe Nix Elementary students, urge the public to assist us in reaching the Board of Education before they tentatively adopt the operating budget for next school year (February 6, 2024). The implementation of the innovative school calendar needs to be reconsidered. We believe that the proven drawbacks far outweigh any perceived benefits, and that a thorough review with active community engagement is necessary before continuing this program.
We call on the Board of Education to:
Return to the Traditional MCPS Calendar with the ELO-SAIL program re-implemented in the summer.
Discontinue the Innovative School Program.
Hold open forums and town halls to gather feedback from all stakeholders – parents, educators, childcare providers, and community members.
Prioritize the needs of students and families by ensuring that any implemented calendar system supports academic success, promotes stability, and minimizes disruption to established routines.
Publish comprehensive data reports on the performance of all innovative school programs, including student achievement data, program costs, and parent/teacher feedback.
Develop a system for ongoing program evaluation that includes clear metrics for success and regularly shares findings with the community.
We believe that a strong public school system is built on a foundation of trust, transparency, and shared decision-making. We urge the Board of Education to listen to the voices of the community and prioritize the well-being of our children and MCPS staff by reconsidering the implementation of the innovative school calendar.
On behalf of many concerned parents of students at Roscoe Nix Elementary,
Roscoe Nix Elementary Parents
