District offers extended-year option
Students in Westminster will be able to choose to extend their school year into the summer by 12 days this semester, as the school district attempts to make up for some learning losses.
Westminster is one of the first to announce a summer learning option. As school districts grapple with how to make up for lessons and time lost that have caused students to be further behind than they would have been without COVID-19 disruptions, several are planning opportunities for learning this summer.
Adams 14 officials have said they are looking at options. Cherry Creek has not finalized plans, but a board presentation described summer priorities as including programs for social and emotional skills and offering academic classes and career exploration.
In Westminster, families may weigh their options this month. Teachers have been asked to encourage parents during parentteacher conferences to enroll in the extended days. The district will host a virtual meeting March 15 to answer parent questions.
Parent Lorena Osorio said she believes her daughter has struggled more this year as she has remained in remote learning. Osorio asked her daughter if she would like to participate in the extra summer days, and she said she would. It seemed easy for her to keep logging on to do remote work while already home, Osorio said.
Westminster is one of the districts that has offered students an in-person option, including for middle and high school students, for more of the school year than have many of the larger school districts in the metro area. Nearly one-quarter of Westminster’s 8,500 students have chosen to stay fully remote. These students also will be able to participate in the extended days.
Oliver Grenham, chief education officer for Westminster Public Schools, said officials don’t believe students have lost ground but believe that a loss of opportunities for learning means they haven’t progressed as much as they should have this year.
For example, one school with a focus on the arts canceled large student performances this year, meaning less opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills.
Jeni Gotto, executive director of teaching and learning, said the district also has observed teachers who were unable to get through all of the material they normally would have during the school year.
Rather than advancing students together through grade levels, Westminster schools use a model where students are grouped by what content they can show they’ve learned. They can move up a level any time during the year when they show they are ready, although many students still change levels between school years.
District leaders call their competency-based model a benefit during these times because students won’t advance to the next level just because it’s a new semester. “That’s the beauty of our system, every student is on their own path,” Grenham said.
In planning the extended school year, district officials said they first surveyed parents and staffers.
About two-thirds of those who responded to a survey indicated they would like to see the school year extended.
Among the anonymous comments provided in the survey, parents who were hesitant mentioned a need for transportation, a desire for air conditioning in schools or a need to let students have their summer off.