The Polk County Board of Education will soon decide whether to keep the four-day school week for students going through 2021-22, or whether they’ll revert back to a five-day week for both teachers and students during the regular session scheduled for next Tuesday.

Before the vote, members will have a lot of data to consider, along with survey results from both educators and parents that point to a clear message: a majority is in favor of keeping students in school four days a week, and giving educators an extra day to prepare.

It wasn’t unanimous, per Assistant Superintendent Dr. Katie Thomas’ presentation to the board, but by a large enough margin that the continued schedule makes sense.

She also proposed a plan of what to do with that extra time for educators and students that will benefit youth who are struggling with subjects.

Listen to the full presentation in the latest episode of Talking Points on Polk.Today.

Breaking down the data, Thomas said that more than 91% of teachers from across the district – 546 voted in a survey sent out and provided comments as well – wanted to keep the schedule because it provides them an extra day of preparation to ensure the topics being introduced to students are just as well-understood by themselves as they intend for their classrooms to learn.

“We surveyed our staff, and 511 submitted votes. And of those 511, 468 said that they wanted to keep the four day week,” Thomas said.

Thomas also pointed toward data from tests given in August, and then again in December that provided a good understanding of the impact on education with the return to a four-day week of in-classroom education. Students in elementary grade levels are hitting around 30% on average across the board in grade level on a subject, but big percentage gains are being made in growth in the understanding of subjects at grade level.

As high in some cases as above 80% within the district in elementary and middle school levels. Testing in August to see where students were following the forced break from March through the end of the school year in 2020, and then again in December provided the data to help the district understand growth levels.

“As educators, that’s what we’re looking for. Yes, we want (to see the on-grade level numbers high), but we want to see growth. Are you moving from August to December when we give this assessment again, and again whe we give it in April and May,” Thomas said. “Are you moving even further? That’s our goal, to see that growth.”

The district wants to take advantage of the growth in subject levels and help those who need the remedial work to catch up in the meantime.

With the extra day of the week with most students out of the classroom, Thomas said the plan for Mondays will be to allow students who need to catch up and meet grade levels to continue on to come to school – picking only those who need help or will benefit from advancing their studies even to make the opportunities available to all students.

The idea is to have small groups of students in the building and split time between educators, providing the chance for one-on-one intensive instruction alongside “brain breaks,” but give teachers the planning time they need as well to prepare for the coming week’s lessons.

Much of the plan is based on survey results, which didn’t account for full participation but those who did in both the case of educators and parents made it clear the four-day week was working.

Thomas pointed to comments from educators and parents from the surveys about their improvement in being able to educate students more effectively with an extra day to plan, and parents finding their children happier to be in classrooms.

Thomas didn’t include any negative comments from surveys during the presentation, but those that were included pointed toward teachers being able to spend more time on Mondays getting ready and feeling more engaged in lessons. Former educator on the board, member and Vice Chair Vicki Mayes said following the presentation that she wished this had been an opportunity when she was a teacher.

The parents who provided comments of a positive nature also noted that their children are engaging more in class and have a better attitude about going to school with the four-day week.

The number of hours that students spend in classrooms will continue to be above the minimum required by the state – which the Polk School District could actually seek a waiver to decrease past the minimum but has never done so. On all grade levels, students spend at least a minimum of 900 hours in instruction time on the four-day week and more than 1,000 hours at the high school level at 7 hours a day.

Kindergarten through third students are getting 962 hours of instruction during the 4-day week, grades 4 to 5 are getting the same 962 hours, and 6-12 get 1,036 hours under the calendar proposed.

“That’s very important to see that our instructional time still exceeds the state minimum,” she said.

Board Member Chris Culver said he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of retaining the four-day school week for students, but that he was confident that the district would make it work. His main concern was that students who need the school environment as an escape or to build up their understanding of what they’re learning.

“This is what kind of scares me: 20% less exposure to you, to the role models,” he said. “These kids could lose 20% of exposure to some of the greatest educators around.”

Other board members provided their thanks for the data to help make a decision moving forward.

“I echo Chris’s comments as well about the safe place that Polk School District provides to our children,” Board member Britt Madden Jr. said. “At the same time, I’m proud of the data. The thing that kind of turned my ways to say it was alright for a four day week to continue, is the academic growth that we’ve seen. And the ability in knowing that we have the flexibility to change if it isn’t working.”

Board Member Vicki Mayes said that “being able to have a day to get ready as a teacher, to help kids who are struggling, you cannot replace that. You can’t do it in the five day week. You can’t replace that time.”

Her point was the individual effort being proposed for the extra day will make a big difference in ensuring students who need the help to catch up get their educational needs met.

Board Chair JP Foster said “this is an amazing opportunity” the district staff have put together to face concerns of student growth in their learning.

Board members vote in the February 9 regular session to decide what direction they’ll take on the school calendar.