Date of Award

Spring 3-2009

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Dr. Cynthia Vitale

Second Advisor

Dr. William Emrick

Third Advisor

Dr. Jennifer White

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a year-round calendar and an extended school year calendar, which had, in addition to extra days, specific teacher selection, extended professional development for teachers, and research based programs on student academic achievement. This special version of an extended school year was referred to as extended plus. To determine the effects of a year-round schedule, Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test scores of students attending school on a yearround schedule were compared to scores of students attending schools on a traditional schedule. To determine the effects of extended plus, MAP scores of students in schools on a traditional schedule were compared to those of students in the same school district attending extended plus. These test scores were compared over five years to monitor differences and trends. Results of this study concluded that there was not a significant difference between student test scores in schools on a year-round calendar and those in schools on a traditional calendar over time. Some years the year-round schools had better scores and some years the traditional schools had better scores, suggesting that students on a yearround calendar do not have an academic advantage over those on a traditional calendar. The review of literature supported these findings. The results for extended plus concluded that the students did show a significant increase in test scores in the area of communication arts, but not a significant increase in the area of math, though there was enough increase to nearly close the gap between the students attending extended plus and those on the traditional school year. From the data collected in this study, extended plus had a positive impact on student achievement. Schools considering an alternative school calendar to improve student achievement should look at all of the options and consider the components beyond the calendar itself. The results of this study suggest that it is not the number of days students attend school, but what happens in the time that they are there.

Rights

Copyright 2009

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