Early Dismissals to Allow Teachers to Collaborate

Teachers within the Wyckoff school district will have blocks of time next year to exchange notes on how well their students are learning their lessons. But the scheduled sessions will come at the expense of instructional time, a point several residents took exception to at Monday's reorganization meeting of the school board.

The board adopted its 2010-11 school calendar, which features 12 minimum days with early dismissals, at least four of which will be used to establish the Professional Learning Community (PLC) concept across all schools. Implemented at Eisenhower Middle School this past year, the PLC initiative allows staff to get together to assess how their students are faring with the hope of exchanging ideas and soliciting feedback on how to better target their lesson plans.

"It's a significant opportunity for teachers to sit down and talk about curriculum, talk about the learning of kids, how kids are progressing in their classes, to engage in assessments," said acting Superintendent Richard Kuder.

The teachers "need some time to sit and collaborate with each other," he said.

Kuder said the district looked at various scheduling options but "we just can't pull it together any other way" than to dismiss students early several times next year. The district planned nine minimum days this year, according to the 2009-10 calendar.

Several residents expressed concern about the strain early dismissals could have on families.

"I think it's a lot of disruptions for working parents," said one speaker.

Another felt that the move shows the board to be out of touch with the concerns of residents, who voted down the 2010-11 school budget last week.

"Once a month minimum days on a Monday is sending the wrong message," one parent said. "It's another expense for parents" who may have to arrange for child-care.

"It does not send the message that 'yes, we know you're upset,' " she said.

Kuder was sympathetic to the concerns, saying the district is trying to balance the strain on parents with the need to allow teachers time to collaborate. The acting superintendent said some parents and the Wyckoff Education Association weighed in on the proposal, which originally contained even more time for professional development.

The board's new president also said he understood the parents' concerns.

"I have a child in the district as well, and it's not an easy thing jockeying things around to get them earlier," Anthony Robert Francin said.

Kuder, who had served as principal of Eisenhower until Superintendent Dr. Janet Razze went on sick leave, described the Professional Learning Communities concept as one that will allow new and veteran teachers to exchange strategies, hone lesson plans and generally learn what's working and what's not in the classroom. 

The initiative will allow teachers to "leverage their expertise to provide a real synergy of thought," he said.

Another goal is to establish general lesson benchmarks for students in different classes.

"It allows for greater consistency in the implementation of the programs themselves," he said.

However, Kuder cautioned that "in no way are we trying to make schools of automatons.. every teacher is going to deliver that lesson a little differently."

Minimum days are scheduled in September, October, November, December, February, May and June, although not all are for PLC work. For example, minimum days on Nov. 16 and 17 will see standardized testing in the morning and parent/teacher conferences in the afternoon. Students will have a minimum day in November and December prior to the holiday breaks, while the last day of school, June 23, will be an early dismissal.

Additionally, the calendar initially featured a minimum day in March that was removed after the discussion.