More Phoenix-area schools are starting early this year. Here's why

Many elementary and high school students in the Tempe area are starting school earlier this year.

Three school districts there have adopted a new academic calendar intended to lessen summer learning loss and allow for additional, mid-year instructional time for students who need extra help.

The Tempe Union High School District and its two feeder districts — Tempe Elementary School District and Kyrene School District — are beginning classes on July 19, approximately two weeks earlier than they started last year.

Fall and spring breaks, which each used to be one week, will now be two weeks and include optional class time for students who are identified as needing additional help.

The districts' winter breaks will remain two weeks long, and the calendar change does not affect the total number of instructional days in the school year.

The longer intersessions will give educators much-needed time to unwind, said Barbara Valenzuela Meeks, a behavior intervention specialist at Tempe Union's McClintock High School.

“It allows us to take care of ourselves more,” she said.

Pandemic highlighted potential benefit of calendar change

The three districts wanted to ensure their schedules were in alignment to provide a consistent experience for families with children in multiple districts, according to Tempe Union spokesperson Megan Sterling.

"It's harder, being separate districts, to really meet families' needs," Sterling said. "But there are times when we work together really collaboratively, and the calendar model is a good example of that."

The change is also intended to reduce the effects of learning loss that can occur during a long stretch away from school.

"If you have three months where you're not really having to read or think or be curious necessarily, that (has) impacts," Sterling said.

The districts had been moving toward the revised calendar for some time, she said, and the pandemic highlighted the need for the change.

"COVID brought the learning loss issue into really stark relief because you had kids who were home and doing school remotely and we saw the impacts of that," Sterling said.

Kyrene will offer partial-day catch-up sessions for students who need extra help during one week of their two-week fall and spring breaks. Students will learn in groups of approximately 15 students, according to Kyrene spokesperson Erin Helm.

The focus for additional instructional time in elementary grade levels will be on students who need early literacy support, said Kelley Brunner, Kyrene's director of innovation and transformation.

“The new mid-year intersessions provide opportunities for teachers to give identified students differentiated and targeted support,” Brunner said. “The sooner we can intervene, the more effective our efforts.”

When does school start? When does school start in Arizona? Check the full list of school districts

Other benefits: School food programs, vacations, cooler weather

The three districts began discussing the calendar shift in the spring of 2021 and conducted a survey to understand how changing the calendar would be received by staff and parents.

The survey results found staff across Kyrene, Tempe Elementary and Tempe Union overwhelmingly supported the change. Families had a more mixed view, but were still mostly supportive — 43% of all families surveyed preferred the new academic calendar, while 12% responded that they were fine with either the new or the old academic calendar.

With the move, the three districts are joining others in the East Valley with similar schedules, including Chandler Unified and Gilbert Public Schools. Most other districts across the Valley begin school in early August.

The extra week for fall break will mean a trip to Europe, said Ryan Kilgore, a math teacher at Tempe High School. The shorter summer break doesn’t bother him either, he said.

“Normally, I get kind of stir-crazy,” he said of the previously two-and-a-half-month break.

The shorter summer break could make a difference for students using school lunch programs and other services provided by the district, said McClintock High School history teacher Kristie Johnson. Johnson previously worked on a year-round schedule at Phoenix Elementary and said she finds it to be better for the students.

In addition, she said, it will give them extra time to be outside when the weather is more forgiving.

“Who wants to be outside in this?” Johnson said of the Arizona heat.

Another potential benefit: The new calendar offers an opportunity for teachers to make a little extra money if they apply to teach during intersession periods, said Helm, the Kyrene spokesperson.

Madeleine Parrish covers K-12 education. Reach her at mparrish@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter at @maddieparrish61.

Helen Rummel is a Pulliam Fellow for The Arizona Republic. She can be reached at hrummel@gannett.com or on Twitter @helenrummel.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix-area schools are starting early this year. Here's why