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Smart States Start Late, Avoid Winter Break Blues

Texans for a Traditional School Year

Students in states that follow a more traditional school calendar rank among the best on college-entrance exams and standardized tests. Schools in these top-rated states also tend to administer end-of-semester exams after the Winter Break – a fact that stifles a major argument for early school start dates.

Proponents of starting school in early August often argue that students need to take end-of-semester exams before the Winter Break so they don’t “lose” what they have learned before taking time off.  But key education data suggests states that adhere to this philosophy are having little success in making promised academic progress.

A late August or early September school start date was observed in the majority of schools …

• … in the top 10 states with students posting the highest average scores on the American College Test (ACT) in 2003.
  
  
• … in 8 of the top 10 states with the highest average 2003 Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores.
  
  
• … in the top 10 states in the American Legislative Exchange Council’s “Report Card on American Education,” which considers standardized test scores, expenditures per pupil and student-teacher ratio.
  
  
• … in the top 10 states in Morgan Quitno Press’ “State and City Rankings.” The annual rankings are based on 21 categories ranging from school revenue per $1,000 personal income, per pupil expenditures, class size, high school dropout rates and percent of students proficient or better in reading, writing and mathematics.

The majority of schools in these states also administered end-of-semester exams after the Winter Break. Most Texas schools begin classes in mid-August and test students before the Winter Break. Texas ranked near the bottom in all of these educational indicators.

Backers of the traditional school calendar – one that begins classes after or near Labor Day and that ends in late May or early June – contend that the shape of a school calendar has no impact on academic performance. This data also gives weight to a logical follow-up statement: Traditional school calendars don’t hinder academic excellence.

Obviously, what children do in school is far more important than when they go to school.