Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District starts new school year on modified calendar

The district began operating on a modified calendar, often referred to as a "year-round" calendar, for the 2022-23 school year. They are only the second Northeast Mississippi school to adopt the modified calendar; Corinth School District, the first district in the state to change its calendar model, is entering its seventh year on a modified calendar.

The SOCSD Board of Trustees approved the switch to a modified calendar in Nov. 2021. There are 180 days of instruction for students and 187 days for teachers, which is the same as a traditional school year.

The calendar includes all traditional holidays, as well as spring break, along with extended breaks in the fall and spring and a six-to-seven week summer break. Starting and ending dates for the academic year are adjusted to begin approximately a week earlier and end approximately a week later than a traditional calendar, according to the district.

Starkville High School principal Dr. Darein Spann said when the possibility of moving to a modified calendar came up a couple of years ago, it didn't have enough community support. But the district formed a modified calendar committee, consisting of around 30 district employees, to develop a plan and address any concerns the public had.

Superintendent Tony McGee expects the change to curb learning loss, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, not only by lessening the amount of time students are out of school for summer break but by offering remediation opportunities during intersessions.

At the high school level, students will continue to take part in sports and extracurricular activities throughout the summer on a traditional schedule, McGee said.

"Currently, the only thing we stop in June is English and math," McGee said. "So, the most important thing we do, we stop."

Operating on a modified schedule allows students and teachers to have breaks throughout the year, McGee said, while continuing to learn during that non-traditional time.

During intersessions in October and March, students will have opportunities for remediation in areas in which they struggle or were left behind in. Intersessions will also allow additional time for teachers to work in-depth with students.

The first intersession was intentionally scheduled at the end of the first nine-week term, Spann said, to help students who may have gotten a slow start and need to catch up before the second term. Without waiting until the end of the school year to remediate students, the district hopes to keep more students from having to attend summer school.

SOCSD also plans to offer enrichment activities, like art and music, during intersessions for students who would like to participate.

The district has hired two individuals to serve as intersession coordinators at the elementary and secondary level. Owen Brown, a U.S. History teacher at Starkville High School, will serve as secondary intersession coordinator.

"Overall, I think it's going to be very beneficial to reach all kids equitably in the school district," Brown said. "It's going to give students some additional time to get what they need, it's going to give teachers some additional time to rest, it's going to give some kids that need it additional rest time, and it's also going to be a time for us to re-engage our students and community shareholders."

Brown said he expects there to be some growing pains with the switch to the new schedule, but believes the benefits will be worth any headaches. 

"I think the impact that we'll see at the end of this school year is going to be very, very worth it," Brown said.

McGee said he hopes to see gains in student growth, more enrichment opportunities and less students in summer school, as a result of switching to the modified calendar.

"I think it's a positive for the community," McGee said. "I think there was a lot of excitement by parents and students to return to school today. It's early, and change sometimes is a little difficult. But through change, if you persevere, usually something good comes out of it."

There will be minor issues to work through this school year, McGee said, but he expects the modified calendar to prove successful for the district.

"In the next three to five years, we think this will be the norm," McGee said. "Not the outlier."