Westbrook-Walnut Grove Looks At Early School Year
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:26 am By John Fitzgerald
The Westbrook-Walnut Grove School District has joined with as many as 25 other school districts to petition the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to establish a flexible learning plan.
Although the plan has many parts, perhaps its’ main effect will be to allow school districts to begin the school year before Labor Day, a contentious idea in Minnesota. In fact, Westbrook-Walnut Grove joined a group of schools seeking approval for a similar plan last year. That plan was rejected by MDE, which cited the need for more information from the schools.
The flexible learning plan will, among other things, give the schools more time to prepare students for the standardized tests required by the state and by the federal No Child Left Behind law. Schools are judged by how well students perform on these tests.
The flex plan will also help the district work collaboratively to improve teacher effectiveness with significantly enhanced professional development opportunities, create common professional development activities, create greater potential for shared staff members, and align K-16 educational calendar with common start dates, including post secondary start dates for students choosing post secondary options
Superintendent Loy Woelber told the Sentinel Tribune he hopes the proposal and the number of schools signed on will have enough impact at the state for it to be approved.
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