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Board reviews six draft academic calendars; superintendent to present analysis on testing timing and instructional days
Summary
Administrators presented three traditional and three year‑round (Penderlee) draft calendars for 2026–27, noting changes to spread workdays through the year and asking the board whether to test high school semester exams before or after winter break; superintendent offered to provide a data presentation comparing calendars and test timing.
Pender County Schools staff presented six draft calendars for the 2026–27 school year — three traditional and three Penderlee (year‑round) options — and described tradeoffs including distribution of workdays and total instructional days.
Staff said previous calendars clustered workdays at the start and end of the school year; new drafts scatter workdays through the year to allow teachers time for parent conferences and planning. Drafts show 174 to 176 instructional days for traditional calendars and 172 for the Penderlee options; staff said the district gains roughly nine additional days under one proposed draft.
Board members raised questions about whether administering semester exams before the winter break affects student performance. The superintendent offered to prepare a presentation comparing test‑timing outcomes across districts, noting that statewide data are inconclusive and that districts vary by geography, calendar law compliance and socioeconomic factors. He said some districts test in December while others push semester exams into mid‑January to balance semesters closer to 90/90 day spans, and that Pender County will receive further analysis at an upcoming board meeting.
Staff noted the calendars include bank days (compensatory hours) — drafts add 10–12 bank days — and emphasized that the calendar decisions will follow community input gathered from principals and school improvement teams. The district plans community and school review and will present finalized options in March.
Ending: The superintendent will present a data‑driven calendar and testing‑timing analysis at a future board meeting and the district will continue community outreach through principal teams.
