Mercer is ready to offer students a way to catch up
County that missed 23 days because of snow will hold spring break academy
by Zack Harold
Daily Mail staff
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Mercer County school system has lost 23 days to snow this winter, and only six can be made up because of a rigid state law dictating when the school year must begin and end.
So officials will open the schools during spring break for a voluntary academy for students who want to catch up on their work.
Officials say Mercer seems to be the only county taking such an approach.
School Superintendent Deborah Akers said Mercer County usually has seven or eight snow days a year.
Kellan Sarles, the county's curriculum specialist, said the academy sessions won't count as makeup days. But the time will allow students to catch up on concepts they missed over their extended absences.
Mercer's spring break is scheduled for April 5 through 9.
Akers said her county usually holds a summer academy during summer break but decided to move that to April after hearing from teachers.
"Our teachers really expressed a lot of concern about the loss of instruction time this year," she said. "We started looking outside the box for a way to do something different. It's just taking that same concept and moving it to a completely different time period."
Akers said the academies would be optional for teachers. Those who show up will be paid as they would for a summer program. So far, most staff members are on board.
"We've already talked with staff and they're very supportive of giving that opportunity to students," she said.
Both Sarles and Liza Cordeiro, spokeswoman for the West Virginia Department of Education, said they're not aware of any other county hosting a spring academy.
Bluewell Elementary Principal Sharon Reed likes the idea.
"I think it sounds like an excellent program that will give our students a little extra time to work on instruction," Reed said.
Reed said when students miss school because of bad weather, teachers "give 120 percent to keep the students on task and give them all the instructional time they can."
The academy will give teachers more time to prepare for statewide standardized tests that start May 17.
There are parents out there who've asked what are we going to do to get our children ready for the WESTEST or ready for the next grade level," she said.
Montcalm High Principal Mark Page agreed.
"It can't hurt," he said. "Anytime you get kids in school and you have instruction in the core subjects ... I don't see a downside to that at all."
Superintendent Akers said schools sent surveys home with students Tuesday to gauge interest in the extra instruction.
Akers said she expects more students to take part in the spring academy than the county's summer academy. But the superintendent said she wouldn't use the number of returned surveys to measure how many students will show up.
"I think the number today will be greater than the number that actually come in April but we can plan for that," the superintendent said.
Every Mercer school will host an academy. Akers said programs at elementary and middle schools would focus on reading and math instruction to help students prepare for the WESTEST.
Planning the curriculum for high school students is a bit more difficult, the superintendent said.
"We really can't offer it as a course-by-course instruction," she said. "It will have to be geared toward the specific areas where we know we have weaknesses."
So Akers asked high schools staffs to come up with a suggestion. The superintendent said schools could possibly offer WESTEST, ACT or SAT preparatory classes.
"I don't think this is going to be the cure-all for 20 days missing, but I think it's an effort to just not accept it but to try to do as much as we can," she said.
Mercer County has four "out-of-school experience" days built into its calendar to make up snow days.
Sarles says the county is also petitioning the state Department of Education to convert its two remaining ISE days, when only teachers attend, into full instructional school days.