A Four Term Year?

FOUR TERM YEAR BALLOT - March 2011

The advisory taskforce investigating the possibility of a four term year has developed an alternative model of four terms for stakeholders to consider. The development of the model came about because some representatives on the taskforce felt they couldn’t say one way or the other whether they support a four term year without seeing a model of it, but it does not mean that everyone on the taskforce supports four terms.

It is very important that, even if members had their say in last year’s ballot about their preference for four or three terms, they vote again on either the four term or the three term model which is being distributed for consultation. Models for 2013-2015 have been provided in order that stakeholders can see the term dates for three years

Working Party's Explanation of Models

More information from the Education Department Website

Three Term Model (click to enlarge)	Four Term Model (click to enlarge)

For Reps

Copy of Ballot Paper and Collation Sheet

Background

 

In all other states and territories the school year is split into four terms. They vary slightly between jurisdictions but generally they spread across the year as follows:

• Term 1 starts in late January or early February and may or may not take Easter into the first term break.
• Term 2 starts after Easter and ends in late June.
• Term 3 starts in mid-July and ends mid-September.
• Term 4 starts in early October and ends mid-December.

Exact dates also vary slightly from year to year in all jurisdictions.

In relation to school terms Tasmania differs, as in both government and private schools the school year is split into three terms; the first one being the longest, yet punctuated by an extended Easter holiday. The terms in all jurisdictions are separated by a holiday lasting two weeks with the Christmas/Summer holidays between the end of a school year and the start of the next lasting about seven weeks.  

The notion of a four term school year has resurfaced periodically as Tasmania remains the only Australian educational jurisdiction which does not structure its school year around four similarly sized terms.  The last time the issue came up was in 2005 when then Minister Wriedt presented it as a fait accompli and offered only a range of four term models for consideration and did not include a “no change” option.

This time the context of the discussion about a four term year is different.

1.       The Minister emphasises that changing the organisation of the school year is not a fait accompli

2.       Adequate time has been allowed for a range of options to be considered before anything  is implemented

3.       The Minister has set up an advisory group including a wide range of educational and other stakeholders

4.       Debate is to be informed by research and reports about trials as well as experiences in other jurisdictions

5.       The Australian Curriculum, which is about to be implemented, is structured around a two semester school year and as a consequence there is discussion about the idea of Tasmania reconsidering its structure for more effective implementation of this initiative

 

Key Stakeholders

Whilst others including employers and the tourism industry may lay claim to an interest in the scheduling of school holidays, the main stake holders for this matter are seen as education workers, students and Tasmanian families.

 

The Tourism Industry and Affordable Holiday Options

The Tasmanian Tourism industry maintains that the existing school holiday arrangements allow for a more ‘flattened demand’ for tourism services than would be the case if school holidays were concurrent with mainland states. This also means that Tasmanian education workers and families are currently able to access holiday travel and accommodation at times other than periods of peak demand. This allows education workers and other Tasmanians affordable holiday options. The pattern of leaving the state at the end of winter and being able to take advantage of cheaper holiday options may be a difficult one to change. Families may continue to do this, taking their children out of school for a week or two  rather than waiting for the holiday period when holidaying interstate will be more expensive.

Demand and pricing in the tourism industry is of course not an argument against a four term year per se, but a call for some staggering of the Tasmanian school holidays so that there are periods which do not coincide with those states from which the greatest numbers of visitors to Tasmania derive: i.e. Victoria and New South Wales which account for 60 per cent of our interstate visitors.

Recent Years’ Number of Interstate Visitors to Tasmania

State of Origin	Number of Visitors	Combined totals
Vic	360,000	440,000
NSW	180,000
QLD	110,000	300,000
SA	60,000
WA	40,000
ACT	20,000
NT	10,000

 

The Tasmanian Weather

There appears to be a long standing recognition that the length of the Tasmanian summer holiday period coincides with the hottest (best weather) period of the Tasmanian summer. The notion of rescheduling the term breaks to occur in July and September would have children at home for some of our worst weather periods and unlikely to undertake many outdoor activities at those times of the year. Starting the school year earlier coincides with a time when many families prefer to take their summer holiday break due to more reliable weather.

 

Educational Benefits of Four Terms

In 2005, the educational arguments presented for a four term year included the notion that the educational seminars and conferences are organised around mainland school holidays, so it would be better for Tasmanian teachers wanting to access these if Tasmania’s school terms fell into line with the rest of the country.

It was suggested too that the length of the summer holidays can result in children becoming bored and many parents struggling to find suitable supervision for their children.  (This argument seems to be more one about the impact of long holidays on family child minding costs than one about the educational benefits of a shorter summer break).

It was also mooted that the impact of learning can be lost over this long period away from school, resulting in the need for teachers to spend additional time revising prior learning at the start of the new school year.  (This is actually an argument for a foreshortened summer break, rather than a four term year and it is questionable as to how long is too long).

 

The New South Wales Consultation

Following extensive consultation and a survey with over 4000 responses from government and non-government schools, a NSW Department of Education working group in the mid-1990s supported the principles:

(i)                  That terms should be of equal length (92 per cent)

(ii)                That mid-year vacations should be of two weeks duration (96 per cent)

(iii)               That Easter should not automatically determine the term one holiday (89 per cent)

(iv)              That the Christmas vacation should always extend until at least Australia Day (93 per cent)

It was decided that the number of school days would be maintained.

Support of Principle 1 included comments that it makes it easier for teachers to program and plan.

Principle 2 was supported by NSW teachers as they saw that at least two weeks were needed to “recharge the batteries” and would likely lead to lower illness and absenteeism in winter.

Principle 3 was supported by the smallest majority (89%) and comments for it included the difficulty of maintaining equal sized terms. Comments against this principle included statements about the disruptive nature of a 4-5 day break midterm.

Whilst Principle 4 was very well supported, concerns were raised about stating the year on a short week and the need to avoid the hottest time of the year (this appears to be the converse of concerns raised by Tasmanians in earlier discussions).

Additional comments made included maintaining at least 6 weeks summer vacation (even non-schools respondents supported this) and not starting or finishing terms on very short weeks.

Victorian Report on the Organisation of the School Year 1984

Guiding principles for analysis and recommendations:

·         Benefits for teachers, students and the wider community were considered

·         Number of days schools are open should not change

·         No disadvantage t support staff

·         Student concentration should be maximised and disruption to the program minimised

·         Curriculum organisation patterns need to be considered

·         Administration concerns and human resource efficiencies need to be addressed

·         Student and staff stress needs to be minimised and periods of high rates of infectious disease illness taken into account

·         Breaks need to be sufficient to refresh students and staff

·         Sufficient forward notice of changes to dates needs to be provided

·         Seasonal and climatic factors considered

·         Effects on industry and tourism considered

Arguments for 4 terms:

Educational

·         Student concentration and attendance

·         Teacher concentration and effort

·         Inclusion of Easter into the term break would mean greater continuity of programs

·         For senior students it would be easier to structure the year around exams 

·         More breaks in which to hold PD and conferences

·         Accommodates a two semester system

Health

·         Evidence of student and teacher absence through illness in long winter term

·         Reduced student and teacher stress

·         Opportunities for holiday programs expanded

Social

·         Students living away from home for study have more frequent opportunity for longer periods at home.

·         Families have more choices of times to go on holidays

·         Possible concurrence of holidays with post-secondary institutions

Economic

·         Flattened demand in the tourism industry

·         Workers with families can request leave more widely across the year

·         Many activities carried out each term might be done only each semester saving costs

·         Energy savings through holidays in hottest and coldest parts of the year

·         Reduced teacher absenteeism reduces cost of relief

 

Arguments against 4 terms:

Educational

·         Increased beginning and end of term interruptions

·         If Easter is to be included in term break, it will be difficult to even up the terms and without affecting other break times or first term would be much shorter and others longer some in some years

·         A vacation would fall immediately before year 12 exams

·         Data on absenteeism and illness is inconclusive as support for 4 term year

·         Evidence of 10 week term duration as optimal is inconclusive

Social

·         Changed patterns of child care

·         A vacation in mid-winter may mean little opportunity for outdoor activities

Economic

·         Reduced opportunity for student summer holiday employment

·         Administrative cost in the change over

·         Increased costs of more journeys home for students living away from home

Other

·         Change to fall in line with other states may or may not be a valid reason

·         Shortening of Christmas break  reduces opportunities for extended travel

Model options presented

1.       Retention of the current model of 3 terms

2.       4 term year with 5-6 weeks summer vacation and Easter incorporated into the first term break

3.       Two semester year with a long three week break between semesters and two shorter one week breaks mid semester (one of which includes Easter and so is 10 days)

4.        Retaining three terms but having the beginning of the year in November

Responses to the models were received by 1600 schools and 242 organisations and individuals.

Options 3 and 4 were not given much support.  Options 2 (or variants of it) were favoured on both statistical and content analysis by all groups and most strongly by government and Catholic school communities.  Returns from independent schools fairly evenly divided between Option 1 and Option 2.

Over all, there was support for the following:

·         Shorter terms

·         Long summer break over  Dec, Jan, Feb

·         Even length terms

·         Term break in July

·         Reducing teacher and student stress

·         Fewer interruptions to school years

·         Term holidays of 2 weeks

·         School year commencing in a new year

·         Term holidays including Melbourne Show (especially for country people)

·         Better use of time at the end of school years

·         Schools should be open for the same number of days

·         At least two term holidays of reasonable length

·         If there are to be 4 quarters the last one should be slightly longer

·         Coordination with industry and tertiary institutions should take place

Other key comments included:

·         Change to the school year should be supported by curriculum needs

·         Change should be on a trial basis

·         No option will meet all the guiding principles with benefits to students and teachers as the mostimportant principle

·         Holidays should be coordinated to overlap to some extent with other states

Analysis of responses to options

Option one (retain existing 3 term arrangements) was supported because:

·         Nothing is wrong with existing arrangements so why change

·         Insufficient evidence that another model is better

·         Current arrangements fit with tourism industry

·         There is advantage in being out of step with other states

·         Some farming communities benefit from existing arrangements

·         Other options have problems

·         The biggest criticism with Option 2 was the shortening of the summer break

Option two (four terms) was supported because:

·         Best fit with guiding principles

·         Sept/Oct vacation provides revision time for senior secondary

·         Best for curriculum planning

·         Reduced student and staff stress

·         Favoured by some farming communities

·         Staggers employee holidays across year

·         Retains two week term breaks

·         Averts the very long terms

·         Contributes to reduced absence through illness

Variations to Option two suggested included:

·         Finishing school closer to Christmas and extending holiday into February

·         Fixing Easter to a set date

·         Maintaining long summer break and having 2 one week and one two week break through the year

·         A ten day break at Easter to preserve a long summer break

Recommendations and deliberations:

·         Lead time of at least two calendar years before any change is implemented to allow community calander adjustments

·         In trying to solve the problem of an unpopular January start to the school year the working group

·         The prefered model:

- School year to commence for teachers first Wednesday in February (students a day later)

- Term one vacation coinciding with Easter (ten days)

- Term 2 vacation commencing last Saturday in June(two weeks)

- Term 3 vacation commencing last Saturday in September (two weeks)

- Last day of school each year is 22^nd December or the preceding Friday

·         Rationale for the prefered model:

- Standardised approach to positioning of school holidays and starting dates for terms

- As near to ten week terms as variable Easter dates will allow

- Average number of days of school remains the same (vary by 6 days rom year to year)

- Number of holiday periods remains the same (as Easter is encorporated into term one break)

- Extending the summer break into February was only possible by shortening the term one break to ten days.

·         A review of the operation of the 4 terms reorganisation should take place after 3 years.

 

 

Year-round schooling versus the long summer break for all

A movement for year round schooling gained a certain amount of interest in the United States in the 1990s. Its advocates saw a continuance of schools operating on a 180 day system, yet with a different spread of these days and shorter breaks between each term. Some notions of all-year round schooling allow for multi-tracking of different cohorts of students to attend school and be on holidays at differing times of the year. Hence under this approach the school facilities would operate all year round and students attend for their cycle of 180 days. The most popular example of year round education is the 45-15 plan. This has students attending school 45 days and then getting three weeks (15 days) off. The normal breaks (holiday, spring) are still built into this calendar. Of course, there are many other ways to organize the calendar, including the 60-20 and the 90-30 plans.  All are a rather more radical departure from three terms with a long summer break than is the basic notion of a school year comprised of four equitably sized terms that is the norm across mainland Australian States.

However, some of the arguments posited for all year round school also support both the four term and shorter summer break approaches.

·         Student retention of learning is reduced by a long the summer break, and shorter vacations might increase learning retention rates.

• Short breaks can provide time for students to receive enrichment education.
• Remediation can occur when it is most needed during the school year.
• Students get bored during the long break of summer.
• It's easier to schedule vacations because not everyone wants to travel at the same time.
• Other countries around the world use this system (although not many).

 

Some of the arguments levelled against all year round schooling are the same as those used against four terms and shorter summer breaks.

• Studies have been inconclusive about academic benefits of such structures.
• Students are going to forget information whether they are out of school for three weeks or 8.
• Summer programs suffer though lack of time to run and still have a reasonable holiday break.
• Student summer employment will be virtually impossible.

Debate over year-round schooling was vigorous at the time but as few as 3 per cent of US schools took up any year round model. The reality is that the long summer break is an institution entrenched in US education and the wider society.