When Highline public schools begin the new year on Wednesday, Sept. 9 classes will be dismissed 90 minutes early on most Fridays.
The early Friday dismissals will replace the half-day Wednesday schedule and most of the non-student “waiver” days Highline has had in past years. Overall, the amount of time students will spend out of the classroom is comparable to past years.
After students are dismissed on Fridays, teachers will use the time for training, professional development, and collaboration. The 90-minute sessions, called Professional Collaboration Time (PCT), will include activities such as learning new and better ways to deliver instruction, analyzing student work together, and sharing ideas and plans that will improve student performance, according to district staffers.
While parents might not expect that giving time off from school could lead to increased student learning, research shows that time invested in teacher training and improvement of instruction does result in improved student achievement, district administrators said.
Students must be dismissed early in order to provide time for teacher learning and collaboration within teachers’ state-funded work day.
The most significant impact will most likely be to families of half-day Kindergarteners. Morning and afternoon classes will alternate attending school every other Friday. On Fridays, Kindergarteners will be on the same schedule as students in grades 1-6.