Early Release Wednesdays to begin Fall of 2012

All schools in the Mercer Island School District will change from the current Monday early-release schedule to a Wednesday early-release schedule beginning in September, 2012. The change occurred due to a perceived need for increased instructional time at the high school, given its seven-period schedule. Besides adding additional time back into the high school schedule, the new schedule also shortens the current block periods from 105 to 90 minute blocks, with all remaining class periods being at least 50 minutes long.

The high school administrative team and the high school faculty agreed to the change to optimize the learning environment for our students. The reason why Wednesday was selected as the early-release day (and not Monday) focuses on the need for longer blocks of learning time to occur early in the week with time for practice in the middle or later in the week (e.g., during classes on early-release Wednesday for example). This allows Thursdays and Fridays to be used for assessments and for culminating activities towards the end of the week. In addition, teachers wanted to see all of their students on Mondays and Fridays.

The new schedule provides that there will no longer be 30-minute classes, as we presently have on Mondays, making it less likely for students to opt out of attending school or for learning activities to be very abbreviated on those days.

Over 1,000 parents responded to an Early Release Survey in May 2011 and over 87% either supported or were neutral about lengthening the early release school day at the high school; high school students will be released at 2:05 beginning next fall rather than our present early-release time at 1:30 p.m.

Bus transportation schedules and consistency for families requires that the middle and elementary schools also shift to early-release Wednesdays. However, their early-release day (ending time) will remain on the current bell schedule.