Changes in the CPS schedule will be implemented this year in order to secure additional funding. Snow days in the CPS district will look different from prior years. Alternate Methods of Instruction (AMI) days will replace snow days. Many students are unaware of the changes.
This change along with the changes to the calendar are being made this year to meet the requirements to receive additional funding for next year.
“The state legislature passed new legislation with optional provisions for school districts to receive additional funding,” English teacher and member of Leadership Council, Ellen Wilson said.
According to an email sent out to CPS parents, the CPS calendar has changed to meet new requirements set by state legislation to have school for “1044 hours and 169 days.”
There weren’t many changes to the calendar, but there are now early releases for next year on February 7, February 14 and April 11.
A bigger change than the calendar is the switch from snow days to AMI days. The email explained what AMI days are and how they are going to be used.
“This will be utilized as 9 four-hour early release days. If all 36 hours of AMI are used, any additional time will need to be made up. This could result in the extension of the school year,” a CPS District email sent out to families said.
Mary Grupe, Hickman’s Principal, explained that the AMI days are believed to not only help meet the hour and day requirements to receive additional funding but also to increase attendance rates.
Grupe said that the district is trying a lot of different things to increase attendance.
Grupe said she doesn’t think there is, “going to be a time of public education in the next 10 years where everyone’s not trying everything connected to attendance.”
Grupe explained how AMI days will count towards the school’s attendance.
“Teachers will be counting students present after they ask students if they completed the choice board,” Grupe said.
While the AMI days will have instruction, Grupe doesn’t think that learning on snow days takes away from their fun.
“I think you can still have the magic of a snow day and still engage people intellectually,” Grupe said.
Although attendance is tied to participation, not everyone is convinced that the participation rate will be high.
“I think I will get my work done, but I don’t think it’ll be the best method, because there’s not someone actively there making sure you get your work done,” Gabe said.
Tyion Hyler (11) explained that he understood why students who don’t do their work would be marked as absent.
“If they don’t do it, they’d be marked as absent, because technically, they didn’t do anything,” Tyion said.
The content delivered during AMI days’ effectiveness could be limited by restrictions on what they can cover.
“Inclement weather AMI will not include the delivery of new content to students and will focus on review and study of material already taught,” the CPS email said.
While Grupe doesn’t believe that the AMI days will have a negative impact on attendance, some students do.
“I feel like it’ll have a negative impact. I say negative because it’s gonna force people back into how it was for COVID,” Tyion said. “They weren’t doing their assignments pretty much. And a lot of grades dropped all over the globe. And of course it’s gonna impact Hickman because it’s a big school.”
Neither of the students who were interviewed were aware of the CPS calendar changes prior to the interview.
“Hickman can absolutely do a better job [at communicating],” Grupe said.
