Schools Start Too Soon

Essay by brunette25University, Bachelor'sA+, November 2006

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I selected an article written in the Indianapolis Star on ISTEP lessons and heat is no way to start a school year. I can relate, due to the fact that I personally have two children whom attend school. I must agree that schools are starting earlier and earlier every year. It seems to me that the reasoning for this is to see which school has the highest standards on the ISTEP testing. This is wrong.

Teachers, now days, are expected to teach their students fresh curriculum when they begin a new school term. This isn't the case. Students are quizzed again, some six weeks long, on the information they learned the year before, to make sure they are prepared for the ISTEP testing.

For example, school started this year twelve days earlier than last year. Last year was six days earlier than the year before that. Questions were raised in this issue.

It was explained to the parents that school districts are required to prepare students for the exam. The author of this article stated, "Must our children suffer in the hot, steamy weather just so our county or state earns a higher score than another?" I see things the same way. I believe that ISTEP has ruined the summer for our Indiana students.

Terry Spradlin, legislative for Indiana Department of Education, noted that each county has the option to start the school term after Labor Day. He also indicated that the law only requires a full year consist of at least 180 days beginning after June 30 and ending before July 1 of the next year. So why are our children attending school in August?

It has been researched that beginning school in August is costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in utility bills as a result...