Background:

A statewide teacher walkout which began Monday, April 2 concluded Friday, April 13.

How will missed instructional days be made up?

The nine-day walkout means that missed instructional days will have to be made up to meet the state requirement of 1080 hours of instruction. Eight inclement weather days were built into the 2017-2018 calendar. Two were used earlier in the year. The remaining six were exhausted as of Monday, April 9. Beginning April 10, three instructional days will need to be made up.

Please mark your calendars as follows: We WILL be in school on Friday, April 27. This will allow our students to make up one day of instruction in April. The other two instructional days will be made up by extending the school year to Friday, May 25. These changs were approved by the Board of Education in a special meeting held April 19.

If you are one of the many families who are holding nonrefundable travel tickets or have students already registered for camps or activities that are to begin as early as our original first day out of school, May 24, please contact your school site principal’s secretary to begin to make arrangements for an early, consequence-free departure. We will address such issues on an individual basis with an eye toward leniency.

What about testing?

Monday, April 9, the Oklahoma State Dept. of Education extended the testing window for all students due to the walkout. See the link below for that information.

http://www.sde.ok.gov/sde/newsblog/2018-04-09/osde-extends-testing-window-give-students-opportunity-best-performance

Revised 2017-18 Assessments & Calendar from the Oklahoma State Dept. of Education

We have multiple plans in place to ensure students are tested as required. School sites are sending out information so please make sure that you are signed up to receive school newsletters, emails etc.

3rd – 5th Grade Tests

UPDATED: The 3rd – 5th-grade window is now April 2nd – 27th. Because the elementary tests are pencil and paper, we can test multiple grades or even all students on the same day. The hardest part is finding enough monitors for each test administered. We may need many extra volunteers to help make elementary testing happen. Please call 340-2268 if you are interested in being a monitor.

6th – 8th Grade Tests

UPDATED: The 6th – 8th-grade testing window is now April 2nd – May 4. Middle school tests are administered online.

ACT & 11th Grade Tests

The ACT is online and continued during the walkout. There is a makeup date on April 24 which is a pencil and paper test.

The 11th-grade science test window is April 2nd – 27th. Currently, schools have this scheduled around the ACT testing dates. The 11th-grade history test can be taken in class at any time.

Advanced Placement Tests

AP testing begins during the first week in May. Principals, teachers and district administrators are discussing how to work through these testing issues. and school sites will be sending home more information.

Will the walkout affect students’ grades?

Teachers will award grades on assignments given during regular school days. The walkout should not affect students’ grades.

Will graduation still be held on May 12?

Yes

Will high school proms continue as scheduled?

Yes

Were teachers paid during the walkout?

Teachers pay is annualized so that teachers always have worked in advance of when they are paid. This allows for teachers to receive monthly paychecks in June, July, and August for work.

Under these circumstances, there will be no loss of pay or benefits and no disciplinary actions associated with their walking out.