June 16, 2020—The CFISD Board of Trustees approved the calendar committee’s recommendation to modify the 2020-2021 instructional calendar during its regularly scheduled meeting on June 16.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in a loss of 52 instructional days that comprised 30 percent of the instructional calendar, Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath suggested school districts consider modifications to an instructional calendar that:

• minimizes disruptions;
• adjusts for learning loss;
• provides remediation;
• provides dedicated learning time focused on struggling students;
• helps minimize the “summer slide;” and
• includes extra days and weeks for make-up time due to the potential resurgence of COVID-19.
   

In response, the calendar committee recommended an amended calendar that:

• features the same start date (Aug. 24) and planned professional days/holidays as previously approved;
   
• allots 15 minutes of additional instructional time for elementary and middle schools and 10 minutes of additional instructional time for high schools, which would provide for 30 minutes of focused instruction each day for all students; and
   
• reserves makeup dates from June 1-30 due to a potential additional loss of instruction due to COVID-19.

The amended calendar features 79,200 total instructional minutes, an increase of 3,600 minutes from the previously approved 2020-2021 calendar—the equivalent of eight additional instructional days being built into the school year.

To download a modified 2020-2021 school calendar, visit the CFISD website at www.cfisd.net/en/calendar/.