Below are all the factors the District Calendar Committee must consider when selecting the calendar for a school year:
- 180 instructional days for students and 190 employment days for teachers including 10 teacher days of which at least 3 must be professional development days
State testing program
- Grade 2 Gifted and Talented Screening (IA and CogAT)
Tentative: Five days between the last week of October through the second week of November
- Grade 11 College-Ready Assessments (The ACT/SAT)
Tentative: First two weeks of March
- Grade 11 Career-Ready Assessments
Tentative: Last two weeks of March
- Grades 3-8 Assessments (SC READY and SCPASS)
Last 20 days of school
- End of Course Examination Program (EOCEP)
Last 15 days of the semester or year, depending on the length of the class
Holidays
- General Election Day
- Fall Break (5 days – new in 2021-22 school year)
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving (3 days)
- Christmas (10 days)
- Martin Luther King Day
- Spring Break (5 days) traditionally
Weather days
At least 3 designated (Desire to preserve staff development days)
Start Date
By state law, students cannot start before August 15, 2022.
Traditional preferences in Kershaw County
- High schools have requested two teacher days between semesters for scheduling changes and records
- Graduations take place on a Records Day so staff members are available to supervise
- Teacher days when students do not attend are usually scheduled for Mondays first semester and Mondays or Fridays second semester to allow parents the convenience of a long weekend
- Allow as much instructional time before testing as possible