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Intersession

Our school year calendar includes Intersessions.  These take place in the fall, spring and summer to support and improve the academic achievement for all students. Students who attend will receive individualized instruction tailored to their specific needs.

2020-21 Intersession dates

  • Fall: Oct. 6-9, 2020
  • Spring: March 8-12, 2021
  • Summer 1: June 14-17, 2021
  • Summer 2: June 21-24, 2021

Intersession

Watch our Fall Intersession video for an idea of what each Intersession will look like.

What is Intersession?

Intersessions are brief breaks throughout the school year for extra academic support.

Intersessions are strategically scheduled to provide intervention, enrichment, and accelerations following a grading cycle, rather than delaying these experiences until the summer. For intervention, the ability to provide students with these more immediate recovery opportunities will reduce the likelihood of compounding knowledge gaps when new grade level content is presented and students do not possess the requisite skills.

Intersessions will:

  • help address the "summer slide", or the decline in student performance that typically happens during long breaks
  • manage the anticipated long-term impact of COVID-19
  • provide intervention, enrichment and acceleration opportunities
  • be built into the school year to provide timely student support and give extra flexibility to respond to student needs
  • provide more immediate recovery opportunities to reduce knowledge gaps

Watch this video for a detailed look at Intersession.

How will Intersessions work?

Each campus will offer its own Intersession and communicate with parents what courses are being offered. Special sessions such as Dyslexia, ELL support and AVID will also be provided by the district at "hub" campuses or virtually.

Who should attend?

We encourage students to attend if they: 
  • have skill deficits identified by a universal screener, standardized test results, formative assessments or cycle/course failures
  • need accelerations to improve performance on assessments, boost course credits and/or prepare for college assessments
  • would like to have enrichment through curriculum extension, including camps
Some students will receive invitations for specific sessions. Our campuses will analyze data to determine student session invitations. Once a student has received their invite and confirmed their attendance, their teachers will use the student's data to create specific lessons tailored to their academic needs. 

What to expect

  • The instructional model will mimic how instruction was provided the week prior (ex. virtual, face-to-face, etc.).
  • The student to teacher ratio is 15:1.
  • Students will be served breakfast and lunch.
  • Transportation will be provided for eligible ES and MS students.
    HS students will have the opportunity to take a shuttle to intersession.
    See the HS Intersession shuttle schedule (PDF) for times and locations.
  • Certain enrichment/acceleration sessions will have an attendance cap and will fill quickly.
  • Intersession will be held during the following times each day:
    • Elementary: 8:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
    • Middle School: 8:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
    • High School: 7:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
  • A typical schedule could include:
    • Breakfast and welcoming activity
    • Session #1
    • Brain Break
    • Session #2
    • Lunch and dismissal

Once students have confirmed attendance, teachers will utilize individual student data to create specific lessons that target academic needs.

Frequently asked questions

See below for common questions. If you have any issues or need assistance, please contact your campus.

If my student is doing remote learning, can they still attend Intersession?

Yes, all students (PreK-12) have the opportunity to attend Intersession.

How will my student benefit from attending Intersession?

Intersessions were strategically scheduled to provide academic support to all students.  Sessions are designed to provide individualized instruction for students.

Will all students attend Intersession?

No. Only students who commit to attend will participate.

Is student intersession attendance mandatory? Are there any consequences for not attending if recommended?

Intersession participation for selected students is strongly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Does this replace after school tutoring or any other student support throughout the year?

No, Intersession is a supplement to tutoring and other supports.

What supports or services will be available for special populations (ELL, SPED, Dyslexia, etc)?

All sites will have specialized personnel to ensure students receive eligible supports and accommodations.

Contact us

Still have questions? Contact:

Intersession, Department of Intervention
intersession@garlandisd.net
972-487-3160 or 972-487-3093