The Development-Status of the Dade County Quinmester Program. A Simulation Notebook.

Two plant utilization strategies have been implemented by the Dade County Public Schools: the extended school day and the extended school year. The 10-hour extended day plan increases the capacity of a school facility by approximately 75 percent by dividing the school enrollment into two equal groups and dividing the day into two equal sessions. Each student is assigned five subjects, but could elect to take an additional subject and extend his school day. The quinmester extended school year designed has been developed around a calendar that divides the school year into five 45-day sessions and which provides maximum flexibility in educational programing to the school and the student. A student in a school operating under the quinmester organization must attend any four quinmesters in the five quinmester school year, and has the option of attending all five quinmesters to accelerate his graduation or to do remedial work. The strategy of the quinmester program provides significant implications for curriculum improvement and a program of 9-week, nongraded, nonsequential courses of instruction for each subject area of the curriculum. The quinmester program is voluntary and, since it does not result in an increase in student capacity anywhere approaching that of the extended school day plan, schools suffering from overcapacity could operate both plans simultaneously. A school calendar and other program development materials are included in the appendixes. (Author/DN)