Source 1: Year–Round Schooling Helps Students, Teachers, and Families

Question

1
The thought of year–round schooling makes some people nervous. This is most likely because they do not understand how year–round schooling works. Students might imagine being stuck at their desks all year. Parents may worry about arranging childcare or planning family trips. However, some basic information will dispel these fears.

2
What exactly is year–round schooling? Well, it does not mean that students and teachers are stuck in their classrooms for twelve months. Most students in year–round programs spend about the same amount of time in class as students who attend traditional schools. The difference is that students do not get a long summer vacation. They take shorter, more frequent breaks throughout the year. Some schools follow a single–track schedule, in which all students and teachers have breaks at the same time. Other schools use a multi–track schedule, in which groups of students and teachers attend school at different times during the year.

3
Year–round schooling is beneficial because shorter gaps between school sessions allow students to remember more. Teachers spend less time reviewing information that was covered before students went on break. Instead, they have more time for new material. In addition, students can advance when they are ready rather than waiting for a new school year to start.

4
A multi–track schedule is especially beneficial for schools with crowded classrooms. Because some students are always on vacation, classroom populations are reduced. Teachers can provide more attention to the students on their track. Multi–track schedules also allow schools to register more students because their buildings are always in use. Taxpayers are not burdened with the cost of constructing new schools in densely populated areas.

5
Some argue that frequent breaks at school can make life more complicated for busy parents. Although parents will need to arrange childcare when their children are on break, they have more freedom to take vacations when it is most convenient. Parents no longer have to wait until summer to visit family or plan enjoyable trips with their kids. Vacationing in the off–season also allows families to avoid high prices and large crowds.

6
The current educational system in our country has been in place for decades, and some worry that it will be too difficult to change. Despite these concerns, a switch to year–round schooling is something every school should consider. The advantages for students, teachers, and parents outweigh the difficulties of adopting a new system.

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Multiple Choice Question
Read the paragraph from "Schools Should Stick to Traditional Schedules."

While supporters contend that year–round schooling will improve student performance, little proof exists suggesting that this is the case. Students in year–round programs attend school for about the same number of days as students in traditional programs. These students do not spend more time learning. Rather, their breaks are just spread out throughout the year. Shorter breaks may make it easier for some students to recall information, but others may struggle if teachers spend too little time on review.

How does this information help the reader understand the information about year–round schedules in paragraph 3 of "Year–Round Schooling Helps Students, Teachers, and Families"?
A.
It shows that students can advance quickly instead of waiting for the new school year to start.

B.
It shows that there are shorter breaks throughout the year.

C.
It shows that this method is a disadvantage to those who need review at the beginning of the year.

D.
It shows that year–round schooling improves student performance.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C.

It shows that this method is a disadvantage to those who need review at the beginning of the year.

This option highlights a potential drawback of year-round schooling, which contrasts with the assertion in paragraph 3 of "Year–Round Schooling Helps Students, Teachers, and Families," that year-round schooling allows teachers to spend less time reviewing old material. The information from the opposing paragraph implies that not all students may benefit from the lack of review, thus providing a more nuanced view of the effectiveness of year-round schooling.