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Sweetwater ISD’s calendar seeks to maximize learning, minimizing achievement gaps, respond to uncertainty, equipping teachers, and assist our students in achieving their full potential. Upon implementation of the Sweetwater ISD’s District of Innovation Plan, the district will determine an appropriate start date annually that does not occur before the third Monday in August for students, and an appropriate end date that does not exceed the last day of May. Changing the first day of instruction does not alter the University Interscholastic League (UIL) restrictions for the first day of practice for athletic and fine arts programs. Sweetwater ISD will continue to comply with the UIL calendar for summer practices and will not move summer practices earlier, despite potentially moving up the start date of school. The flexibility to begin instruction earlier in August will enable SISD to develop a calendar that will meet the needs of all students in SISD by balancing the number of days in each semester. This will allow teachers to better pace and deliver instruction before and after winter break and allow for more instruction time before the state mandated assessments and retesting. Professional development can be provided during the academic year on days when students are not present, reducing the usage of substitute personnel, and allowing personnel to collaborate and review data across grade levels to better improve student outcomes. Further, this exemption will provide relief at the secondary level for students who are enrolled in dual credit courses. The earlier start and end dates will allow alignment with the calendars of local colleges and universities, and upon graduation, students and teachers will be able to register and attend the first summer sessions at institutions of higher learning.