Academic Calendar

As dual credit high school students, Gateway to College students are required to attend classes beyond the traditional Eastfield College school calendar due to attendance accounting standards set forth by the Texas Education Agency. Due to this policy, students are required to be in class 180 days a year for 240 minutes a day.

Please see the below calendar for required attendance of all Gateway to College students for the academic school year of 2011-2012:

             

Total Days of Classroom Instruction:

180 Days of Classroom Instruction 
*This is the total number of days students will be in class for the designated 240 minutes to meet TEA Calendaring Rules

Cycle Dates:

Cycle 1: August 23, 2011—October 4, 2011, 2011; Total = 30 Days
There are two subsets of attendance records for this cycle due to the EFC college class schedule. They include: August 23-August 26; August 29-October 4

Cycle 2: October 5, 2011—November 15, 2011; Total = 30 Days

Cycle 3: November 16, 2011—January 13, 2011; Total = 30 Days
There are two subsets of attendance records for this cycle due to the EFC college class schedule. They include: November 16-December 16; December 19-January 13

Cycle 4: January 17, 2012—February 27, 2012; Total = 30 Days

Cycle 5: February 28, 2012—April 19, 2012; Total = 30 Days

Cycle 6: April 20, 2012—June 1, 2012; Total = 30 Days
There are two subsets of attendance records for this cycle due to the EFC college class schedule. They include: April 16-May 10; May 14-June 1

Holidays:

*These are days no classes will be held.

Staff Development:

*These are days no classes will be held

Waiver Days:

**March 1, 2012; April 6, 2012
**These dates are listed as holidays or staff development but are also considered “makeup” days if schools must be closed due to bad weather during the year. Please take these dates into account when planning activities.

GTC Bridge Week:

August 23, 2011- August 26, 2011
January 10, 2012 -January 13, 2012

*GTC Bridge Week is a week-long student orientation where students will participate in the following:

• review and agree to GTC Scholarship conditions, including GTC policy & procedures and the EFC Student Code of Conduct
• Develop and set semester long goals that align with career and scholastic long range planning
• Participate in team building and leadership activities that stimulate positive character development
• Connect with EFC faculty/staff through professional networking activities and roundtable discussions 

Semester Launch, Textbook Distribution, & PLATO Lab:

January 5-6, 2012

*Semester Launch, Textbook Distribution, & PLATO Lab dates include days where students participate in Accuplacer testing (if necessary), course registration, textbook distribution, and PLATO Lab activities to prepare them for the upcoming college semester

Semester Wrap Up, Textbook Turn-In, & PLATO Lab:

December 19-21, 2011
May 29-31, 2012

*Semester Wrap Up, Textbook Turn-In, and PLATO Lab dates include days where students meet one-on-one with GTC Directors to review progress in the program through discussing degree plans, academic performance, credit recovery, career goals, and overall behavior. Textbooks are checked in, and efforts in recovering high school credits in PLATO Lab are underway

TAKS Testing Dates:

*The following above dates are MANDATED by the state of Texas as required testing for all students
*Students CANNOT graduate high school without passing all levels of TAKS testing