Jeffrey Pontiff’s column/editorial in today’s Newton TAB (“Importance of a healthy school start”—available on driveways but not yet online) urges Newton Public Schools to not shorten the school day when implementing later start times for high school. He says in part:
The Newton North school day averages 7 hours and 4 minutes, while South averages 7 hours and 6 minutes. …
The NPS high school schedule planning group [said in March that with a later start time,] the school day “must be 6.5 hours in length,” and “we accept that there will be less classroom time under a new schedule.” The group is expected to provide the School Committee with more specifics in June. If the group’s June report only details 6.5 hour day options, the School Committee will not have a viable plan for a healthy high school start that preserves instruction time. …
Over the school year [with a 6.5 hour day,] Newton North children will lose 3 weeks…of instruction. Compared to Weston and Brookline, our instruction time will face a four-week deficit. These comparisons are starker for Newton South. …
Now is the time to insist that the administration generate an array of schedule proposals that include the preservation of current academic time.
The June update that Jeffrey mentions will be presented at the School Committee meeting next Monday, June 18. The NPS High School Start Time Working Group’s webpage says, “Questions? Comments? Please email the high school start time working group at: [email protected].”
Weston’s new Middle and High School schedule will 8:45 -3:15 beginning this fall – also 6.5 hours, right?
So glad my parents sent me to a private high school. So sad I decided to spend my hard earned income to live in Newton thinking that the public schools here would be sufficient.
The public schools here are more than “sufficient.” The high school start time is a serious issue, but overall kids are getting a very good education at our public schools. And I’m glad to be a product of a good public school system myself.
I just fished the TAB out of my recycling bin to read the whole editorial to see if I was missing something… where are the school day lengths cited in this editorial (Weston 7h 20m, Brookline 7h 15m, Wellesley 7h) coming from? This editorial seems to conflate length of day and instructional time.
As I mentioned above, Weston’s school day beginning this fall will be 8:45-3:15, which is 6.5 hours – same as proposed for Newton.
Brookline is 8:20 – 2:50, 2:15 on Friday. (8:20 is the first academic block, a Z block from 7:30-8:15 seems to be for meetings & extra help.)
Wellesley’s first block starts at 7:30, but Block 1 is only for extended labs and electives – most kids will only have 2 – 3 max in the 7-day cycle, some have none – and they end at 2:30. They are also looking into a uniform later start time.
And North’s current schedule has academic blocks from 7:50 to around 2:30 – about 6.5 hours. The length of the day is longer with X blocks two days a cycle, but those don’t count toward instructional time, do they?
I am overseas and about to go to bed. Tricia (or anyone) can email me at [email protected] and I will give you the schedules. I will also give you the op-ed.
Big picture, the NPS is expected to present the School Committee on Monday with one, take-it-or leave it option, that will cut the school day by over 3 weeks per year. Shouldn’t the school committee have choices about how much to cut? Shouldn’t someone ask parents what they think?
Right now South gets out at 1:55 two days a week and 3:20 PM three days a week. I think having classes from 7:40 to 3:20 (including J Block) is too long for one day. While “J” block isn’t classes, the busses don’t leave until 3:20 so kids are in school from 7:40 to 3:20 and then the sports, jobs, activities start including homework. While getting out at 1:55 PM two days a week is nice, a more even distribution would work better for my family.
First, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has issued regulations governing minimum instructional hours and school days for high school (secondary) students. According to the regulations adopted by DESE at 603 CMR [Code of Mass. Regulations] 27(2), high school students must receive a minimum of 990 hours of structured learning time:
“No later than the 1997 – 1998 school year, all schools shall ensure that every secondary school student is scheduled to receive a minimum of 990 hours per school year of structured learning time, as defined in 603 CMR 27.02. Time which a student spends at school breakfast and lunch, passing between classes, in homeroom, at recess, in non-directed study periods, receiving school services, and participating in optional school programs shall not count toward meeting the minimum structured learning time requirement for that student.”
Per 603 CMR 27.02, structured learning time is defined as follows:
Structured learning time shall mean time during which students are engaged in regularly scheduled instruction, learning activities, or learning assessments within the curriculum for study of the “core subjects” and “other subjects.” In addition to classroom time where both teachers and students are present, structured learning time may include directed study, independent study, technology-assisted learning, presentations by persons other than teachers, school-to-work programs, and statewide student performance assessments
Secondly, 603 CMR 27:00 requires schools to be operated for a minimum of 180 days per year.
Thus, whatever the committee recommends to the School Committee concerning the length of the day, the city must satisfy requirements for structured learning time and days of operation. It’s my recollection that Newton North did not meet the 990 hours several years ago and was required to make some adjustments, but I can’t specifically recall the year. Doing some quick math, to meet the minimum structured learning time(and simply satisfying the “minimum” is never a laudable goal in my opinion when it comes to education) without extending beyond 180 days would mean 5.5 hours of structured learning time per day. That leaves 1 hour for lunch, passing to classes and the lot of other non-structured learning time that goes on during the day. Tight squeeze.
Here’s a link to the regulations: http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/603cmr27.html?section=03
LisaP,
To be clear, are you saying the we should give students the minimum legal amount of instruction? It sounds like a goal for trying to keep adults from going to jail!