The Ideal School Day
Why, What and When?
Inconsistent Length of Student Day
Inequitable Teaching Loads
Why an Ideal
School Day?
Negative Impacts on Instructional
Time
Inequity of Elementary Specials
Limited Time to Address Health and
Wellness
Research on Sleep Patterns of
Teenagers
Collaboration Time Inconsistency
Why Now?
2010: Elementary Specials Advisory Task Force
2012: District Mission, Vision, Values and Goals Consensus Process Began
2014: Memorandum of Understanding between BVEA and Board of Education
2014: Strategic Plan (now known as Success Effect) Developed
Learning Time was one of 17 Action Teams
2015: Ideal School Day Task Force Convenes
Elementary Specials Advisory Task Force
Guiding Principles
1. Help students grow into well-rounded, healthy adults (based on
current medical and educational research)
2. Provide equal time amongst the specials (Music, Instrumental Music,
PE and Art)
3. Provide adequate time to teach the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
4. Maintain four content areas (Music, Instrumental Music, PE and Art)
The Ideal School Day Task Force is charged with
addressing:
●
a designated length of school day by level for every school
●
district-wide 5th grade instrumental music
●
specialist model and schedule for K-5 art, music and PE
●
recommendation to guide the revision of the specials MOU
●
analysis of middle school day and schedule
●
later start times for high schools
●
analysis of preschool day and schedule
●
Board-approved regulation ADF-R on Wellness Physical Activity
●
analysis of current district-wide PreK-12 time for teacher collaboration
and implications for transportation efficiencies
●
Universal Breakfast
As a result, the Ideal School Day Task Force is considering:
●
A designated length of school day by level for every school, with a later
start time proposal for high schools
Rationale: Consistency of instructional time for students and teachers by level
●
A designated time for staff to meet on a regular basis outside of a teacher’s
plan time
Rationale: A district-wide model will be more family friendly, teacher friendly,
and will create efficiencies in transportation.
At the Elementary Level:
●
Provide equitable access to breakfast for all students in schools that offer
Universal Breakfast within the school day
Rationale: Offering breakfast at schools that qualify during the school day results
in decreased stigma, reduces overhead costs, increases
program participation and can pay for itself as reimbursement
increases with participation.
●
Increase lunch time for students to 25 minutes
Rationale: Addresses a long-standing concern expressed by parents
●
Increase recess to a minimum of 45 mins per day
Rationale: Will meet Regulation ADF-R on Wellness Physical Activity
At the Elementary Level:
●
Offer equal minutes of Art, Music and PE at all grade levels.
Rationale: This meets a guiding principle developed by the Elementary
Specialists’ Advisory Task Force in 2010 that Art be increased to the
same minutes as PE and Music and provides 4.5 hours of plan time
each week within the school day
●
Develop a district-wide specialists’ schedule that is effective and
efficient. (A sub-committee is examining options.)
Rationale: Currently, all schools are responsible for creating their
schedules and there is wide variety across the district, resulting in
many part-time teachers and an expensive staffing model. A districtwide schedule (most likely feeder system) will provide teachers with
daily planning time at a consistent time and coordinated schedules with
more full time assignments.
●
Offer one section of music at 5th grade, student/parent choice of
either General Music or Instrumental Music.
Rationale: The Elementary Specialists’ Advisory Task Force began their work in 2010
and developed four guiding principles:
1. Help students grow into well-rounded, healthy adults (based on current medical
and educational research)
2. Provide equal time amongst the specials (Music, Instrumental Music, PE and Art)
3. Provide adequate time to teach the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
4. Maintain four content areas (Music, Instrumental Music, PE and Art)
●
Revise and update the specialists’ Memorandum of Understanding
Rationale: The changes proposed will require a revision to the Specials MOU and does
not currently include Instrumental Music teachers or Library Media Specialists.
Middle Level
An analysis of the current middle school program
will result in recommendations for future
consideration.
Rationale: The length of day for middle level students will
not change significantly. Recommendations will be made to
create a “better” day at this level for teachers and students.
Ideas being explored include block scheduling; more
movement breaks during the day; and extending the day
for enrichment activities, interest-based activities, advisory
periods, interdisciplinary units, and technology use.
High Schools
A later start time is being considered for all
high schools.
Rationale: The research on sleep patterns for
high school students is guiding the group’s
recommendations. Most research identifies an
appropriate start time of 8:30 to 9:00 a.m
Ideal School Day
Task Force
● Research Successful Practices
● Interview Parents, Teachers and
Students
● Develop Best Practices for BVSD
and make recommendations by
December, 2015
ALL BVSD Schools
Examine how time is currently used
How can we make our day better?
Ideal School Day Task Force
December 2015: Ideal School Day Task Force makes
recommendations
Implementation Begins: August 2016
Ideal School Day Task Force = Consistent Time
Schools = Better Time
CONNECTIONS with the
Success Effect
Learning: Better Learning Time
for Students and Teachers
Talent: Consistent time for
Educators to Collaborate
Partnerships: A Consistent
Schedule to Support BVSD
Families
The Ideal School Day
Implementation Begins: August 2016