Middle and high schools in Heath, Ohio, under Superintendent of Schools Trevor Thomas, will have more time for math lessons if and when a schedule change occurs, the Newark Advocate reports. Instead of a nine-period day, students would have eight periods a day, dropping mostly a study hall from the two or three that they have now.
The change will increase the length of a class period from 44 to 51 minutes, and then, reading and math will have a three-period block, to be split up between the two subjects. The exact duration of the math-reading period will depend on the number of minutes used for passing periods in between classes, but each subject should get about 75 minutes.
Classes “are just not at the length that they should be,” the Advocate quoted Mr Thomas as saying. “We’re finding that teachers just don’t have enough time to get through the units and lessons. Research indicates that increased instructional time does translate to increased results, which is not really rocket science.”
Pointing to new test data, middle school Dean of Students Holly Myers said teachers in the district, at all levels, are noticing a lack of basic math skills on the part of students. Some might not have ever learned their times tables, while others lack basic algebra skills. “Obviously, if you don’t have that foundation, how do you build?” she asked.
For reading, the schedule change will only add about six minutes a day, which comes to 30 minutes a week—not very much. But in math, an extra 30 minutes of instruction per day will come as a result of the schedule change, and that could add up quickly.