Expanded Learning Time Makes Gains
Mass2020 Releases Results, Longer School Day Improves Scores
Last week, a Boston-based "action tank" released the first year results of a 10 school pilot. The experiment worked.
Last week, Mass 2020, a Boston-based organization with a strong track record of leading innovative education reform initiatives, announced the first year results of its Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Initiative. In the 2006-2007 school year, Massachusetts became the first state in the country to administer a multi-district effort to increase learning time by at least 300 hours in ten schools in five districts. This innovative effort is the result of a partnership between Massachusetts 2020 and the Massachusetts Department of Education.
The results
In the participating schools, students showed significant improvement in all subjects across all grades on the MCAS (the standardized test administered by the state). Even more notable is that the gains in most of the pilot schools were higher than those of the state of Massachusetts overall. For example:
- The number of students reaching proficiency in ELT schools grew 44% in math, 39% in English Language Arts (ELA), and 19% in science compared to the 2002-2006 average for those schools.
- Participating students closed the achievement gap with the state of Massachusetts in ELA by 35%. The percentage of students at or above proficiency in ELA increased by 10.8%, while the state only increased by 3.5%.
- There was a 40% increase in ELT schools making AYP in English.
- The number of ELT schools making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) grew in math and ELA. Six out of 10 ELT schools made AYP in Math, a 100% increase from the previous year.
What did parents think?
In February 2007, the parents of students attending three randomly selected expanded learning time schools were surveyed to measure their impressions of how their children were doing in their first year in an ELT school.
- 79% of parents thought the program should be continued and expanded.
- 77% of parents thought that a longer school day was helping their children academically.
- 72% said the new school schedule was having a positive impact on the quality of their child’s education.
What did teachers think?
In the spring of 2007, the teachers in all 10 expanded learning time schools were surveyed to learn more about their impressions of the first year.
- 70% of teachers indicated that ELT has had a positive impact on their students.
- 65% of teachers indicated that ELT has allowed them to incorporate experiential learning.
Is more time really necessary?
With No Child Left Behind's increased focus on accountability, the demands on teachers and students have increased dramatically over the past decade. Nationwide, teachers lament that they’re not able to meet the needs of their students who are struggling to learn basic skills.
Paul Reville, Co-Chair of the newly formed National Center on Time and Learning, and Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Education describes it as “like running a 100-yard dash where more than half the kids start 300 yards behind the finish line, and some kids start at the 50 yard line. Why is it,” he asks, “that at the end of the race, we expect all kids to finish at the same time?”
Many educators worry that a longer school day will mean more “drill and kill,” and that the importance of promoting a love of learning and positive youth development will be lost. On the contrary, the new National Center on Time and Learning stresses the importance of creating a restructured school day with increased opportunities for professional development and added enrichment through project-based learning and community partnerships, two critical pieces to ensuring a well-rounded education. Visit the National Center on Time and Learning to learn more.
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