FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF) – Fort Worth ISD students are going to be in school a little longer each day beginning in the fall semester. The district is implementing a new daily class schedule that adds 10-15 minutes to each school day. Clint Bond with the school district said under the ongoing campaign of “Attendance Adds Up,” the importance of going to school every day, now also means making every minute count.
“Students are only in class 15 percent of their time. A few more extra minutes in class helps us to extend the instructional day just a bit and get some additional information for those students.”
In 2015, the Texas Legislature changed the way school districts account for student instructional time. Instead of using the 180-day calendar system to count the days, lawmakers began tracking the minutes and decided students must be in class for at least 75,600 minutes each year. Teacher’s hours will not change under the new system.
Bond said changing from days to minutes benefits the students and their families. The increased learning time will provide more opportunity for integrated instruction and benefit students who many need additional help. The change will also eliminate the two weather make-up days that are often scheduled for Good Friday and the day after school is supposed to end. He said with the extra time students will gain enough minutes to meet the state required goal without adding extra days.
For the full schedule and updated times, go to www.fwisd.org.
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