Post by title1parent on Jun 12, 2009 6:59:50 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1619122,2_1_1_AU12_WESTCOL_S1-090612.article
Longer days, better education
June 12, 2009
By MIKE CHAPIN School District 129 community relations director
This week, West Aurora's students walked out of their schools into the childhood bliss of summer vacation.
On Aug. 19 they will walk back into better schools.
Research shows that the amount of time students spend receiving instruction in core subjects makes a significant difference in student learning. To that end, elementary and middle school days in the West Aurora School District will be longer next fall.
Elementary students will receive 100 minutes of additional instructional time per week. Minimum teaching times have been set in reading, writing, math, science and social studies by grade level.
Education is a K-12 continuum, so improved learning at one level leads to more success at the next. To that end, a key change in the 25-minutes-longer middle-school day will be an additional period of language arts/reading in seventh and eighth grades. The new format also will allow gifted middle-school students to earn high-school credit in algebra and world languages.
The high school is just finishing its initial year with a lengthened school day. It offered an additional instructional period designed to benefit students of all achievement levels. Some students used it to obtain extra help and others to take more advanced classes.
Next year, students not only will receive more quantity, but also better quality instruction. Writing teachers have adopted a common language of instruction for all grade levels to improve student learning. Middle- and high-school students will learn from upgraded math books. Gifted middle-school students will receive additional language arts learning tools to accompany the advanced texts they received last year. And teachers will have a full year of training behind them to take advantage of this year's new science curriculum with its exciting Web-based learning opportunities.
All of the above improvements to teaching and learning, along with significant improvements to safety and security, have been made possible by the passage of the 2007 tax rate referendum.
Longer days, better education
June 12, 2009
By MIKE CHAPIN School District 129 community relations director
This week, West Aurora's students walked out of their schools into the childhood bliss of summer vacation.
On Aug. 19 they will walk back into better schools.
Research shows that the amount of time students spend receiving instruction in core subjects makes a significant difference in student learning. To that end, elementary and middle school days in the West Aurora School District will be longer next fall.
Elementary students will receive 100 minutes of additional instructional time per week. Minimum teaching times have been set in reading, writing, math, science and social studies by grade level.
Education is a K-12 continuum, so improved learning at one level leads to more success at the next. To that end, a key change in the 25-minutes-longer middle-school day will be an additional period of language arts/reading in seventh and eighth grades. The new format also will allow gifted middle-school students to earn high-school credit in algebra and world languages.
The high school is just finishing its initial year with a lengthened school day. It offered an additional instructional period designed to benefit students of all achievement levels. Some students used it to obtain extra help and others to take more advanced classes.
Next year, students not only will receive more quantity, but also better quality instruction. Writing teachers have adopted a common language of instruction for all grade levels to improve student learning. Middle- and high-school students will learn from upgraded math books. Gifted middle-school students will receive additional language arts learning tools to accompany the advanced texts they received last year. And teachers will have a full year of training behind them to take advantage of this year's new science curriculum with its exciting Web-based learning opportunities.
All of the above improvements to teaching and learning, along with significant improvements to safety and security, have been made possible by the passage of the 2007 tax rate referendum.