School Day – File AF

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File:AF

School Day

  1. GENERAL

1.1SCOPE This policy provides the minimum academic requirements of the school day for the various grade levels for all ClayCountySchool.

1.2AUTHORITY West Virginia Board of Education Policy 2510 – Assuring the Quality of Education: Regulations for Education Programs

1.3FILING DATEJULY 2010

1.4EFFECTIVE DATEJuly 2010

  1. REQUIREMENTS

Each school shall organize its daily and weekly schedule on a pattern that is most appropriate for its educational program, provided that an average of at least 225 minutes per week are scheduled for non-laboratory courses, and an average of at least 275 minutes per week are scheduled for laboratory courses and for such practical arts and fine arts courses as music, art, industrial arts, homemaking, typewriting, and agriculture.

To attain some degree of uniformity, no classes will start earlier than 8:00 a.m. and classes shall not be conducted after 4:00 p.m.

Schedules must be prepared to conform to these outside hours, thereby allowing the full 360 minutes of classroom instruction.

2.1The school calendar shall provide, at a minimum, 12 hours per week for pre-k, and an instructional day of 315 minutes for kindergarten and grades 1-4, 330 minutes for grades 5-8, and 345 minutes for grades 9-12.

2.2In k-2 classrooms, the given content areas are taught daily.

  1. It is required, in accordance with scientifically based reading research, that, at a minimum, a daily uninterrupted 90 minute reading/English language arts block be scheduled during which students are actively engaged in learning through whole group, small group and reading center activities.
  1. A minimum of 60 minutes of daily mathematics instruction is required.
  1. In k-2 classrooms, not less than 30 minutes of physical education, including physical exercise and age appropriate physical activities, for not less than three days a week shall be provided.
  1. All content areas of Science, Social Studies, Visual Art, Music Health Learning Skills and Technology Toolsmay be integrated into classroom instruction and must be taught in a manner that supports the acquisition of strong reading, language arts and mathematics skills.
  1. Specific content area instruction in the given content areas may or may not be offered daily. Sufficient emphasis must be placed on the given content areas to ensure that students master content knowledge and skills as specified in the 21st century content standards and objectives for each subject.

2.3In the intermediate elementary grades (grades 3 and 4) students will be taught the given content areas.

  1. It is required, in accordance with scientifically based reading research, that, at a minimum, 90 minutes of reading and English language arts instruction be provided through whole group, small group and reading center activities as a block or throughout the school day.
  1. A minimum of 60 minutes of daily mathematics instruction is required.
  1. Sufficient emphasis must be placed on the following content areas to ensure that students master content knowledge and skills as specified in the 21st century content standards and objectives for each subject:
  1. Reading and English Language Arts
  2. Mathematics
  3. Science
  4. Social Studies
  1. Intermediate elementary students shall be provided not less than 30 minutes of physical education, including physical exercise and age appropriate physical activities, for not less than three days a week.
  1. Schools which do not currently have the number of certified physical education teachers or required physical setting may develop alternate programs that will enable current staff and physical settings to be used to meet the physical education requirements. The alternate programs shall be submitted to the WVDE and the Healthy Lifestyle Council for approval.

2.4In the grades of 5, 6, 7, and 8, the following given content areas will be offered with frequency sufficient to achieve mastery of the West Virginia approved content standards and objectives for those areas and meet the needs of children:

  1. Visual Art
  2. Music
  3. Health
  4. Learning Skills
  5. Technology Tools

2.5The following required core courses shall be taught daily by a teamof qualified teachers.

  1. Reading and English Language Arts
  2. Mathematics/Algebra I
  3. Science
  4. Social Studies

2.6An intervention component willensure mastery of the rigorous content standards andobjectives at each grade level.

2.7The core courses (Readingand English/Language Arts, Mathematics/Algebra I,Science and Social Studies) will be offered within a blockof time no less than 180 minutes.

  1. The principal and a teamof teachers will determine time allocations that provideadequate time to achieve mastery of the West Virginiacontent standards and objectives for each of the requiredcourses and effectively address the academic needs ofstudents who are below mastery in the basic skills ofreading, writing and mathematics.
  1. It is recommended thatall students planning to enter the high school professionalpathway will be enrolled in Algebra I in the 8th grade.

2.8Students in middle grades shall be provided not less thanone full period of physical education, including physicalexercise and age appropriate physical activities, eachschool day of one semester of the school year.

  1. Schoolswhich do not currently have the number of certifiedphysical education teachers or required physical settingmay develop alternate programs that will enable currentstaff and physical settings to be used to meet the physicaleducation requirements.
  1. The alternate programs shall besubmitted to the WVDE and the Healthy Lifestyle Councilfor approval.

2.9The following required courses are considered part of the encorecurriculum and each course shall be taught as a separatesubject:

  1. Visual Art
  2. Music
  3. Health

2.10Students shall be enrolled in each course for aminimum of 18weeks cumulative across grades 6-8.

2.11Foreign language shall be offered annually.

2.12These requirements shall be integrated into the middle leveleducation as determined by the principal and the team ofteachers.

  1. Advisory/Comprehensive School Guidanceand Counseling
  2. Career Exploration
  3. Technology

2.13At the high school level (grades 9, 10, 11, and 12), class periods shall be scheduled ina manner that results in a minimum of 8100 minutesof instructional time allotted for a high schoolcourse credit.

2.14The high school requirement shall be consistent with WV Board of Education Policy 2510 (SeeHigh School Graduation Requirements Policy, File Policy IHE-A of this Policy Manual).

ClayCounty Board of Education