Everything to know about extra school hour

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fifty-two elementary schools in Duval County will now extend their school day to include one more hour. Dismissal at these schools will change from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. every day.

Why?

The State Department of Education is mandating students who attend 41 of those 52 schools receive more instruction to improve their reading proficiency. Last year, it mandated the state's top 100 low-performing schools receive the extra hour to focus on reading. Eleven Duval County elementary schools extended their day by an hour during the 2013-14 school year.

This year, that number jumped significantly. The Department of Education raised the standard to include the top 300 low-performing schools in the state. That included 39 elementary schools plus two charter schools in Duval County.

DOCUMENT: Florida Department of Education list of low-performing elementary schools

Duval County Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the decision is not related to the school's grade level, but to the percentage of students who are not reading at grade level as measured by their performance on the FCAT reading comprehension test.

Vitti and his staff made the decision to add 11 other elementary schools to the list of 42.

The 11 elementary schools added by Vitti are:

• Westview K-8
  
• Hyde Park Elementary
  
• Ruth Upson Elementary
  
• Venetia Elementary
  
• Carter Woodson Elementary
  
• Garden City Elementary
  
• Reynolds Lane Elementary
  
• Thomas Jefferson Elementary
  
• Holiday Hill Elementary
  
• Love Grove Elementary
  
• Pine Estates Elementary

"Those 11 schools would have been F schools without the hold harmless or D schools that have been fragile schools for the last 2-3 years," Vitti said. "If the state is requiring us to implement, why not provide the additional support to other schools that have the same type of school grade or performance to make sure they don't drop any farther."

What does this mean for your student?

Right now, all students who attend one of these 52 schools will be required to stay until 4 p.m. The only exception is students who scored a 5 on the FCAT reading comprehension.

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State statute, according to Vitti, allows them to opt out of the extra hour. However, Vitti said he will ask parents to consider allowing those students to stay for the extra hour.

"I think some parents have looked at this as maybe punishment," Vitti said. "We always think, 'Oh, you have to stay after school,' and there's a negative stigma linked to that. But this is really about providing additional support to students who are not only below grade level, but also above grade level. What our plan is, is to differentiate based on the individual student."

Success rate:

"Over the past two years, 67 percent have improved in reading proficiency," Vitti said.

During the 2013-14 school year, Vitti said, the following schools that participated in the extended day indicated reading proficiency gains:

• John Love (+8)
  
• Ramona Blvd (+2)
  
• Windy Hill (+8)
  
• Long Branch (+3)
  
• Sadie Tillis (+2)
  
• St. Clair Evans (+5)
  
• R.L. Brown (+1)
  
• Hyde Grove (+5)

During the same school year, the following schools that participated in the extended day did not indicate reading proficiency gains:

• West Jacksonville (-1)
  
• Livingston (-4)
  
• Justina Road (-6)
  
• Andrew Robinson (-6)

How will students be grouped: 

"If you are very much below grade level, we're going to focus on skill sets to improve your reading ability," Vitti said. "If you are at grade level, we will reinforce the standards to give you extra practice. If you are really above reading level, we'll group those students to give you enrichment activities.  Ultimately, it's an hour of certified teachers providing tutoring services in a very differentiating way."

Transportation:

Vitti said buses will pick up at these schools at 4 p.m. instead of 3 p.m.

Teachers:

Because this is not the first year teachers at some schools have been asked to stay an extra hour, the teachers union has negotiated additional pay for these educators. Vitti said the school district and the teachers union are currently working this out now to include the additional teachers.

"We will probably provide for an opt-out option for some teachers," Vitti said.

Extended day:

Many parents who are unable to pick up their child at the end of the school year pay for extended day. Vitti said this cost will be less for parents of students who attend those 52 schools.

Parents with children who attend the schools with an extended day should have received a call from their district last week. Letters were also mailed to the students' homes last week.

Over the next two weeks there will be a series of community meetings involving the schools on the list. There will be one held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Holiday Hill Elementary school and additional meetings at every school affected: