Saturday, November 10, 2012: 1:45 PM-3:15 PM
International E (Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel)
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
Organizers: Amy Checkoway, Abt Associates, Inc.
Chairs: Matthew Stagner, University of Chicago
There is nationwide attention to alternatives to the traditional school calendar in order to improve academic performance; recent federal funding opportunities including the Race to the Top Fund and School Improvement Grant programs have spurred many districts and schools to try a variety of approaches to increase instructional time for students.
The Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time (ELT) initiative provides state grant funds to selected schools to redesign their schedules by adding 300-plus instructional hours to the school year to improve outcomes, broaden enrichment opportunities, and provide teachers with more planning and professional development time. Nineteen ELT schools are currently funded across multiple districts and as of the 2011-2012 school year have been implementing ELT for at least four years and as many as six.
This panel will discuss measuring the implementation of ELT in Massachusetts from several perspectives: the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (state agency that oversees the initiative), Massachusetts 2020 (policy, advocacy and technical assistance organization), and Abt Associates Inc. (independent evaluator of initiative).