NEWS

Ritz: Schools could extend hours to make up snow days

By Eric Weddle
eric.weddle@indystar.com

Schools soon will be able to make up a snow day by adding an hour to several consecutive school days or allowing weekend instruction via the Internet.

Glenda Ritz, state superintendent of public instruction, said Thursday school districts want the flexibility to increase classroom time without adding full days to the school calendar in preparation for the upcoming ISTEP standardized tests.

Severe weather this week and throughout January has forced schools to close or shorten teaching days. School leaders have raised concerns that test preparation has been cut short.

Ritz said she soon will lay out official options schools can use to make up the snow days without adding additional days to the school calendar.

“It would be what I call a conditional waiver,” Ritz explained after Thursday’s State Board of Education meeting. “You apply for the waiver and you say: ‘We want to waive these number of days and this is how we will make up the time.’ ”

Ritz said a school could add an additional hour to six school days to make up for one lost day. Schools with the technology could even hold online classes on a Saturday

“We think it is an option that locals have not had before,” she said. “We are excited about that.”

That’s welcome news to Jeff Butts, superintendent of Wayne Township schools, who has yet to schedule two make up days. The options available till now, he said, have been painful to consider, such as holding classes after graduation, like Indianapolis Public Schools has decided, or adding classes on Saturdays or during spring break.

If Wayne did extend the school day, it would increase costs because some employees would be required to work overtime, Butts said. After-school activities could be impacted too. But it would cause less disruption than other options and give students more time to study for the high-stakes ISTEP, or Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress, exam.

“We love the option. We think it is great to have different options for the communities to work through and decide,” he said. “When you are talking about what is best for the instruction of our students and in preparation for ISTEP — I think it is absolutely phenomenal. It is an option we will strongly consider.”

Wayne Township and other Indiana schools will also have the option to push back the ISTEP test a few days to allow teachers additional time to prepare students in wake of missed class time due to dangerous weather.

The State Board of Education voted Thursday to allow ISTEP to be administered any time from March 3 to 21. The previous window had been March 3 to 12. The IREAD-3 test could be given from March 17-21, a two-day extension.

Hamilton Southeastern Schools lost six days due to weather. Since only one make-up day will be held before March tests begin, assistant superintendent Beth Niedermeyer said the extended window is a benefit.

“Having five additional instructional days added before testing is definitely helpful.”

Call Star reporter Eric Weddle at (317) 444-6222. Follow him on Twitter: @ericweddle.