Students at Springfield Elementary School learned Tuesday that they will have to go to class for an extra hour. This change is coming out of a state mandated requirement based on low FCAT scores.
Instead of leaving at 2:00 PM, the students will head home at 3:00 PM. It is an extra hour for reading, something the principal says, they've wanted for quite some time.
Since the school is among the lowest in reading scores, with level one's and two's, the Florida Department of Education is issuing the mandate to help increase learning gains.
District transportation will be provided to accommodate this extra hour. Principal Harriet Taylor says the teachers will get their hourly pay for the extra time, and those teachers who cannot make this commitment will have other options.
Taylor says over all she believes the teachers and parents will see this change as a positive thing. "We have wanted to have more time with our students at the elementary level...We're going to have more time to teach them which is going to increase student achievement, so it's going to be very positive," says Taylor.
Bay District officials will have a meeting at the school Wednesday morning to speak with the teachers about the change.
Parents were alerted Tuesday through the district's automated phone system.
The District says if teachers don't want to work the additional hour they will have to find teachers who will switch positions with them but they don't expect it to be an issue.
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