Extended Day at CPISD
by Scott Turner
June 28, 2010
All Students in the Center Point Independent School District will begin classes at 7:50 AM and dismiss at 3:29 PM during the 2010-2011 school year. An extra 20 minutes has been added to the school day to provide an opportunity for an 8 period day with 50 minute class periods.
The primary reason for the extended day is two-fold. Fifty minute class periods will provide additional academic instructional time in order to meet a more rigorous curriculum. Over a period of an academic year, the extra 5 minutes per class will add about 15 hours of instructional time. Secondly, the addition of an 8th period will provide more opportunities for our student to meet the 26 credits required to graduate under the recommended or distinguished achievement program.
Beyond the academic benefits of the additional class time, there are other positive advantages to the extended day.
- The additional time in the morning will allow us to balance the breakfast times and alleviate overcrowding in the cafeteria. The younger students (PK – 3rd grade) will not need to share the cafeteria with the secondary students. The extended day will also allow us to balance the lunch periods between elementary and secondary students, allowing elementary to eat later.
- Students will have more room in their schedule for additional electives. This will help build our current Career and Technology Education programs, providing our students further opportunities for vocational classes.
- Teachers will have more room in their schedule for accelerated and remedial classes. Students will benefit from the additional opportunities to gain credit and academic intervention.
- The additional class period will provide additional class sections which may result in smaller class size.
The morning bus schedule will not change as a result of the extended day. The afternoon busses will run 10 minutes later than the current time.
At Center Point ISD, we are committed to providing the best education in the safest environment possible. As graduation requirements increase and state curriculum standards become ever more rigorous, we are committed to maximizing the resources we have to give students every opportunity to be successful and excel.
If you have questions about the new schedule, please feel free to call me, Scott Turner, or either principal at 830-634-2171.
