Double Math and ELA Blocks

Roxbury Prep Roxbury, MA

Roxbury Prep serves approximately 250 6-8th Roxbury Prep (2009-2010) graders, all of whom are of color and 72% Principal Will Austin and Dana Lyn Lehman qualify for free and reduced price lunch. School Schedule 7:45 AM 4:15 PM Students at Roxbury Prep make remarkable School Year 188 days progress over the three years they spend in Grades Served 68 the school. While most enter the school (by Number of Students 246 lottery) well below grade level, by 8th grade Performance 2010 MCAS Results Roxbury Prep students boast some of the highest scores on the states standardized assessment, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Consider the following statistics on the classes of 2009 and 2010.

Of the Class of 2009 students who took the 5th grade MCAS exams, only 31% scored Advanced or Proficient on the 5th grade Math MCAS exam, compared to 94% of these students in 8th grade. Furthermore, 17% of these students failed the 5th grade Math exam and no students failed in 8th grade. Of the Class of 2010 students who took the 5th grade MCAS exams, only 31% scored Advanced or Proficient on the 5th grade ELA MCAS exam, compared to 91% of these students in 7th grade.

More Time for Academics: Double ELA and Math blocks With its focus on preparing every student to enter, Sample Roxbury Prep Student Schedule succeed in, and graduate from college, Roxbury Prep 7:45-8:15 Drop Everything and Read offers a significantly longer day and year than 8:15-9:05 English surrounding public schools. The school day runs 9:10-10:00 Math Problem Solving from 7:45 am to 4:15 pm and includes 7 fifty minute academic class periods, lunch, an enrichment period 10:05-10:55 Physical Education and an opportunity for silent reading. A key feature 11:00-11:50 Science of the school schedule is that all students attend two 11:50-12:25 Lunch full periods of English Language Arts, including a fifty 12:30-1:20 History minute English class and a fifty minute Reading class, 1:25-2:15 Math Procedures and two full periods of Math, including a fifty minute 2:20-3:10 Reading Math procedures class and a fifty minute Math 3:15-4:15 Enrichment Electives problem-solving class. Each of these classes is taught (Athletics, Visual/Performing Arts) by different teachers and focuses on a different but complimentary set of skills. The classes have their own curriculum, scope and sequence and students are graded separately for each of the classes. Teachers and school leaders consider this doubling up on literacy and numeracy to be one of the core reasons for their success. The double math and literacy blocks allow them to cover more material and to reinforce and reteach key concepts to ensure understanding and mastery. With more time, and the opportunity to focus more closely on one aspect of the literacy or math curriculum, teachers can plan a variety of learning activities, spiral back to critical skills and provide more opportunities for students to practice those skills.

National Center on Time & Learning 24 School Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02108 www.timeandlearning.org

More Time for Academics: Individual and small group support Roxbury Prep teachers have several nonteaching periods built into their schedule which allows teachers to occasionally pull students with the greatest academic needs out of PE, recess or enrichment activities in order to work one-on-one or in small groups on key skill areas. The extra attention and support these students receive makes a tremendous difference in their level of understanding and proficiency.
% Proficient and Advanced

8th Grade MCAS ELA & Math Performance Roxbury Prep vs. District and State
100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% ELA Boston Public Schools Math Massachusetts

Roxbury Prep

National Center on Time & Learning 24 School Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02108 www.timeandlearning.org