WEYMOUTH — Superintendent Jennifer Curtis-Whipple is pleased to announce that Weymouth Public Schools ranks among top elementary and secondary schools statewide in terms of synchronous structured learning time (SLT), according to a new survey released by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
DESE conducted a statewide survey during the week of Nov. 2 regarding the number of hours students spent learning in-person, remote synchronously and remote asynchronously. Data was collected from students in first, fourth, seventh and tenth grade from all public school and charter school districts.
The district, which is operating on a hybrid model, has an average of 24 hours of synchronous SLT in their first and fourth grade classrooms, whether it be online or in-person. They are four hours above the median of all Massachusetts schools in these grades, which is 20 hours of synchronous SLT per week, according to DESE.
In the other grade levels surveyed — seventh and tenth — Weymouth ranks in the top 25% of all schools with 27 hours of synchronous SLT for both levels.
According to the report, first and fourth grade students in Weymouth experience on average 11 hours of in-person SLT, 13 hours of remote synchronous SLT and three and a half hours of remote asynchronous SLT per week.
Seventh grade students reportedly experience six hours of in-person SLT, 21 hours of remote synchronous SLT and three hours of remote asynchronous SLT per week while tenth grade students participate in 27 hours of emote synchronous SLT and three hours of remote asynchronous SLT per week
Additionally, Weymouth Public Schools average 50 hours of live learning biweekly for every grade, which ranks them in the top 25% of all schools out of 271 districts.
“We are very proud of our reopening team and the efforts made by all faculty, students, families and administrators in the process of learning during this difficult time,” Superintendent Curtis-Whipple said. “These results are a testament to their efforts and show how strong Weymouth Public Schools are. Our goal is to have as much student-teacher interaction as we can, whether that is virtual or in-person, and so far our district has delivered on that goal.”
Weymouth Public Schools is currently operating in a hybrid learning model. On Thursday, Jan, 7, the School Committee approved a vote for the extension of in-person learning days for kindergarten, first grade, eighth grade and high school students.
Beginning this week, kindergarten students transitioned from two to four days, Tuesday through Friday, of in-person learning. First grade students will also transition from two to four days, Tuesday through Friday, of in-person learning no later than Tuesday, Jan. 26.
Eighth grade and grades nine through 12 will transition to two days of in person learning, either Tuesday and Wednesday or Thursday and Friday depending on grade level, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19. English-language learner levels one and two will also transition to four days per week of in-person learning beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19.
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