ATLANTA — High schoolers across Atlanta will be heading into the classroom earlier during the upcoming school year, according to a spokesperson for the district.
Atlanta Public Schools said changes were made to address "learning loss" that occurred over the pandemic.
"Due to the pandemic, we know that our students experienced unfinished learning last school year and some levels of learning loss over the course of this school year," the district stated in a letter sent home to parents on Friday.
The district decided to take a school-based intervention style plan to implement its Academic Recovery Plan.
Extended learning times, according to research, can help address learning loss and learning gaps, APS explained in the letter.
"To ensure that all elementary schools have time and can effectively implement these interventions, we are extending the elementary school day by 30 minutes for the next three school years," APS stated.
In order to execute the Academic Recovery Plan the school schedule was adjusted for high school students to "accommodate the needs of our tiered transportation schedule."
2021-2022 school schedule:
- Elementary 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (changed from 8 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.)
- Middle School 9:05 a.m. – 4:05 a.m. (no change)
- High School 7:45 a.m. – 2:40 p.m. (changed from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
The district said they plan on providing pick-up and drop-off schedules, staff work schedules, and additional updates soon.
The Class of 2020, according to APS, was the highest number of on-time graduates since 2012 with 2,570 students receiving their diplomas.