[etni] After years of cuts, seventh-graders to receive extra class time in core subjects
- From: Doris Greenberg <dorisgreenberg@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 16:57:19 +0300
FYI.
I guess there is money for some core subjects but not for others.
Doris
*HA'ARETZ: After years of cuts, seventh-graders to receive extra class time
in core subjects*
By Or Kashti <or.kashti@xxxxxxxxx%20>
All seventh-graders will receive at least one extra class hour per week next
school year, in each of three subjects - math, science and Hebrew or Arabic
(depending on the school's primary language), the Education Ministry has
decided.
The ministry has budgeted NIS 250 million to finance these thousands of
additional hours, and hopes that in subsequent school years, the program
will be expanded to other grades.
The ministry also plans to issue nationwide tests in all three subjects.
Students' scores on these tests will count toward their final grades.
Over the last several years, the budget for secondary school education has
been cut repeatedly, resulting in a loss of six to eight class hours per
week. Now, Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar is seeking to reverse this trend,
but is also insisting that the extra hours be devoted to these three "core"
subjects, rather than electives.
The ministry detailed the additions in a letter sent to the schools last
week: Mother-tongue language instruction will increase from three to four
hours a week (though in practice, many schools teach only two hours); math
instruction will increase from four to five hours a week; and science
instruction will increase to four hours a week.
A ministry official said the new rules will be strictly enforced: Schools
will no longer be allowed to teach less than the prescribed number of hours
in these three fields.
However, they will be able to choose whether to use the extra hours for
ordinary classroom instruction or work in small groups, and ministry
officials predicted that many schools will opt for the latter.
Ministry officials described the increased class hours as one of the
ministry's most important steps for the next few years.
"Of all the plans now being examined to improve students' achievements, this
is the safest bet," said one.
The fact that some of the extra hours will probably be used for small-group
instruction should contribute to "better, more personalized learning," he
added.
In addition, the ministry plans to bolster teacher training in the three
core subjects by selecting 600 outstanding teachers to serve as mentors for
their 6,000 or so colleagues.
In order to ensure that schools have enough teachers to cover the added
hours, the ministry will apparently issue special permits for seventh-grade
teachers who teach the three core subjects to work more than full-time
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