Instructional Time for Third- and Eighth-Graders in Public and Private Schools: School Year 2011-12. Stats in Brief. NCES 2017-076
Author: Hoyer, Kathleen Mulvaney
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Public Schools,Private Schools,Grade 3,Grade 8,Time on Task,English,Mathematics,Social Studies,Sciences,Comparative Analysis,Physical Education,Music Education,Art Education,Recess Breaks

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has published a number of reports documenting the amount of time that students have received instruction in various subjects. Using more recent data and similar measures, this Statistics in Brief builds on prior reports to provide an updated look at time spent on instruction in various subjects. Specifically, the brief presents information on the amount of time that students in grades 3 and 8 spent on different subjects in 2011-12 and compares how, if at all, this time varied by subject and school sector. Additionally, previous findings indicate that the amount of time spent on specific subjects varies across grade level (Perie, Baker, and Bobbitt 1997). This brief extends the discussion of grade-level variation in the amount of time spent on four core subjects (English, mathematics, social studies, and science) to grades 3 and 8. Focusing on grades 3 and 8 is warranted for a number of reasons. First, research on human development has outlined the importance of middle childhood and early adolescence (i.e., the years between ages 6 and 14; Eccles 1999). Second, similar to previous publications (Hafner, Ingels, Schneider, and Stevenson 1990; May, Perez-Johnson, Haimson, Sattar, and Gleason 2009), this report acknowledges that grades 3 and 8 are typically accompanied by important academic milestones. Grade 3, for instance, is the year in which students begin to take state accountability assessments required by federal law (May, Perez-Johnson, Haimson, Sattar, and Gleason 2009). In grade 8, students are preparing for the transition to secondary education (Hafner, Ingels, Schneider, and Stevenson 1990). This report provides additional evidence for research and policy discussions on instructional time across various subjects for students in U.S. public and private schools. The data for this brief come from the NCES 2011-12 SASS Public and Private School Principal data files. The public and private school principal questionnaires asked principals whether their schools enrolled students in grades 3 and 8 and, if they did, to provide information on the length of a typical full week of school for students in these grades. Key findings included: (1) In public schools, a typical full week of school was 33.0 hours long for third-graders and 33.8 hours long for eighth-graders; (2) In private schools, a typical full week of school was 33.1 hours long for third-graders and 33.5 hours long for eighth-graders; (3) On average, third-graders in both public and private schools spent a greater amount and a larger percentage of time on instruction in English, followed by mathematics, than on any other subject; (4) On average, eighth-graders in both public and private schools spent a greater amount and a larger percentage of time on instruction in English than on any other subject; and (5) Third-graders in public schools spent more time--in terms of both the amount and the percentage of time--on English than did eighth-graders. Meanwhile, third-graders in public schools spent less time on social studies and science than did eighth-graders. No statistically significant differences were found in the amount or percentage of time that third-graders and eighth-graders in private schools spent on English, mathematics, social studies, or science. The following are appended: (1) Data Tables; and (2) Standard Error Tables.