OPPAGA Review of Recess Policies and Practicesoppaga. THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE’S OFFICE OF PROGRAM POLICY ANALYSIS & GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY. 3. Discretion to Offer Recess Exclusions

oppaga THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE’S OFFICE OF PROGRAM POLICY ANALYSIS & GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILI TY

OPPAGA Review of Recess Policies and Practices

1

November 2016


OPPAGA Review of Recess Policies and Practices

School DistrictsOPPAGA surveyed all 67 school districts in Florida about their school board-approved recess policies

OPPAGA surveyed all 2,904 public elementary and middle schools (both charter and traditional) about their school recess practices1

OPPAGA identified other states with laws, statutes, and state board of education policies related to recess

1

Schools2

Other States 3

1 We excluded specific schools, such as high schools and schools designated as alternative, DJJ, jail, hospital, homebound, and virtual.

2

oppaga THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE’S OFFICE OF PROGRAM POLICY ANALYSIS & GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILI TY 3

Discretion to Offer Recess

Exclusions From

Recess

Activities During Recess

Supervision During Recess

Length of Recess

Exemptions From

Recess

Changes in Policies

Location of Recess

Source: OPPAGA district and school surveys.

Topics Addressed in OPPAGA’s District and School Surveys

Frequency of Recess


Survey Respondents

4

1 We excluded specific schools, such as high schools and schools designated as alternative, DJJ, jail, hospital, homebound, and virtual.2 If the grade levels at a school included any elementary grades (K-5) and also included any middle school grades (6-8), we categorized the school as a combination school in our analysis.

School Districts

Elementary Schools

Middle Schools

Combination Schools2

All 67 school districts

675 traditional elementary schools1

63 charter elementary schools

219 traditional middle schools1

32 charter middle schools

105 traditional combination schools1

95 charter combination schools

1,189 Total Schools


Overview of Research Results

5

School Districts

Schools with Recess

11 of 67 districts had a recess policy in 2015-16; 8 of the districts required recess of all elementary schools and 3 encouraged recess

Most elementary schools that responded to our survey provided recess, including elementary schools with no district recess requirement

The Majority of Elementary

Schools with Recess

Other States We identified examples of four states that require recess for elementary schools and seven states for which recess is an option to fulfill a physical activity requirement

Did not allow teachers to opt out of recess Offered the same frequency and length of recess to all grade

levels, which was most often daily and less than 100 minutes per week

Included unstructured free play in recess Provided recess outside of the classroom Authorized teachers to supervise recess Had a process for parents to request students be exempted from

recess Did not allow school staff to exclude students from recess


District Recess Policies

6

THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE’S OFFICE OF PROGRAM POLICY ANALYSIS & GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILI TY

Eleven Districts Reported Having a School Board-Approved Recess Policy in 2015-16

7

Require Recess for Grades K-5 (8)

Encourage But Do Not Require Recess (3)

No School Board-Approved Recess Policy (56)1

School Board Recess Policies, 2015-16

11 districts had a school board-approved recess policy in 2015-16

All only applied to elementary grades

All but one (Orange) did not vary by grade level

The 11 Recess Policies Were Similar in Grade

Levels Addressed

1 Five districts had procedures or directives other than school board-approved policies regarding recess: Gilchrist, Lake, Pinellas, Suwannee, and St. Johns.

LeeCharlotte

Miami-Dade

Putnam Levy

Wakulla

GadsdenNassau

Union

Escambia

Orange

Source: OPPAGA analysis of district survey responses.


Seven District Policies Specified Daily Recess

Days Per Week for Recess


1 Miami-Dade’s policy required either 20 minutes of recess 2 days a week or 15 minutes of recess 3 days a week. Orange’s recess policy encouraged schools to schedule recess on days when students do not have physical education.

7Districts

2Districts

2Districts

5 days per week

Number of days per week varied1

Number of days per week not specified

8

Charlotte, Escambia, Gadsden, Lee, Levy, Putnam, and Union

Miami-Dade and Orange

Nassau and Wakulla


District Policies Varied in the Amount of Recess Time Per Week

Minutes Per Week for Recess


9

1District

4Districts

3Districts

1District

Less than 50 minutes

50 – 99 minutes

100 – 149 minutes

200+ minutes

Miami-Dade

Escambia, Lee, Nassau, and Orange

Levy, Putnam, and Wakulla

Gadsden

2Districts

Number of minutes not specified Charlotte and Union


Recess Included Unstructured Free Play in Five School Districts’ Policies

Combination of Unstructured Free Play and Structured Play

1 +District

Unstructured Free Play4

Districts

Did not specify activities 6

Districts


10

Charlotte Gadsden Levy Nassau Union Wakulla

Escambia

Lee Miami-Dade Orange Putnam


Three Districts’ Policies Specified the Location of Recess


Recess may take place either inside or outside the classroom

Recess should take place outside 2

Districts

Did not specify location of recess 8

Districts

11

Charlotte Gadsden Lee Miami-Dade

Levy Wakulla

Escambia 1District

Nassau Orange Putnam Union


One District Explicitly Addressed Supervision During Recess in Its Policy

12

Escambia’s recess policy addressed

supervision

The policy authorized the following to supervise students during recess: Teachers Teacher’s aides Administrators

Source: OPPAGA analysis of school district survey responses.

10 districts did not explicitly address

supervision in their policies

Charlotte Gadsden Lee Levy Miami-Dade

Nassau Orange Putnam Union Wakulla



Explicitly allowed for student exemptions3Districts

Did not address student exemptions8Districts

13

Charlotte, Gadsden, Lee, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, and Union

Escambia, Levy, and Wakulla

Three Districts’ Policies Explicitly Addressed Student Exemptions From Recess

Reasons districts allowed for exemptions

Medical conditions Parent did not want student to participate


Five Districts’ Policies Addressed Whether School Personnel Can Exclude Students From Recess

14

Exclusion not addressed

6 districts’ policies did not address the

exclusion of students

Source: OPPAGA analysis of school district survey responses.

Exclusion not allowed

Exclusion allowed

4 districts’ policies specified that

students could not be excluded from recess

1 district’s policy allowed for students to be excluded from recess, but only if they misbehaved

during recess

Levy, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Union, and Wakulla

Charlotte Escambia, Gadsden, Lee, and Miami-Dade

Four Districts Implemented a New Recess Policy for the 2016-17 School Year1,2

District Time for Recess

Days per Week

Required or Optional

Types of Activities

Osceola

Manatee

Seminole

Polk Required K-2: 15-20 minutes3-5: 50-80 minutes

weekly

K-2: Daily3-5: Varies

Not Specified

Not Specified

Not Specified

UnstructuredRequired

Required

Required

20 minutes (10 minutes on

early-release days)

20 minutes

20 minutesDaily

Varies (recess occurs on days when PE is not scheduled)

Daily

1 For the 2016-17 school year, Miami-Dade has amended its policy to add an optional 15 to 20 minute recess period on days when required recess is not scheduled. In addition to this optional time, the district’s policy requires recess three times a week for 15 minutes or twice a week for 20 minutes.

Source: OPPAGA analysis of school district survey responses and policy documents. 15

2 Okaloosa issued a recommendation to elementary schools for a minimum of 15 minutes of recess daily.


School Recess Practices

16


Most Elementary Schools Provided Recess to Students in 2015-16, While Most Middle Schools Did Not

17

83%

All Elementary Schools That Responded to Our

Survey83%

Traditional

Charter

87%

N=738

N=675

N=63

Combination schools with both elementary grades (any grades from K to 5) and middle grades (any grades from 6 to 8) most often reported that they only offered recess in grades K to 5

612 schools had recess in

2015-16

Even in districts that did not have a policy requiring recess, 77% of traditional elementary schools offered recess anyway

The remainder of our analysis focuses on elementary schools1

Source: OPPAGA analysis of school survey responses.

Only 12% (31 of 251) of the middle schools that responded to our survey had recess in 2015-16

Schools That Offered Recess

1 We included elementary schools with grade configurations of PreK/K-5 or configurations that were within these grade levels (such as K-2 schools). We did not include in subsequent analyses combination schools with both elementary and middle grades.


Elementary Schools Without Regularly Scheduled Recess Often Cited a Lack of Time in Their Schedules

18

physical education academic instruction special classes like art and music

and/or assistance to students who

struggle in academic subjects such as reading or math


Some schools reported that they did not provide regularly scheduled recess in 2015-16 because there was not enough time in the day due to time spent on

other requirements such as


The Vast Majority of the 612 Elementary Schools With Recess Did Not Allow Teachers to Opt Out

19

93%Schools Did Not Allow Teachers to Opt Out of

Recess

7%Schools Allowed Teachers to Opt

Out of Recess


N=612 schools


The frequency and length of recess was up to teacher discretion81

Schools

The frequency and length of recess was consistent across the school (same practice for all grade levels)

457Schools

The frequency and length of recess varied across grade levels74

Schools


At Most Schools, the Frequency and Length of Recess was Consistent for All Grade Levels

20

N=612 schools

280of these schools

provided recess daily

75%


Most of the 457 Elementary Schools Where Recess was Consistent Across Grade Levels Offered Recess Daily

N=457 schools where recess was consistent

across grade levels


2121

Days per Week for Recess

280Schools

Daily Recess

2 days per week

1 day per week

Number of days per week varied

4 days per week

3 days per week

Schools

Schools

Schools

Schools

Schools

22

54

22

2

77

61%


Most of These 457 Schools Provided Less Than 100 Minutes of Weekly Recess Time

22

N=457 schools where recess was consistent

across grade levels


137Schools

Less than 50 minutes

150 – 199 minutes

200 or more minutes

100 – 149 minutes

Schools

Schools

Schools

75

72

3

Minutes per Week for Recess

67%50 – 99 minutes

Schools170


The 280 Schools With Daily Recess Most Frequently Provided 10 to 20 Minutes of Recess per Day

23

schools

schools3

N=280 schools where all grade levels had daily recess

<10 minutes per day

>40minutes per day

20-30 minutes per day



125

schools63

schools67

22schools

of schoolswith daily45%

recess offered between 10 and 20 minutes a day

schools



87% of All 612 Elementary Schools With Recess Included Unstructured Free Play

24

Activities Varied by Grade Level


N=612 schools

Structured Activities

Only

Combination of Structured and

Unstructured Play

Unstructured Free Play

Only

15 schools62 schools

257 schools278 schools

of elementary

unstructuredfree play

recess incorporated87% schools with

for all grade levels


Schools That Incorporated Structured Activities Into Recess Gave a Variety of Examples

25

Running Laps

Hop Scotch

Soccer

Scavenger Hunts

Basketball

Kick Ball

Volleyball

Dance and Movement

Four Square



Schools Most Frequently Reported Having Recess Outside of the Classroom

26

Recess Locations


N=611 schools1

Varied by Grade Level

Combination of Inside and Outside

Outside

of schools with recess held it54%

outside of the classroom

222 schools

61 schools

328 schools

1 One school reported that it held recess exclusively inside the classroom.


Schools Most Frequently Authorized Teachers to Supervise Recess

27

97%

1 Percentages do not add to 100% because schools could select from multiple categories of personnel they authorized to supervise recess.

Teachers

Teachers’ Aides

Administrators

42%

36%

School Personnel Authorized to Supervise Recess1

N=612 schools



Most Elementary Schools With Recess Had a Process for Parents or Students to Request an Exemption From Recess

28

1 Percentages do not add to 100% because schools could check multiple reasons for exemption waivers.

Reasons Schools Allowed for Exemptions1

N=612 schools


61%of schools allowed

students to be exempt from

recess

97%

37%

17%

Medical conditions

Parent did not want student to participate

Student did not want to participate


Less Than Half of the Elementary Schools Allowed School Staff to Exclude Students From Recess

29

46%of schools allowed

students to be excluded from

recess1

1 Of the 283 schools (46% of 612) that allowed their staff to exclude students from recess, 175 (29%) discouraged this practice.Source: OPPAGA analysis of school survey responses.

N=612 schools

Reasons schools gave for excluding students2,3

2 283 schools provided reasons they might exclude students from participating in recess. 3 Percentages do not add to 100% because schools could check multiple reasons school staff could exclude students from recess.

Disciplinary ReasonsExamples:• misbehavior in classroom or during recess• in-school suspensions

Academic ReasonsExamples:• needing interventions or other academic assistance • needing to finish homework or other assignments

94%

49%


Activities for Recess

Of the 126 Elementary Schools That Reported No Recess in 2015-16, 22 Implemented Recess in 2016-17

30Source: OPPAGA analysis of school survey responses.

The frequency and length of recess varies widely among the 22 schools

For 12 of the schools, recess consists of a combination of structured and unstructured activities

+

For 6 of the schools, recess consists of unstructured free play only

For the 4 remaining schools, recess is structured or varies by grade level

Time for Recess


Recess Requirements in Other States

31


Mandatory Recess

Requirement

Examples of States That Require Elementary Schools to Provide Recess or Physical Activity

32

VirginiaRhode Island TennesseeMissouri

Recess is an Option for

Physical Activity Requirement

Arkansas Colorado Indiana

North Carolina South Carolina West Virginia

Connecticut

Source: OPPAGA analysis of state laws, statutes, state board of education policies, and interviews with officials in other states.


Four States That Require Elementary Schools to Provide Recess

33

Virginia

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Missouri

Where is policy

specified? State Description of Activities at

Recess

Applicable Grade Levels

Minimum Time for Recess

Missouri Statutes

Virginia Administrative

Code

Tennessee Code

Rhode Island General

Laws

Elementary Grades K-5



Elementary Schools

Grades K-5 or K-6

K-1: 45 minutes daily2-6: 40 minutes four

days a week

Temporary withdrawal or cessation from usual school work or sedentary activities during which an opportunity for rigorous

physical activity is provided

20 minutes daily

Daily (minutes not

specified)

20 minutes daily

A segment of free time exclusive of time provided for meals during the

standard school day in which students are given a break from instruction

“Free play" means an unstructured environment, but which is supervised by

appropriate school personnel or staff

A structured play environment outside of regular classroom instructional activities, where students are allowed to engage in

supervised safe active free play



Seven States That Allow Schools to Use Recess to Satisfy the Physical Activity Requirement

34

State Applicable

Grade LevelsWhere

specified?Minimum

TimeIn addition to PE requirements?

Arkansas

Colorado

Indiana

North Carolina

South Carolina

West Virginia

Connecticut

Arkansas Code and Rules

Elementary Schools

Colorado Statutes

Connecticut General Statutes

Indiana Code

NC State Board of Education Policy

South Carolina Code of Laws

West Virginia Board of Education Policy

Elementary Schools

Elementary Schools

Elementary Schools

Grades K-6

Grades K-8

Grades K-5

20 minutes daily

600 minutes per month

Not specified

150 minutes per week

90 minutes per week

30 minutes daily

30 minutes daily

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

State does not have PE requirement

No; this option is only for schools without PE


T H E F L O R I D A L E G I S L A T U R E ’ S OFFICE OF PROGRAM POLICY ANALYSIS & GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

OPPAGA supports the Florida Legislature by providing data, evaluative research, and objective analyses that assist legislative budget and policy deliberations.

Contact Information

David SummersStaff Director, Education Policy Area

(850) 717-0555 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

OPPAGA Review of Recess Policies and Practicesoppaga. THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE’S OFFICE OF PROGRAM POLICY ANALYSIS & GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY. 3. Discretion to Offer Recess Exclusions