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Digest of Education Statistics
2010 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 175. Minimum amount of instructional time per year and policy on textbook selection, by state: 2000, 2006, 2008, and 2010
State Minimum amount of instructional time per year State policy on textbook selection, 2008 State
In days In hours State recommends or selects textbooks Local decision State standards used in recom-mendation or selection
2000 2006 2010 2010 Recom-mends Selects Either recom-mends or selects
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Alabama 175   175 180       X   X Alabama
Alaska 180   180 180 1  740 (K-3); 900 (4-12)       X   Alaska
Arizona 175 2  180 180 3        X   Arizona
Arkansas 178   178 178 4  X       X Arkansas
California 175   180 180   X         California
                         
Colorado [5]   160 160   450/900 (K); 990 (1-5); 1,080 (6-12)       X   Colorado
Connecticut 180   180 180   450/900 (K); 900 (1-12)       X   Connecticut
Delaware [5]     440 (K); 1,060 (1-11); 1,032 (12)       X   Delaware
District of Columbia 180 6  180 180             District of Columbia
Florida 180   180 180   X       X Florida
                         
Georgia 180 6  180 180   X       X Georgia
Hawaii 184   179 180   X       X Hawaii
Idaho 180     4501  (K); 8101  (1-3); 9001  (4-8); 9901,7  (9-12) X       X Idaho
Illinois 180 8  176 176         X   Illinois
Indiana 180   180 180   X       X Indiana
                         
Iowa 180   180 180         X   Iowa
Kansas 186   186 (K-11); 186 (K-11);   465 (K); 1,116 (1-11); 1,086 (12)       X   Kansas
      181 (12) 181 (12)                
Kentucky 175   175 175 1  X       X Kentucky
Louisiana 175   177 177 4      X     Louisiana
Maine 175   175 175 4        X   Maine
                         
Maryland 180   180 180   1,080       X   Maryland
Massachusetts 180   180 180         X   Massachusetts
Michigan 180   165   1,098       X   Michigan
Minnesota [5]   [5] [5]         X   Minnesota
Mississippi 180   180 180     X       Mississippi
                         
Missouri 174   174 174   1,044 Missouri
Montana 180   90 (K);   360/7204  (K); 7204  (1-3); 1,0804,7  (4-12)       X   Montana
      180 (K-12)                  
Nebraska [5]     400 (K); 1,032 (1-8); 1,080 (9-12)       X   Nebraska
Nevada 180   180 180             Nevada
New Hampshire 180   180 180   945 (1-8)9 ; 990 (9-12)       X   New Hampshire
                         
New Jersey 180   180 180         X   New Jersey
New Mexico 180   180 180   450/990 (K); 99010  (1-6); 1,080 (7-12)   X     X New Mexico
New York 180 6  180 180         X   New York
North Carolina 180   180 180   1,000   X       North Carolina
North Dakota 173   173 173 11        X   North Dakota
                         
Ohio 182   182 182 1        X   Ohio
Oklahoma 180   180 175 4    X     X Oklahoma
Oregon [5]     405 (K); 810 (1-3); 900 (4-8); 9907  (9-12)     X   X Oregon
Pennsylvania 180   180 180   450 (K); 900 (1-8); 990 (9-12) Pennsylvania
Rhode Island 180   180 180         X   Rhode Island
                         
South Carolina 180   180 180 4      X   X South Carolina
South Dakota     437.5 (K); minimum of 875 (1-3)12  ; 962.57  (4-12)       X   South Dakota
Tennessee 180   180 180 11    X     X Tennessee
Texas 187   180 180       X     Texas
Utah 180   180 180   450 (K); 810 (1); 990 (2-12)     X     Utah
                         
Vermont 175   175 175   Vermont
Virginia 180   180 180   540 (K); 990 (1-12) X     X X Virginia
Washington 180 8  180 180   450 (K); 1,000 (1-12)       X X Washington
West Virginia 180   180 180       X     West Virginia
Wisconsin 180   180 180   437 (K); 1,050 (1-6); 1,137 (7-12)       X   Wisconsin
Wyoming 175   175 175         X   Wyoming
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
X Denotes that the state has a policy. A blank denotes that the state does not have a policy.
1 Includes time for staff development.
2 1994 data.
3 Or an equivalent number of minutes of instruction per year for districts on an alternate schedule.
4 Does not include time for staff development.
5 No statewide policy; varies by district.
6 1996 data.
7 Instructional time for graduating seniors may be reduced.
8 1998 data.
9 Middle schools (any combination of grades 4 through 8) are required to have the same hours as secondary schools (grades 9 through 12).
10 Teachers may use 33 hours of the full-day kindergarten program and 22 hours of the grades 1 through 5 programs for home visits or parent-teacher conferences.
11 Does not include time for staff development and parent-teacher conferences.
12 The Board of Education sets the minimum number of hours in the school term for grades 1 through 3.
NOTE: Minimum number of instructional days refers to the actual number of days that pupils have contact with a teacher. Some states allow for different types of school calendars by setting instructional time in both days and hours, while others use only days or only hours. For states in which the number of days or hours varies by grade, the relevant grade(s) appear in parentheses.
SOURCE: Council of Chief State School Officers, Key State Education Policies on PK-12 Education, 2000, 2006, and 2008; Education Commission of the States, StateNotes, Scheduling/Length of School Year (September 2010 revision), retrieved September 20, 2010, from http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/78/24/7824.pdf; and supplemental information retrieved September 24, 2010, from the New Hampshire Department of Education, http://www.education.nh.gov/standards/faq.htm; retrieved September 24, 2010, from the South Dakota Department of Education, http://doe.sd.gov/oatq/districtaccrediation.asp; and retrieved September 29, 2010, from the Pennsylvania State Code, http://pacode.com/secure/data/022/Chapter11/s11.3.html. (This table was prepared September 2010.)

2010 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest