Seattle experiment: Do teens benefit from later school start tim

Read the following claim.

Most middle and high schools in the United States do not determine their start times with the best interests of their students in mind.

Which paragraph from the article provides the BEST support for the statement above?

• The Seattle School District changed from a 7:50 a.m. start time to 8:45 a.m. in the fall of 2016 for high schools and most middle schools. It joined dozens of other U.S. school districts adopting later starts to help sleep-starved teens.

• Teenagers' nightly sleep has decreased and most adolescents don't get the recommended nine hours. One culprit is light from devices that many teens use. The light keeps teens up as they chat, post and scroll long after dark.

• Exam scores and other grades in the science classes increased year to year by a small margin. However, the authors acknowledge that teachers' views on the later start time could have unconsciously boosted the grades they gave.

• School districts resist, she said, because later start times disturb bus schedules and sports practices. They also rob parents of afternoon teenage babysitters to watch younger kids.

Read the following paragraph from the section "Closing Gap Between Higher- And Lower-Income Students."

Digging deeper, researchers analyzed schoolwide data on first-period punctuality and attendance. Of the two high schools, the one in a more affluent area showed no difference year to year. However, the school in a lower-income area had less tardiness and fewer absences after the change. This could be a hint that later start times could help with learning gaps between higher- and lower-income students, the researchers said.

What conclusion is BEST supported by the paragraph above?

• Later start times could cause students to feel much happier when they are at school.

• Later start times could significantly improve students' chances for success.

• Later start times do not really affect the way students learn at school.

• Later start times do not help students improve in classes after first period.

Which of the following MOST influences teenagers' lack of adequate sleep?

• busy school schedules

• extracurricular activities

• babysitting responsibilities

• access to electronic devices

According to the article, WHY did the Seattle School District push back its start time for high schools and most middle schools?

• because studies have shown that teens need more sleep than they are currently getting

• because studies have suggested that teachers grade more fairly when they get enough sleep

• because studies have reported that the average teen does not go to bed until nearly midnight

• because studies have found that many students do not think it's critical to get to school on time

How many extra minutes of sleep do the students in the study report having due to the later start time in school?

• 26

• 30

• 34

• 38

What is the recommended hours of sleep for adolescents?

• 6

• 7

• 8

• 9

With a later start time for school, students wake up time was later

• True

• False

According to the article, grades increased for the students who came to school at a later time.

• True

• False

Why do school districts resist changing the start time of school for middle and high school students?

• it will disturb bus schedules

• sports practices will need to be altered

• afternoon teenage babysitters will not be available

• all of the above

A wearable monitor to record sleep was used in this study making the data more reliable?

• True

• False