As the temperatures start to creep up and the snow begins to melt, schools systems across the country are trying to determine the best way to make-up missed class time.  In central Virgina, some schools have missed thirteen days or more due to inclement weather.  In general, school systems try to plan for make-up days but, usually there aren't so many.  Some local systems have concluded that adding additional minutes of classroom instruction everyday from now until the end of school is the most effective and beneficial way to make-up time.  In our schools, twenty minutes was tacked on to the end of the school day.  Other systems continue to add full school days to the end of the year.  Graduations have been moved back a week from their original scheduled date.  Students have added days to their countdowns.  In the long run, which one of these two amendments will be most effective?  I am not sure that either option is optimal but I certainly think that extending the school day makes more sense.  Students in Virgina typically take their standardized tests towards the middle of May.  Once complete, teachers have very little success getting students to focus.  To add additional days to the end of the year, means you increase the number of days that students are not being actively engaged in relevant material.  However, by adding time to the end of the day class-time is increased before the testing begins.  Students are actually making-up time when it counts.