Spring Branch ISD added several new options this year so that students could get the most out of their summer school experiences.
In one case, seniors who should have graduated in May were encouraged to earn the missing credits or pass a particular TAKS exam to graduate in August.
Elsewhere, the district’s new Virtual Summer School was a hit with many other students.
With 1,118 students enrolled at the high school level and 1,061 students taking middle school level classes this summer, working out programs to help these students succeed was imperative but challenging.
While Spring Branch Middle School added a new physical education class option to its course offerings, perhaps the biggest changes occurred at the district’s high school level summer programs.
This year, administrators at the Memorial High School summer school campus worked on a case-by-case basis with dozens of district seniors who should have graduated last May to help them graduate in August. A few missing credits or a failed TAKS exam stood between them and a diploma.
It is expected that nearly 100 senior students will complete the credits they lack by following personalized summer programs specifically tailored to their individual needs.
“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been very successful,” says Instructional Principal Jennifer Kennedy, who has earned a doctoral degree. “It’s a challenge in some situations.”
Though the new senior graduation program was difficult at times, the staff did everything they could to make sure the seniors involved will graduate.
“We’ve done home visits; we’ve done phone calls; we’ve even picked the students up and taken them to school,” Administrative Principal Paul Suess reports. “Every student’s situation varies, so it takes lots of time and resources. Sometimes we want it more than the kids want it, but you’ve got to keep working on it.”
That same spirit of determination was reflected in the district’s new Virtual Summer School program as well. Physically located at the Spring Branch Education Center Library, the program began in early June.
Though classes were conducted online, the students were required to complete six hours of work onsite to maintain grade integrity. However, most students used the lab anyway, because resources such as portable netbooks and tech support were available to them there.
The classes were structured so that there was a live teacher available through the internet, teaching the subject material online. At the same time, a local liaison acted as a mentor, or learning coach, and managed classroom administration.
According to Joel Smith, the eLearning facilitator for the program, an online summer school option has more flexible hours, offers students the ability to learn at their own pace, and provides a place where students can take “light-demand” courses, such as upper level electives, that might not be available in a traditional summer school program.
“One key attraction of the program is its flexibility for planning other summer activities, yet allowing extra course time if needed,” says Smith. “In a traditional classroom, the time is usually fixed and the learning is variable. Here, the time is variable, but the learning is fixed.”
The new high school virtual summer school option reflects a trend in learning that is sweeping the nation. In a recent article in Education Week, statistics show online enrollment has doubled since 2008, and that 27 percent of students took at least one online course in 2009.