District 87’s summer school program was reduced in size and duration this year. Staff said it makes the program more “intentional” for students who need help the most.
Summer school at Oakland Elementary School in Bloomington is now an invite-only program, where students who would see the most academic impact can join. That meant that students who received intervention support during the school year — where extra help is afforded to them for their unique academic and behavioral needs — were eligible.
In previous years, summer school was open to all students. It was expanded to an all-day, three week program in 2021 using federal COVID relief funding. Now it is roughly three hours every morning for 12 days.
“This year was really looking at the needs of the students,” said Courtney White, the principal overseeing summer school. “Where do we see students are needing support in reading? Where are they needing support in math? And how can we continue that over the summer break, so that they're not losing some of those skills that they gained over the school year?”
Breakfast and lunch are provided for free. Tuition is also free for children to attend.
The first block ends June 17. A second session of summer school will be held starting in late July for more preparation before school resumes.
Some parents who had not yet learned of the new eligibility requirement reached out to Natalie Shumaker, director of curriculum and development.
“We were able to try and help connect them with the community and some other supports for them,” said Shumaker.
Shumaker said there was preparation done by District 87 to provide answers to families looking for ways to pivot when there would no longer be a full-day program available for all who wish to enroll. She said the district worked with community partners like the Boys and Girls Club to have an alternative for children who were not eligible for summer school or who were in need of more time than what the current year's summer school provided.
In the classroom
While the summer course is held at Oakland Elementary, students from across the six K-5 schools in District 87 may be in classes together.
“In many cases, students are already familiar with the programs and supports that we're using in the classroom,” said Emily Kleinhenz, a teacher from Stevenson Elementary. “This is just an opportunity to extend their learning a little bit more through the summer, and hopefully continue practicing those skills, so that they can return to the next grade level, ready to continue making progress.”
According to Principal White, those students are meshing well together with the shorter schedule. Instead of a seven-hour day, they only stay for three.
“I think they are definitely seeing improvement in behavior, and attention and participation. Because they're like, ‘I'll have to be here for a short period of time, and it goes quickly.’ And they're liking that,” said White.
“It's really exciting to see them come together, make new friends, or some of them recognize each other from knowing each other in the community or outside of school,” said Kleinhenz. “So to see them make those early connections has been really wonderful.”
Teachers from different schools also share classrooms.
“Summer school has given me this opportunity to connect with two new colleagues and kind of form a little mini-team to support this group of students,” said Kleinhenz.
STAR Testing
The STAR assessment, the student achievement test taken three times a year, will give teachers and staff a sense of what students retained over the summer.
“We're really hoping to look at those scores and determine: Are we seeing growth? Did we see a benefit from this setup?” said White.
White said the data from the assessment can also give support staff more data to go off of to provide instruction for individual students.
Other programs
District 87 is also hosting summer school at the junior high and high school.
Junior high students receive invites with the same criteria as elementary students. There is also a group of now-promoted eighth grade students who do not fit the intervention criteria, but struggled to pass some core classes, that will attend. They will work on some executive functioning skills to get ready to begin high school.
High school students have a credit recovery program at their disposal to make up for courses they did not pass last school year.
A kindergarten kickstart program will be held for children set to begin elementary school without having had any experience in preschool or daycare.
“Just to get into the routine of lining up. How do I do lunch count? How do I sit with my peers? And just some of those social interaction pieces,” said Shumaker.
