LJWorld.com

Photo by Mike Yoder

Kelsey McKay, who will be a junior next year at Lawrence High School, works on a geometry exercise in her summer school class.

It’s 7 a.m., and Kelsey McKay, Lawrence High School junior, is not going to work or preparing for a fun summer trip with friends. Kelsey is getting ready for school.

LHS and Free State High schools are offering students a four-week window to recover credits in classes they were less than successful in during the school year.

“I didn’t do well during my first semester of geometry,” McKay says. “I just wasn’t focused and didn’t do well on my assignments.”

Kelsey’s story is not unique among the approximately 80 students who are trying to earn credit for math or science courses during June at LHS and Free State.

Alan Gleue, Lawrence High physics teacher, is optimistic about the extended-school-year concept.

“Historically, repeating an entire course during the summer hasn’t been that successful for our students,” Gleue says.

High school students who were close to passing classes during the 2008-2009 school year generally have two main options for recovering credits.

• Complete missing assignments, major projects or a pre-agreed upon individualized course of study.

• Study with a combination of online lessons and regular classroom materials. Students must then pass a series of tests with a high level of proficiency. Courses are available in core-content areas: history and social studies, math, science and English.

Traditional summer school offers full courses to students over a one- or two-month period. Free State and LHS principals Ed West and Matt Brungardt wanted to deliver course content to students in a streamlined and cost-effective way.

“Students are unsuccessful in classes for a variety of reasons, but for many students, repeating an entire course isn’t appropriate,” West says. “The idea centers around identifying the critical content in a course and delivering that information to the student.”

The new summer school concept is popular among students and teachers in both high schools.

Steve Heffernan, veteran science teacher at Free State, says, “The kids are showing up and working hard. We have additional students completing their courses every day. When students finish, it’s very motivating the ones who still have work to do.”

In accordance with the federal No Child Left Behind Legislation, Kansas schools must make Adequate Yearly Progress. Performance on state tests is only one component of AYP. High schools must also have high graduation rates or risk not making AYP despite high test scores.

“Last fall, the two high schools began to look at at-risk populations and how they could be more successful,” West says. “Kids need credits to graduate in Kansas, and this model of summer school is a creative, rigorous and cost-effective way to help our students.”

As for McKay, she expects to master geometry this summer.

“I feel positive, and I think that I will pass,” McKay says.