Mt. Pleasant summer school moves forward

MT. PLEASANT — The Mt. Pleasant Community School District has adopted a different approach on its summer school program this year with a focus on boosting confidence in learning and engaging the students in a positive way, instead of solely focusing on reading intervention.

This has helped boost numbers in secondary and elementary programs. With more than 400 elementary school students invited to the program, just over 160 showed up on Monday, the first day of the elementary program.

For the elementary program, they are taking a massively different approach to summer school after the major loss of learning during last summer, with math, science, and reading being incorporated into the classroom in fun and engaging ways.

Teachers have found new ways to keep students engaged including bringing in community organizations to work with students.

“Really the energy of what we’re doing is positive. We added in math, and we changed our focus from reading remediation to small groups and student competence along with remediation,” said Katie Gavin, the district’s curriculum director.

“Just that shift of what we’re doing, really cast a more positive light on it. We’re not going to focus on a specific skill every day and just drilling it. Now we have local communities in, the extension office in, and doing science,” Gavin said.

In the secondary program, there are 140-160 students registered in the program.

In the secondary program they are offering advanced credit recovery and also allowing students to opt into classes to earn extra credits.

“We’re offering that whole range of services from credit recovery, to special ed services, to enrichment, talented and gifted, and remediation. It’s good we’re getting up and running,” Gavin said.

Overall, Gavin emphasized that the new environment is positive, and it has excited parents, staff and students to participate.

In fact, with this new program it is more expensive for the district; however, according to Jennifer Crull, the board president, “If we get any improvement at all, then it’s totally worth it.”