MysteryJen Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 I was having lunch with a friend yesterday and she shared that her sophomore failed algebra 2. So she went to summer school. When I got a few more details, I was surprised. The girl is finished with summer school, so apparently it was only four weeks long. She got an A which will replace the F on her transcript. And there is no mention of summer school on her official transcript. This is a high performing high school with higher income/educated parents. Is this policy wide-spread? It seems very, very generous. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Our ps has some summer school make up classes but I'm not sure of the details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Summer school is for credit recovery for failed subjects for a friend's district. I don't know any neighbors doing summer school so not sure about my district but heard it's also credit recovery. It is possible for the child to fail summer school. A good grade is not guaranteed. If the child fail summer school, the child would have to repeat that subject in Fall. It's a remedial crash course so it is only a few weeks long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Summer school here is only 4 weeks. I worked at a dropout prevention/credit recovery school last year. The way it worked at my school was that each full credit course was divided into 10 units. The only thing that counted for a grade in each of the units was the test they took over it at the end. Students worked independently on the units, but could ask for help from a teacher at any time. If students scored less than 70, but higher than 60 on the unit test, then they could just retake the test the next day after restudying the material. If they scored less than 60, then they had to redo the unit before being allowed to retest. The highest score possible on any retest was 70. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Around here, high school summer school is in two sessions, each one comprising four weeks. The same goes for summer session at CUNY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 One of our pool lifeguards teaches summer school to high school students. She tells us stories of all kinds of hand-holding to get kids to pass, and yet still, many don't bother to do the work, or even show up. Here it runs six weeks, and you can earn 1/2 a high school credit. I don't know how it shows up on a transcript. In general, I hear all kinds of stories of excessive grade generosity at the high school level: being able to retake the exact same test a second time, and get full credit, credit for homework, dropping the lowest scoring test every semester, extra credit for all kinds of easy activities, etc. So I have to wonder, what do you have to do, to actually fail a high school class? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 I think credit recovery is a great tool in drop out prevention. I was just surprised that there are seemingly no consequences for an F, other than a quick summer school session. It does seem that college will be a big shock to some kids. This kid is definitely being aimed at college. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 I was just surprised that there are seemingly no consequences for an F, other than a quick summer school session. It does seem that college will be a big shock to some kids. This kid is definitely being aimed at college. Well, they can do the same in college. If they fail the first time, but pass the second time, the grade from the second time replaces the failing grade on the transcript. (More than two attempts will show all grades). Many college students also simply drop the failing course at the latest possible date, so all the transcript would show is a W. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 I get what you are saying but at least here it isn't just a free ride and a clean slate. At least here, even though it is only 6 weeks in this area, it is a LOOOONG 6 weeks. More than just :50 class time. In fact, I think it runs 8 - noon for the credit recovery program. Not a lot of ps kids want to get up early during the summer and go to school for several hours in a subject they are struggling with (and also doing homework) while their peers are sleeping in and hanging out with friends. Without the summer program, though, some kids that had struggled with a subject during the normal school year would not be able to graduate with their peers. They would have to repeat the course in the Fall or be "behind". And there is no guarantee of passing. They have to do the work. Unfortunately, many of the kids that are struggling need to go back to basics before moving forward and that just doesn't really happen. They may limp through and pass the summer session since they only have to work on that one class but they really may not be ready to move on to a higher level in the fall (especially in math). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 The dates for a W are different at colleges, I think. Some of my friends could take a W as late as the week before finals, whereas I would have had apply before midterms. Certainly it is an expensive way to go through college. It is stories like these (and the accompanying ones about extra credit, re-takes on tests, dropping the lowest scores, etc) that make me think I am way too hard on my kids. But when I think about, I feel strongly that I am not. But it is hard to shake the feeling that they are working harder for their transcript and it is impossible to convey that to others. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 The dates for a W are different at colleges, I think. Some of my friends could take a W as late as the week before finals, whereas I would have had apply before midterms. Certainly it is an expensive way to go through college. It is stories like these (and the accompanying ones about extra credit, re-takes on tests, dropping the lowest scores, etc) that make me think I am way too hard on my kids. But when I think about, I feel strongly that I am not. But it is hard to shake the feeling that they are working harder for their transcript and it is impossible to convey that to others. I completely understand. I think its just so different in ps. If your child was struggling so much in a subject, you would almost certainly keep working to help them succeed and gain understanding instead of letting them fail. In a classroom the teacher only has so much time to work with each student. Teaching 25+ students, all at diffetent levels, is HARD. The ones that are struggling (or even really advanced) frequently end up without the support they need during a normal school year. In a perfect world the students who struggle would have gotten targeted instruction/support long before they failed. Unfortunately that is not the reality many students face. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 Definitely my reaction to this story had to do with the fact that this kid is very bright, just did not do the work. And clearly with this system, it is better just to fail than get a C. That is what bothered me, I suppose. The hard working kid who struggled and managed to pass is actually worse off than the kid who failed. At least in college, there is a financial consequence to retaking a class. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Summer school costs $600/credit where I live. Definitely my reaction to this story had to do with the fact that this kid is very bright, just did not do the work. And clearly with this system, it is better just to fail than get a C. That is what bothered me, I suppose. The hard working kid who struggled and managed to pass is actually worse off than the kid who failed. At least in college, there is a financial consequence to retaking a class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 That's how it was when I grew up. However, I honestly don't see it much different than what my son is doing the first time through a class - online class, for state credit, self paced will take him 4-6 weeks/semester. He's taking it over the summer between his public school classes because he has no desire to waste an entire year on an easy subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 Summer school costs $600/credit where I live. It is free here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Definitely my reaction to this story had to do with the fact that this kid is very bright, just did not do the work. And clearly with this system, it is better just to fail than get a C. That is what bothered me, I suppose. The hard working kid who struggled and managed to pass is actually worse off than the kid who failed. The grades are not fair, but the test scores and other things will balance that. At least in my dd's experience, summer school is not giving them a good education. It's kinda like Aces Paces, running through worksheets all morning every day, but not as comprehensive. (I think the formula in my city is something like 2 hours a day would earn you one semester credit by adding that to whatever was done during the school year - you couldn't earn the credit if you hadn't taken the class already). In hindsight, I look at it as just an effort by everyone to move on. Don't worry that there is an "incentive" to get an F and go to summer school. This is of course is a generalization, but those kids don't want to be there, aren't there by choice, often aren't motivated to succeed, don't all pass by any means (my dd didn't,, she's bright but quit working), and don't get enough education to do well in the next year. The worst thing for my dd in summer school was joining a mass of peers who all have found a way to incorporate failure into their comfort zone. The thing is, there are tons of kids who won't fit into the public school system, no matter what you do (for various reasons, not just intelligence by any means). So what does our society do with them? There are all kinds of measures in place that the average kids may never see, many mentioned in this thread - add "alternative" school to the list. One of my son's friends had a ton of summer school every year and I remember one class where they just let him take home all his worksheets. His friends proceeded to "help him out" by dividing them all up and doing them for him. But that boy doesn't have a great life as an adult, so far. It's not like the "easy" pass gave him any advantages - I wouldn't worry about that. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Summer school for credit recovery seems to be lax for our local district as well - similar course length- even with accelerated it seems light since a "redo" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 I believe summer school here is similar as well. It is four weeks and provides credit recovery. I don't know how grading works or if summer school shows on the final transcript. However, I am quite sure that the failed year long class is not sufficiently taught in 4 weeks to earn the credit or the grade replacement. I do know some smart kids who rely on this system. Their test scores are still great. They are kids who learn the material easily and are bored. They don't bother to do homework and fail, but they actually do learn the first time. The four weeks of summer school is a small consequence to a year of laziness. I don't see the college system the same way. Yes, they can retake the class, get credit and replace the grade. However, they do have to pay for the class and they do have to complete the work and learn the material. They don't just get to do an abbreviated version or a test-out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 Credit recovery is great, I have a nephew for whom it kept him in school and out of serious trouble. That was what I thought the purpose of summer school was. I have worried long and hard about high school transcripts being truly representative of what my kids actually did in school, to represent an honest picture of who they are as a student. It is just a long series of frustrations about people who don't actually work hard and as of yet, experience no consequences, far into adulthood. My own problem (coloring my reaction), I know. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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