SPRINGDALE — Most summer school classes wrapped up this week, but many never began in the first place.
Nine Springdale elementary schools eliminated summer classes and diverted the money to other needs.
Summer school is usually for students who need academic help, and subjects change from school to school based on student need, said Kathy Morledge, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning for the School District.
By allowing schools to divert money, building-level administrators can decide how much immediate help students need or if using the money for other academics or materials might be more beneficial, Morledge said.
Forty-five students attended summer school last year at John Tyson Elementary School. Principal Lola Malone and staff members decided to change the formula and forgo this year’s classes.
At A Glance
Summer School
Nine Springdale elementary schools diverted money from summer programs to books, tutoring or other academic initiatives. Eight schools kept full summer school programs.
Elmdale Literacy, Technology, Reading, Math
Harp Literacy, Math, Technology
Hunt Reading, Writing, Math
Monitor Reading
Parson Hills Reading, Writing
Turnbow Reading, Writing, Math
Walker Reading, Math
Young Reading, Math, Technology
Source: Springdale School District
“We’ve been asking for that possibility for several years,” Malone said.
She said students who could benefit the most often cannot attend because of family functions and summer activities.
The money was used last spring to hire three tutors who worked with struggling students. Malone was afraid the students might fall further behind if they had to wait until summer for individual attention, she said.
The tutors focused on raising academic scores of fourth- and fifth-graders.
“We’ve got to catch them up and fill in the gaps,” Malone said. “During the school year, you get more bang for your buck.”
Each of the 30 students in Bernice Young Elementary School’s summer program last year made academic gains. Administrators and teachers decided to continue the Farm To Fork program this year rather than risk losing its academic value.
Farm To Fork integrates several subjects such as science and mathematics to teach students how organic food is made. After learning about photosynthesis and how plants grow, students take a trip to local farmers markets to examine the end results.
“I think a lot of kids didn’t even think about where their food comes from,” said Chris Mueller, a teacher at Young.
Harp Elementary School also opted to stick with a formula administrators said works. Students have consistently improved at Brain Camp, which started two years ago, said Principal Allison Strange.
The program targets 48 third-, fourth- and fifth-graders who rotate through literacy, math and reading stations during a three-week period in June. Teachers track progress as students complete math assignments on computers. Students also read aloud to accelerate reading comprehension.
Strange said she believes teaching students in the summer increases the likelihood they will retain the knowledge when school starts in August.
About 40 students attended Bayyari Elementary School’s summer school last year to improve literacy. The school met standards in state test scores in 2010 but took a step back in 2011. Sixty-five percent of students met literacy standards, 10 percentage points below the district average.
Tutors were hired last spring in the months leading up to standardized testing. Tutors split students into small groups to improve achievement on various subjects. Groups who focused on literacy read short passages to build reading comprehension.
Principal Martha Walker said students’ scores in the classroom rose across the board, especially in literacy and math.
Stacey Plumlee, assistant principal at Young, said giving schools more control over their resources helps principals and teachers target their particular schools’ needs.
Walker said building-level administrators must weigh the differences of potential rewards between keeping an adequate full-force summer school or using the money elsewhere, hoping it pays off. The right decision is different school-by-school, she said.