Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Summer Learning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
School board reviews summer 'Launch' program focused on reading, math and credit recovery
Summary
New Kent County School Board heard an update on the district's summer "Launch" program, which will offer targeted reading and math instruction, credit-recovery classes and support for students with disabilities, and will run roughly four hours a day with a high school recovery extension.
The New Kent County School Board on May 5 heard an update on the district's summer "Launch" program aimed at giving targeted academic support to students who need to build foundational skills before the next school year.
The program will focus on reading and math at the elementary and middle levels, offer recovery courses and SOL (Standards of Learning) preparation at the high school level, and provide extended-school-year services for students with individualized education programs, a staff presenter said. "We're gonna be starting right after school ... and then go right up to the July 4 break," the presenter said of the timeline.
Board members were told the elementary program has about 300 invited students, roughly the same at the middle school, and that return rates so far have been low despite direct outreach. Elementary and middle sessions run about four hours per day; high-school recovery courses include an extra week of instruction to make up an entire course.
District staff described student selection as a mix of teacher invitations based on benchmark scores and class performance and later additions based on SOL performance. The program includes STEAM rotations at elementary schools and resource-style interventions at middle school to avoid student burnout during longer academic blocks.
On funding, staff said the district has relied on ESSER and other federal grants to date and is approaching the end of an "all in" grant; the district is ineligible for many extended-learning grants because of low free-and-reduced-lunch percentages and relatively high academic success. "Success sometimes is held against you in the world of grants," the presenter said. Board members asked staff to explore private and community grant options and to report program results, including pretest/posttest outcomes, back to the board.
The board discussed communications to families; staff said most invited students had received interventions during the year and families were notified, and that teachers and administrators had made direct outreach calls. Board members asked that assessment results and participation rates be presented to the board after the summer sessions conclude.
Board members asked for follow-up on return rates and possible alternative funding sources for future years. The presenter said staff will look for additional grants and community partnerships to extend or expand the program if funding allows.
The board took no separate vote on the Launch update; the presentation was informational.
