Virginia Beach schools outline expanded summer learning; Ready, Set, Kindergarten expands to six Title I sites

Tom Quinn, executive director of secondary teaching and learning for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, presented the district's 2025 summer learning plan on June 9 and described a mix of in‑person camps, online ‘‘Boost’’ lessons, repeat course offerings and extended school year (ESY) services designed to reach thousands of students.

Quinn said that although federal ESSER pandemic funds have expired, the division will continue ‘‘robust learning opportunities’’ funded through Title I and other grants. He told the board the division expects to reach substantially more students than in prior years with a mix of face‑to‑face and online programming.

Elementary offerings include a digital Boost site aligned to the new math and language‑arts standards, summer learning camps at 28 elementary sites (including 13 Title I sites), and STEM enrichment at six Title I schools immediately following summer camps. The Ready, Set, Kindergarten pilot—an orientation program for children with little or no pre‑K experience—is expanding from three sites to six Title I elementary schools: Bayside Elementary School, Diamond Springs Elementary School, Green Run Elementary School, Pembroke Elementary School, Point of View Elementary School and Thalia Elementary School. Ready, Set, Kindergarten will run Aug. 11–14 and is intended as a short, supportive introduction for incoming kindergarteners.

Secondary summer school was restructured for 2025: face‑to‑face repeat course sessions will run July 7–30 (the division said this aligns with state guidance that reduced repeat‑course seat‑time to roughly 70 hours), and full‑year online courses will run June 17–Aug. 5 via the Virginia Beach Digital Campus. Quinn said students taking two repeat courses will use the Imagine Learning asynchronous platform for the second course. He also described an optional SOL "fast‑track" tutoring program for students who earned course credit but did not achieve verified SOL credit and said fast‑track supports verified credit recovery and certifications such as the financial literacy credential.

Quinn noted logistics and accessibility features: registration opened May 5 through RegWorks, fees for secondary programming are tiered based on free/reduced‑price meal eligibility, and families may access Boost resources via ClassLink and Canvas. ESY services — individualized extended special‑education services determined by a student's IEP team — will be available July 7–31; elementary ESY hours are 8 a.m.–11 a.m., and secondary hours are 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Quinn said Veritas Ann High School will serve as the ESY site for middle and high school students; Renaissance will serve students in CCEP.

Board members asked about transportation and instructional time. School staff said transportation will be provided for selected Ready, Set, Kindergarten participants to their home schools and that registrars will contact families accepted to the program with route information. On instructional time, Quinn explained the state reduced required repeat‑course seat time from 140 to 70 hours, which allowed the division to offer focused 18‑day face‑to‑face sessions aligned with that standard.

Quinn highlighted scale: the division expects to serve about 10,000 students across summer offerings, up from roughly 3,000 under older models. "With this model right here, we'll touch 10,000 students over the summer," he said. He closed by reminding families that all students enrolled in VBCPS during 2024‑25 automatically have access to these opportunities and directed families to vbschools.com/academics/summerschool for details.

No board motions or votes were taken; the presentation was informational.