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Susquehanna Township reports summer-school participation and learning gains for 2024–25
Summary
District staff presented 2024–25 summer-school participation and outcome data showing large participation at the high school and measured learning gains at elementary and middle schools; administrators discussed barriers to higher K–5 participation.
District administrators presented a summary of 2024–25 summer-school enrollment, completion and learning outcome data and discussed attendance drivers and operational constraints.
At the high school, the report showed 508 learners participated in summer offerings and enrolled in 726 total course enrollments (students could take one or two courses). Administrators reported a 91% course-completion rate across those enrollments and said the high-school program mixes online (asynchronous/synchronous) and in-person options for credit recovery and acceleration.
Middle-school and elementary summer programs followed MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) recommendations for invitations. At the middle school, 122 students were recommended and 76 attended; staff reported nearly 5,000 additional hours of instruction and said all attendees met at least one targeted objective. At Holtzman Elementary (one elementary building reported), 268 invitations were sent and 62 learners enrolled; that building reported 98% of students benchmarked in literacy and 93% in math. At another elementary where invitations were open to all students, 141 signed up and 113 attended (about an 80% attendance rate); staff said 82% of attendees showed gains in literacy measures and 92% showed gains in math measures.
Administrators and board members discussed barriers that limit higher participation at K–5, including partial-day programming that creates childcare gaps for families, staff availability, and the need to coordinate with partners for full-day coverage. The district has experimented with partnering with local organizations (YMCA, Parks and Rec) to provide afternoon supervision; administrators said staffing availability remains a limiting factor if the district were to scale up to significantly higher attendance.
Board members also asked about outreach and whether post-program surveys were used to identify obstacles; staff said they have run surveys in past years and will continue outreach work to better understand parental barriers. The board did not vote on changes to the summer program at the meeting; staff noted lessons learned and options to explore for future years.
