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Tempe Union reports strong Summer Education Academy results: credit recovery, online growth and math acceleration
Summary
Tempe Union officials reported that the Summer Education Academy helped more than a quarter of the district’s students this summer, with 1,084 in-person semester credits recovered, a 93.9% pass rate for in-person recovery, and more than 2,000 online credit completions; the Native American program graduated 11 students with tribal funding support.
Tempe Union High School District officials on Aug. 22 described outcomes from this year’s Summer Education Academy, saying the program produced substantial credit recovery and new pathways for younger students.
"Over a quarter of our entire student population at Tempe Union was serviced this summer," Director of Instructional Services Steve Threadgill told the governing board, thanking campus principals and funders who opened sites and supported the programs.
Eric Lutz, SEA coordinator, said the district ran three main platforms: in-person credit recovery, a Native American program housed at Mountain Pointe, and online credit-advancement classes. An in-person administrator reported 1,084 semester credits recovered in the district’s in-person sections and a 93.9% pass rate for students enrolled in summer credit-recovery classes.
Amy Hickle, who led Tempe Union Online, said the online offering was run on the same schedule as in-person classes this year and "we pushed through over 2,000 students that earned credit this summer" on the online platform.
Valerie Molina, Indian education coordinator, said the Native American program graduated 11 students, dedicated Fridays to cultural learning and team-building, and was funded this year by the Pascua Yaqui tribal council, which Molina said "funded the entire program" and may support it again next year.
The Math Academy, serving rising sixth- through tenth-graders at the Innovation Center, largely enrolled honors geometry high-school students and allowed many attendees to earn a full year of math credit; the presenter said only about 19 of the youngest students did not earn full credit but still benefited from accelerated coursework.
Board members asked how middle-school students are credited. The presenters confirmed seventh graders can earn high-school credit and described plans to expand outreach to Tempe elementary networks and feeder districts to increase participation. The district also discussed tracking participating students over time to measure the academy’s long-term impact, drawing on similar tracking used for prior summer bridge programs.
The board applauded the SEA staff and accepted the report; no formal action was required.
