As if freshman year wasn't tough enough, now there's a summer "boot camp":
The Los Angeles Unified School District created the academic boot camp, called the Freshman Success Summer Bridge, at eight San Fernando Valley high schools last year for incoming students with low English or math scores. But the program had some limitations. Because participation was voluntary, some students who needed it most did not attend, and others dropped out. For some, six weeks was not enough; for others, the work wasn't challenging...Students included those who scored "below basic" or lower in English or math on standardized tests. In classes of about 25, they spent half their mornings on math, sometimes using laptop computers, and the other half on reading, writing and developing study skills. Students who completed the program earned 10 credits toward the 60 they need to be promoted to 10th grade.
Interesting that some students with low test scores mastered this material quickly enough to be bored by the end of the six weeks. Does this suggest a poor fit between test and curriculum? Do some students not take the test seriously? Or do they flourish with this individual attention?
Posted by kswygert at January 30, 2006 09:44 AM