Lee to offer minimal summer school programs

Lee County's summer program had shrunk to just a bare-bones offering for children in the exceptional student education program or high-schoolers needing academic credit to graduate. Last summer, the program grew slightly when the state Department of Education funneled extra dollars to school districts specifically for intense instruction aimed at third-graders in jeopardy of being retained after earning poor marks on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

Schools Superintendent James Browder said the district has set aside just more than $2 million to run a more extensive program in the summer of 2004. He revealed specifics Thursday evening for the first time publicly.

Third-graders scoring in Level I, II or III on the FCAT reading test can participate in a 15-day summer program, along with some low-performing first- and second-graders. According to state regulations, third-graders at the lowest rung of the FCAT reading exam should be retained unless they meet one of six exemptions set by the state.

Rising sixth-graders also will have summer opportunities because many students have a difficult time adjusting to the rigors of middle school. High school students failing Algebra I or II or any level reading course would have teachers available during the summer months, as well as exiting 12th-graders who need a few credits to graduate.

"Most of this is about repeat and drilling and practice," Browder said.

Course work would not vary much from the standard curriculum, but students would benefit from repetition and more individualized attention. What most schools have found is that many students simply need a little more time to absorb material before the lessons "click."

"Students learn at different paces," School Board Chairwoman Jeanne Dozier said.

In lieu of funds specifically earmarked for summer school, the state opted several years ago to provide districts with supplemental academic instruction dollars. SAI funds allow schools to create before- or after-school programs, breakout groups, summer sessions and even Saturday classes.

School Board member Jane Kuckel, however, wants to make sure Lee County implements some type of pre- and post-assessment to judge whether the summer program is effective. Browder said the administration will monitor student progress en route to possible expansion in 2005, but board member Elinor Scricca questions whether the district should offer extra help for rising ninth-graders because they, too, have difficulties adjusting to the change from middle school to high school.

"This is where a lot of the youngsters decide whether they're going to leave us or stay with us," Scricca said, referring to teenage dropouts. Lee County had the third-highest dropout rate in Florida at 5.9 percent during the 2002-03 school year.