After an entire school year defined by learning losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Danville District 118 administrators have a plan to help students catch up on what they might have lost.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Beth Yacobi told school board members Wednesday night that student participation in this year’s summer school program is being categorized into three different groups based on participation during the school year. The three groups are non-participating students, students who had inconsistent attendance either in-person or online or students who had good attendance but are still struggling with key concepts.
505 of the 800 parents have committed their students to summer school, which is an all-time high. 432 want to have in-person instruction this summer, while 73 still want to go remote.
Students who had little to no participation in learning this year will be required to attend summer school, while it will be optional for those who are only struggling to stay on pace with other students. Yacobi did note that summer school is open to all students, as every student has had some type of learning loss caused by the pandemic, and she says it could take up to three years before those losses could be offset.
33 students in grades K-4 are marked as non-participating, with 24 of them being at Meade Park Elementary School. Yacobi says those students will also not be allowed to register for school next year unless they have been tested to see what they have achieved.
Board members also voted unanimously to waive school fees for next year.
