Summer school an expanding option for students who struggled with online learning

PHOENIX – Before the pandemic, second-grader Melody Wiseley loved going to school. But for the past year, her life has consisted of Zoom classes and social distancing. The mundane, taken-for-granted moments she once shared with friends in the lunchroom and on the playground are cherished memories.

She said the learning experience in her home is different from most because her daughter – Jacqueline Aranda, who teaches in Tucson Unified – and her granddaughter live with her. But despite the teacher powerhouse, it can still be difficult to keep Melody on track.

Noting that other families face similar challenges, Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday, March 3, ordered schools to reopen March 15, saying more than half the state’s schools already are open and offering in-person instruction. The order says schools must offer full in-person instruction if a county’s transmission rates of COVID-19 are low enough to allow it, and keep virtual learning available where needed.

Many states are making summer school mandatory for students who have fallen behind. In Arizona, this decision is up to each school district. Tucson Unified and other Arizona districts have targeted programs for certain grade groups that will take place over the summer, such as Tucson Unified’s July Jump Start program – which targets students who are passing to a new level, such as sixth to seventh grade – and the June Summer Academy.

The Scottsdale Unified School District will hold regular summer school classes for a discounted rate, as well as a program called Summer Bridge. Nancy Norman, the district’s acting public information officer, said the upcoming fourth quarter is key to help the students who have not thrived in remote learning.

And although summer programs are focused on math and reading skills, Tucson Unified also is providing social-emotional components in the lessons. Teachers will start classes, she said, by “engaging with kids about something personal.”

Although many students will be back in their classroom environment for the last few months of the school year, the year-long struggles they’ve had with online instruction will affect any type of learning going forward.