Elementary Summer School Lengthened

The Oak Park Unified School District plans to extend its elementary summer school program from four to six weeks, district officials said.

The program will be lengthened, officials said, to give students at risk of being held back a grade more time to catch up. Summer school, scheduled from June 19 to July 28 for middle and high school students, already is six weeks on those campuses.

Summer school enrollment reached a record high last summer as a result of 1998 legislation that began an end to social promotion--passing a student who should be held back because of poor performance. Consequently, more students spent the summer studying.

This summer, those numbers could go higher, so this was a good time to extend the summer school term, officials said.

“We want to make sure that we have sufficient time to build the skill levels of kids who are in need,” said Sharon Morgan, the district’s curriculum consultant. Last year nearly 900 students enrolled in summer school, slightly higher than in 1998. Six hundred students enrolled the previous summer.

“We have been shifting our program for the last two years to move toward a more focused summer school program on enabling students to meet standards,” Supt. Marilyn Lippiatt said. “We believe we would have a better planned program in six weeks than in four.”

On Tuesday, the school board will hold a study session at Oak Park High School to discuss special education, including the ending of social promotion and what can be done to make sure students don’t fall behind. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the presentation room at the school, 889 N. Kanan Road.