Marietta students can use part of their summer break to review what they’ve learned during the school year and to prevent a “COVID-19 slide” caused by the earlier-than-normal closure of classrooms.
A virtual summer school program will be offered June 1 through July 2 for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Marietta High School students will have the chance to take advantage of free credit recovery and remain on track for graduation June 1 through July 21.
Summer school credit recovery programs are routinely offered for students who failed or did not finish a course during the school year.
The summer school program for the younger students, which is optional for families, will run four days a week, and teachers will provide six hours of virtual instruction. High school sessions will also be offered four days a week.
There is no cost for high school students who are recovering credit or are eligible to graduate at the end of summer school. Students who want to take classes just to get ahead will be charged $220 per half-credit.
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Marietta City Schools Superintendent Dr. Grant Rivera said the system has had more than 800 kindergarten through fifth-grade students and roughly 220 sixth- through eighth-grade students sign up for the summer school classes. The deadline for those students to register is May 6. The high school program doesn’t have the same firm deadline, Rivera said.
The Marietta City School Board unanimously approved both programs at its April 21 meeting, with the K-8 program costing about $23,200 and the high school program’s cost not exceeding $350,000.
School systems during the summer months usually expect students to experience an academic slide, which happens when they do not retain all of what they learned during the school year. However, Rivera said experts are warning districts that their students could also experience a “COVID-19 slide” that could begin as early as March and last through August or longer.
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The virtual summer school program allows parents to keep their children engaged with learning throughout the summer.
Rivera said the program is another example of how “we virtually wrap our arms around our children.”
As a parent, Rivera said he understands the challenge families face now as they are juggling health concerns and job instability, and how those factors can impact a child’s ability to learn.
“We are doing our part to make sure that if they want support, that doesn’t stop May 22,” he said, referring to the last day of school. “We are in this together and we are committed to do everything we can … so that their child has the greatest opportunity for success.”
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