Sometimes extra time in the classroom may be needed for your teen. Deciding whether that time is best served during school or during the summer is a decision that many parents have to make. Here are a few considerations to make when investigating summer school for your child.
What Is Summer School?
Summer school is an accelerated program for students. Classes are taken for credit and kids attend class for three or four weeks at about four hours a day. How long you stay in class depends on the number of classes you are taking. There is usually two sessions of summer school and your child has the option of taking one or the other or both depending on the classes that they need.
Reasons to Attend Summer School
All reasons to attend summer school are not good ones. And, even though your teen might think they are all bad reasons, you as a parent have to decide to help your child secure their future.
1. They won’t graduate with their class – This is one of the biggest reasons to attend. No teen wants to come down to the wire and realize that they are short of credits to graduate on time. Summer school can be an option to receive their diploma with their classmates.
2. They need extra help – Before going to summer school, consider tutoring. When a child falls behind in class, tutoring one-on-one may be the solution. If this solution still doesn’t help, then a summer school session with a smaller class size and less pressure could be an answer.
3. The counselor recommends it – A guidance counselor is there to help your child complete their high school requirements and prepare for life after that. They may be familiar with your child’s records. Talk to them to see if they feel summer school is a viable idea that can help them. Counselors will also know that grade problems due to disciplinary issues and truancy are not going to get better through summer school attendance.
4. Raise grade point average – College is quite competitive these days. One or two percentage points can make the difference between admittance in the school of their choice and their second or third choice. Adding a class through summer school can raise that average for them.
5. Teachers feel it will serve them well – Teachers work with your child all year. They know when problems in class can be resolved by a session in summer school. Many of them teach summer school classes as well. If your child is on the verge of grasping the information but didn’t have enough time to bring up their grade, a summer school session can reinforce what they have been learning during the year for a solid foundation.