Carlmont’s summer school program gives students a second chance to improve their grades in core subjects.
Every year, Carlmont has two sessions for students over the summer, and each session is three weeks long. This year, the first session is from June 12 to July 2, while the second session is from July 7 to July 24.
For Jonathan Edwards, a sophomore who attended last year, summer school was the alternative because he had missed too many lectures and assignments.
“Summer school was a lot more relaxed than I had anticipated,” Edwards said. “We were able to finish a semester of class in 12 weekdays. Class was from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch break in between.”
Carlmont’s summer school also has multiple curricula to make up classes. This year, both sessions have an English I/II course. Another option for students is Edgenuity, an online learning platform that teachers use to teach on campus as well as online during summer school.
However, an important thing to note is that Carlmont’s summer school is only for repeating failed classes. While the school allows students to bridge courses over the summer with outside programs, summer school is designed to make up D’s and F’s in previous courses.
“I would recommend it as an alternative,” Edwards said. “However, you can only retake classes that are not AP or honors-level courses.”
For students afraid of moving too quickly over missed content, programs like Edgenuity provide opportunities to learn at home if work is not finished. Jefferson Dequina, a Special Education and English teacher during the standard school year, teaches the Edgenuity class during the summer.
“For Edgenuity, there isn’t really a difference in content,” Dequina said. “Since it’s online, the courses are the same during the school year and summer.”
According to Dequina, students can finish one course in as little as three weeks, which is the length of the first session. However, they can also use both sessions to complete a single course if needed.
However, a challenge for students and teachers is that summer comes with absences.
“Students usually request for some consideration for when they’re absent,” Dequina said. “Some students ask if it’s okay to be out for a week since they might be traveling with family.”
According to Edwards, the attendance was strict, allowing students to miss no more than five hours’ worth of class. Otherwise, he would not receive the required credit for the course.
