Summer: The Season for…Learning?

Ahh, summer is finally around the corner. Now that we’re nearing the end of the long, dark COVID-19 tunnel, it’s time to get out of the house, take a trip to the beach, maybe head to camp, catch a baseball game or two, go to class and study, lounge at the pool. Wait…class? Study?? SUMMER SCHOOL??

Yes, summer school, because the summer of 2021 will be unlike any in recent history when it comes to education (except, perhaps, 2020…but we’re not going there). Why? Because, although most schools made significant strides in implementing remote learning and hybrid instruction, all those months spent using that type of schooling simply did not compensate for the lack of in-person instruction for many families. Summer school is an effective way to help close that learning gap.

Once upon a time, way, way back in the 1980s and 1990s, summer school was viewed as almost a form of punishment, reserved for kids who skipped school, failed all their classes, or had behavioral issues. Fast-forward to today, and summer school is now looked upon as a savior of sorts, especially in the COVID age. A summer class or two, taken online, can not only make up for the typical summer learning loss (compounded by COVID learning loss) and put a student in a much better position to succeed in the fall, but it can also be used as a mechanism with which students can get ahead in school by knocking out a class or two over the summer. But summer school can also be quite advantageous for students who did struggle in a particular subject and didn’t meet minimum grade requirements or those who were unable to finish a class.

Sure, kids want to get away from school after a grueling academic year, and they want to see their friends and make up for lost socialization time by doing the things that kids do. Ultimately, though, will a few hours a week for maybe a month or two really be enough to ruin a summer? Summer classes, especially when taken in the comfort of their air-conditioned home, can make such a huge difference for the upcoming school year.

The Benefits of Summer School with Bridgeway

Our summer school program allows middle school and high school students to experience the best of both worlds–an enjoyable summer during which they can do whatever they’d normally do, plus the benefit of catching up on lost learning during what has been a really trying year-and-a-half of schooling…and the bonus of being able to start the 2021-22 school year without skipping a beat. (If you have elementary school-aged kids, we’re offering a brand new two-week STEAM Summer Camp that promises to be awesome and educational!)

1. Flexibility and freedom: Kids can take up to three courses with Bridgeway over the summer–the key feature of many of these courses is that they’re self-paced, meaning they can be taken at the student’s convenience! This allows kids to live it up during the summer and still have time to get some schoolwork done. Plus, you can sign up anytime between now and June 25th and have an entire three months to complete the course.
2. Accreditation: All of our summer courses are fully accredited, which means that your child’s hard work and dedication over the summer will be recognized and accepted by his or her school.
3. Credit Recovery: This is a particularly awesome component of our summer school program. Credit Recovery courses are Edgenuity courses with pre-testing turned on. This allows students to spend more time on what they need and less time on content they’ve already mastered. Before each lesson, students are quizzed to assess their mastery of the content. If students meet the passing of 90%, they can place out of the content. All content will be revisited on cumulative exams, providing additional checks for mastery.
4. Support from an academic advisor: Before you begin your course(s), you and your student will work with one of our amazing academic advisors to best structure the self-paced or live courses to meet the family’s needs. Your advisor will also provide grading and plenty of support along the way, plus a final transcript at the conclusion of summer classes.
5. Options: Bridgeway offers three types of courses this summer…
   • Full-year Self-Paced courses, which condense a yearlong course into three months
   • Self-Paced Credit Recovery courses
   • Live Mr. D courses, which is a full one-credit course completed over a period of 11 weeks, with classes held for 90 minutes twice a week

Whether you’re a homeschooling family looking to combat learning loss or you’re disappointed in your child’s public school experience over the past year and would like him or her to catch up on some classes, Bridgeway’s summer school program is the perfect solution. The kids can have their summer fun and still be able to head back to school in the fall in much better shape academically. It’s a win-win for everyone!

To learn more about or register for our summer school program, visit our website or call 1-800-863-1474, to speak with an admissions representative.