10 Questions to Consider When Planning Virtual or Blended Summer School Programming

After years of disrupted learning, planning for summer school looks different for many educators. Schools have started looking at new models and opening summer school up to a broader range of students than in the past. Many will include a digital or virtual component, so we thought it would be helpful to put together a list of things to think about as you are planning your summer programming.

These questions are designed to help you review the type of summer school program you are looking to offer, the students you are looking to serve, and the instruction and staffing that will be needed for a successful program.

1. What type of summer school programming do you plan to offer?

• Fully in-person options?
• Blended course options?
• Fully virtual options?
• Fully virtual and fully in-person options?
   

2. How will instruction take place?

• Fully automated, self-directed?
• Guided with educator support?
• Set schedule with direct instruction?
• Options through a 3rd party?
   

3. What additional resources are needed for a successful program?

• Staffing?
• Online curriculum and programming?
• Technology?
   

4. What will the eligibility criteria for student summer enrollment be?

• First come first serve basis?
• Educator identified struggling students?
• Students in need of credit recovery?
   

5. How will the program be structured?

• Will attendance be taken?
• Must students complete the entire summer semester?
• Can students work at their own pace?
   

6. How will student progress and program data be tracked?

• Technologies and systems?
• Who will oversee and monitor data?
• Who will run student intervention?
   

7. What are the program policies?

• How will assignments be turned in?
• How will grading be managed?
• How will completion be determined?
• Letter grade or pass/fail grading?
   

8. What are the expectations for program content?

• Is it aligned to state standards?
• Does programming need to be customized?
• Full-course or portion earned credit?
   

9. Who will be the main points of contact for program and support related questions?

• Contact overseeing all summer programming?
• Contact for participating educators?
• Contact for enrolled students?
• Contact for Parents of enrolled students?
   

10. What are the expectations for all stakeholders?

• Administrators?
• Teachers?
• Students?
• Parents?
   

Looking for online programs to support your teachers and students this summer? Check out Edmentum to learn more about our suite of educational program designed to help you to individualize learning for every student with best-in-class digital curriculum, research-based assessments, and educational consulting.

Check out some of our how-to guides:

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Guide to Extending Learning During School Closures

In this short guide, we’ve gathered tips and resources for communicating with staff, students, and parents and for building and implementing a plan for e-Learning to keep students on track during both long- and short-term school closures.

Blended Learning: Fundamentals of the Planning Process How-to Guide

This guide has been developed to help you determine the most appropriate blended learning program for your school or district, build a plan for a successful rollout, and navigate the implementation process. It also includes interactive planning worksheets you can use to begin planning your blended learning implementation.

Meeting Student Needs with Online Curriculum How-to Guide

This workbook will expand your definition of online curriculum, highlight student and teacher views of implementations, and provide opportunities to help you identify the best learning environment for your school or district. It also includes interactive planning worksheets you can use to begin planning your online curriculum implementation.

Virtual Learning: Exploring the Options for Expanded Student Opportunity How-to Guide

This workbook on virtual learning will help teachers and administrators evaluate if a completely virtual implementation is the best option for their school or district and provides guidance on developing a program and selecting a virtual program partner. It also includes interactive planning worksheets you can use to begin planning your virtual learning implementation.

Supporting Graduation Success Through Effective Credit Recovery How-to Guide

In this workbook, we’ll cover some of the basics of developing a credit recovery program, including best practices we’ve learned over the years to ensure that you not only start strong but also maintain an effective program throughout its lifetime.

Credit Recovery Program Planning Worksheet

This guide has been developed to help you evaluate the type of credit recovery program you are looking to offer, the students you are looking to serve, and the instruction and staffing that will be needed for a successful program implementation.

Personalized Learning Planning Worksheet

Use this interactive personalized learning planning worksheet to start developing PLP’s for each of your students! Through continued academic discussion and analysis paired with data and tracking tools, this is intended to reflect an accurate picture of student performance.