5 Quick Tips for Maximum Efficiency for Your Summer School Program

Summer school programs often have to make do with less, trying to carry out in weeks what can take months in a normal school year. Summer school teachers also have to be experts in efficiency to get their students where they need to be when the first school bell rings. Here’s how to squeeze the most out of summer—and your students.

Data is your new best friend

Before summer school starts, aim to gather as much data as possible about the students. You can uncover existing learning gaps and target the skills they need to move on rather than cover topics that are unnecessary or too advanced without wasting a lot of time on formative assessment.

Follow a strict routine

Spontaneity is for those with time. A student wondering what they are supposed to be doing is not making progress. Set up a structured routine early in the summer period and stick to it so you can avoid confusion, ambiguity, and wasted time.

Zero tolerance for disruption

The condensed summer school schedule magnifies any disruption, including any time in which class is disrupted by misbehavior, technical issues, or other unscheduled events. Mitigate and make sure they do not occur again.

Invest in technology

For many teachers, handing over the reins of the curriculum to technology can be a nervous experience. But there is no better way to efficiently use time than to have a program in place that can diagnose learning gaps, serve up the right lessons at the right time, and save the teacher hours of planning and assessment time. This frees up the instructor to offer one-on-one help and deliver lessons that help the class.

Create more time

The best way to maximize the learning time over the summer is to create more of it. That means making tools available students can use to further their progress when they are at home or on the go. You can double your class time just by allowing students to work outside of the school day.