Tips for a Smooth Transition to Summer School

Summer is nearly upon us and we want to make sure your transition to summer school is as easy as possible. Part of this transition includes engaging your students in their learning from the start to ensure they continue to develop academically over the summer months.

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As you plan for your upcoming summer school program, consider the following to engage students in summer learning:

Get a routine ready

In the tight schedule of a summer school environment, a student wondering what they are supposed to be doing is not making progress. Establish a strict routine early in the summer period and stick to it so you can avoid confusion, ambiguity, and wasted time. Encourage your students to use organizers or planners so they can stay on top of their day-to-day tasks and weekly assignments.

Start with formative assessment

Formative assessment helps give you a better grasp of where your students’ knowledge and skills are and helps make individualized instruction for a variety of students a lot easier. We wrote a blog post on how assessment, including formative assessment, supports learning.

Plan bonding time

Take time to nurture your classroom community. Even if you and your summer students will only be together a few weeks, building a strong sense of community in your classroom is well worth the effort. If you want ideas to start with this, take a look at our tips which can be used for the first day of your summer school opening.

Don’t forget that it’s the summer break

Many students are less than thrilled to be spending their summer holidays in the classroom, so make sure to keep them excited and motivated throughout the program. Set goals, and celebrate when your students achieve them! Plan enjoyable activities for students during the day or once per week to avoid burnout in the classroom. After all, it is still the summer break for your students.

Set yourself up for summer school success with a communication plan

Setting up a summer school can be challenging. There is limited time for preparation, special student populations, and shorter timelines, which can all cause stress. Develop a communication plan for students and their parents and communicate it with them from the start to ensure they know what to expect from you, and you can keep in touch with them for any achievements and issues. This will help with engagement and commitment to learning. Explore our blog on strategies for summer school success if you want more advice on setting up your school.

For more ideas on how to set up successful summer learning opportunities, read our blog which includes pointers on providing opportunities for all students to promote summer learning and the bridging of the achievement gap.

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Questions about summer school

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