Bozeman, Gallatin excessive broaden summer season faculty as demand spikes | Training
The Bozeman School District expanded its offering of summer school programs to Bozeman and Gallatin High Schools after a year of atypical learning to better meet the growing needs of students.
Between 50 and 60 students signed up for the district’s summer credit recovery program – nearly four times as many students in a typical school year – with more courses on offer to help students stay on their way to graduation.
Before the summer, Bozeman High and Gallatin High administrators assessed student needs with a “moving picture” of who was eligible and who could commit to the summer schedule, said Dan Mills, director of Bozeman High School.
“It’s been a tough year than others,” said Mills. “We wanted to give all students the opportunity to start the next year as solidly as possible.”
In a typical year, the high school primarily offers a few summer math classes “for a small handful of students, about a dozen,” Mills said.
However, over the past school year, the district saw an increased need for credit recovery courses from more students and in more disciplines due to the challenges posed by the restrictions on personal learning associated with the pandemic. This summer, the district is offering three math, three English, and one biology classes for Bozeman High and Gallatin High students.
The summer is divided into two sessions, with the second session running from July 6th to 23rd. Classes at Bozeman High are from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., but are for students from both high schools and include teachers from both schools.
The classes are designed to show students proficiency in the area they may have struggled with during the school year, Mills said.
“In general, it’s designed to focus on the areas that students need to demonstrate proficiency in,” said Mills. “What I’ve seen so far is a lot of success.”
As the high schools worked to get a clear picture of the needs of the students, they also had to hire more teachers for the summer courses.
There are four math teachers, two English teachers, a science teacher and a special educator in the two sessions.
“Having our own teachers with them in person was the best way to come up with the quickest solution,” said Mills.
Anecdotally, Mills said the summer credit recovery program was a mix of students studying in person and remotely during the school year.
There are some students who may have struggled with the course material regardless of the type of school year, and those who found it hard to keep up in class because they studied remotely or had other challenges related to the pandemic, said Mills.
For those students who might not have been able to complete the summer program, Mills said the high schools have other resources available to ensure they stay on the path to graduation, including repeating the specific class or online credit transfer course.
“I’m excited for these students to have the opportunity to do so this summer,” said Mills, adding that it was important “to do everything we can to avoid baggage from this next year Year and have a successful graduation ”. fall for all students. “
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