It is a well-documented fact that Española School District students in all grade levels struggle when it comes to academic performances, as measured by the two standardized tests they take each year.
District officials are promoting two programs that could help improve those scores. However, that means extra instruction time during the summer months.
The first program, K-3 Plus, is designed to give elementary-aged students slightly more than three weeks of extra instruction.
The second program, Jump Start, targets the District’s fourth- through 12th grade students for an additional three weeks of instruction. Both programs run from July 5 to Aug. 8.
Associate Superintendent Myra Martinez said the idea is to give students who need it most, extra support, which will prepare them for, and propel them through, the upcoming school year.
Those participating will get an extra 25 days of instruction, which Martinez believes will go a long way to improving the educational outcomes for those that participate.
“We don’t require it of all students, but it is a great program for students who need that extra support or a head start on the regular school year,” she said. “We do see great things with student achievement for the students that participate in the program.”
The K-3 Plus project will cost between $580,000 and $600,000 and will be paid for by a state grant.
District officials hope to attract potential program participants during the upcoming parent/teacher conferences and by posting flyers throughout the various elementary schools.
Next year, the District will implement a more robust system to get the word out about the program and its potential benefits.
“We are updating our registration process and practices so we can get the information out to parents during registration,” Martinez said.
The District’s Federal Programs Director, Larry DeAguero, is working on promoting Jump Start.
Like the K-3 Plus program, Jump Start targets students who may be struggling academically and give them tools that could help them excel.
“It is just to give the kids who are at risk the extra support,” DeAguero said. “So, when they start school, they will be better prepared.”
The program has been around for about seven years. It is designed so that each instructor works with a maximum of 15 students. If the demands exceed the 15-students-to-one-teacher ratio, District officials will hire more staff.
“Say they get 20 kids, which is kind of large, so we offer additional support by hiring an EA (educational assistant) to provide supplemental instruction or support,” DeAguero said. “Let’s say the tutor is doing some direct instruction, the EA can pull some kids apart, or to the side, to work on something extra.”
He said the District will target possible participants by poring over student data, to see who could use the extra support most.
DeAguero stresses the idea that Jump Start is far different from traditional summer school. Unlike the work students do in summer school, the Jump Start work doesn’t translate to credits that can be applied to students’ diplomas.
“The difference is we can’t offer credit recovery, that is not our role,” he said. “This is just to provide those kids with extra support. Title I one can’t support credit recovery, that is a District responsibility.”
However, students who enroll in the Jump Start or K-3 Plus programs can still attend traditional summer school if their schedules don’t conflict.
For more information, parents can contact the principal of their child’s school.