Throngs of overachieving students arent retaking academic courses in summer school classrooms as suggested last month.
The only full-credit summer school course that saw more repeat students than novices was Math 12. Of 129 enrolled students as of July 12, 94 had already taken the course. Of 181 students enrolled in English 12, only 15 had previously taken the course. Of 302 students enrolled in Science 10, only 25 had previously taken the course.
Teacher Dan Wyper told me in July most of his 21 summer students in Math 12 at Point Grey secondary sought to better a mark they achieved during the regular school year.
But Wyper said more students could be retaking Math 12 because its curriculum will change in September. School board spokesman Kurt Heinrich agreed. They all want to get in there before it changes, he said.
Musica Chiang, student information support clerk for the school board, suggested repeating students would opt for online schooling in the summer. They dont want to spend the time sitting in the classroom during the summer months again, she said.
She added distance learning schools have already switched to the new curriculum, and she knows at least some students are using online courses to better previous marks.
Students may complete free full-credit courses in summer school and then again in the school year, but its difficult for the school board to track this behaviour. Summer courses are usually not identified as such in a students credit history.
By my experience, most students, if they really want to upgrade the course, they would do it in the summer school, Chiang said. If they failed the summer school, then they would take it in the regular school.
Summer school includes preview courses for no marks, remedial courses where students can only achieve up to 63 per cent because the courses are shortened into 40 hours and full-credit academic courses that are compressed into 85.5 hours. All of these courses are free of charge.
The spread between secondary school students enrolling in remedial versus full-credit courses had widened in the last decade. As of July 9, registrants in full-credit academic courses had risen from 2,625 in 2002 to 5,319 in Vancouver.
The numbers increased after a court ruling made courses that meet provincial learning outcomes available at no cost to students starting in 2006/07.
Enrolment in secondary preview courses more than doubled from 660 in 2007 to 1,744 in 2008, the first full year of ministry-funded summer learning. Enrolment in online spring and summer courses offered by school boards Vancouver Learning Network grew from 70 students when these courses started in 2005 to 362 students in 2006 and 2,300 students after they become free of charge in 2007. Enrolment rates have fluctuated little since 2007, according to Jim Stassinopoulos, vice principal at VLN.
Stassinopoulos said few students retake courses in online summer school. Instead, they get ahead, gain additional credits and focus on achieving high marks to gain acceptance into universities that are looking for marks over 86 per cent and in same cases 90 per cent.
Twitter: @Cheryl_Rossi
