As the 2020 school year comes to an end, high schools are already preparing for a summer session that will look different from in-person school and the remote learning that students recently became accustomed to.
After receiving guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education and the phase standards administered by Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois High Schools, will move from an in-person summer school model to an e-learning model.
The e-learning model will require more of students, like “seat time” to meet state requirements.
St. Joseph-Ogden High School typically only provides one section of classroom driver’s education each summer.
Principal Gary Page said that the prior eight weeks of remote learning have prepared the school to offer the 30-hours of seat time needed to complete the course.
“We have been doing classroom driver education in this manner already during the stay at home order so we don’t anticipate any more challenges,” Page said.
Heritage High School canceled their summer driver education course, noting that only 10 students usually enroll, and those students will be able to take the course during the fall semester.
“With the drivers facilities shut down until further notice and in person learning prohibited, the course is not feasible,” Superintendent Tom Davis said. “The clock hours requirement is very stringent and with the length of time that students must hold their permits, which they can not get anyways with the facilities shut, we can easily fit the small class we have in summer into the Fall semester.”
Heritage, though, is looking how to provide an extended school year to some of its special education students through online learning, through video connections, and through paper packets for lower grade levels, much like remote learning has taken place this semester so far.
High school students should continue to have the opportunity for summer credit recovery, but they are working out how to provide assistance and supervision with the principal or counselor at the high school through a remote setting.
“It would have to be done remotely using the student’s home device or one of the units we have loaned out (we gave out over 100 Chromebooks and laptops when remote learning began),” Davis said. “The online learning platform, we have used it for many years, is called Apex and in my experience, it is very challenging and comprehensive when a student takes a course for credit recovery.”
Students can take math, English, science, and civics.
“With the situation of pass/fail this spring semester with remote learning, it is possible that the number of students needing recovery may be lower, so we will examine that also as grades start to firm up nearing the end of the semester and regular year.”
