Summer school enrollment increases

Oakland Tribune, Jun 25, 2006 by T.S. Mills-Faraudo, STAFF WRITER

Instead of slapping on sunscreen and heading to the beach last week, many San Mateo County students lugged backpacks full of books to class.

For many county summer school programs enrollment has skyrocketed since last year.

This is particularly true in the Sequoia Union High School District for both the summer high school and adult school programs.

Sequoia Union's adult school, for example, could see a 20 percent jump in enrollment by the end of summer, Director Patricia Cocconi said.

Many high school seniors who did not receive a diploma this year because they didn't pass the California High School Exit Exam are now taking preparation classes at the adult school, she said.

Approximately 170 seniors in the Sequoia district's class of 2006 still need to pass the test.

So far, she said, they have about 4,000 students in all adult- school programs, including exit-exam classes, the general educational development (GED) test prep, English as a Second Language, high school diploma classes, vocational education and older-adult courses. She's expecting another batch of students to enroll for a second session in July.

Funding challenges

While high schools are typically reimbursed for most of their summer school students, the state puts a cap on how much it funds adultschools.

Sequoias adult school, Cocconi said, usually always goes over its cap on average daily attendance by about 80, usually amounting to $200,000. This means the school either has to cut programs or find funding elsewhere, she said.

Its a balancing act, Cocconi said. We have to be creative about meeting the needs of all students and finding other funding sources.

The exit-exam classes are making it even more difficult, she said.

Its another hurdle, she said. But well take on this challenge and do what we have to do.

Help could be on the way for Sequoia, according to Larry Teshara, director of the San Mateo Union High School District Adult School.

Legislation was passed this year, he said, that would send funds from adult schools with lower enrollment to adult schools with an overflow of students.

San Mateo Unions adult school, Teshara said, has not seen a rise in enrollment this summer, likely because there were few seniors in the districts high schools that didnt pass the exit exam.

But Teshara predicts more adults will start enrolling in GED programs rather than high school diploma programs because of the exit exam.

I think the high school diploma is going to look more imposing now than ever because of the exit exam, he said.

The GED test is offered more often than the exit exam, and it can be taken in Spanish, making it more appealing to adults, Teshara said.

Some high schools in the area are also seeing a jump in summer enrollment.

Most of the classes offered in high school summer programs are graduation requirements that students need to take because they failed or have fallen behind in credits.

Regular summer school

Sequoia Unions high school summer enrollment could top last years by 20 percent, said Eric Hartwig, director of curriculum.

Roughly 2,800 students were enrolled in Sequoia Unions first session of high school summer programs, Hartwig said. With the second summer session, he said total enrollment could go as high as 4,800 students.

We have 40 percent of our student population in summer school, Hartwig said.

He believes there are several reasons for this increase.

Many students still in school, he said, may be taking preparation classes for the exit exam, which they need to pass to graduate. With all of the media coverage the exit exam has received in the last year, Hartwig said, its possible a lot of students have the jitters about passing the high-stakes test.

Another reason for the rise in summer enrollment, he said, is the district was placed in program improvement by the federal government because it didnt show enough progress on standardized tests. As a result, the district had to come up with a plan to improve test scores or face penalties. Part of the districts improvement plan includes putting struggling students in remedial classes during the school year and getting them caught up with graduation requirements during the summer.

Not all high schools had a rise in summer school enrollment. The San Mateo Union High School District saw a decrease of about 240 students, summer school Principal Cheryl Le Beouf said.

The Jefferson Union High School District has seen a small increase in summer enrollment of about 50 students over last year, Associate Superintendent Gary Johnson said.

But it has nothing to do with the exit exam, he said.

Im just hearing theres more students failing classes, Johnson said. Im not sure why. Maybe theres been a drop in the attendance rate.

Staff writer T.S. Mills-Faraudo covers education. She can be reached at (650) 348-4338 or tmills@sanmateocountytimes.com.