Do you have a plan for your district’s 2022 summer school offerings for grades 9-12? Every school district has unique student needs to address, and Graduation Alliance could be a good option for summer course completion for your high school students.

Two years into the pandemic, we are still seeing its effects on students. Student mental health is at an all-time low, prompting President Joe Biden to address the issue in his first State of the Union Address on March 1 and set aside $1 billion in federal funding for school-based mental health services.

Additionally, we are seeing a huge impact on academic performance in what EducationWeek is calling the “COVID Academic Slide.”

“High school students lost on average the equivalent of 3.4 months of instruction in reading, 3.3 months of instruction in math, 3.1 months in science, and 2.3 months in English, even as schools continued to offer remote instruction through the worst of the pandemic,” Sarah D. Sparks reported for EducationWeek.

Summer course completion programs are a great way to help students make up some of that lost instructional time, but it’s important to choose a program that you trust and that works for your students.

Can Online Summer School Work in 2022?

Remote learning has gotten a bad rap over the past couple of years due to the unplanned shift from in-person instruction to remote learning at the onset of the pandemic. We have an entire article on why we think remote learning struggled during the pandemic and how to implement a successful remote learning program, but we want to focus on a couple of reasons why remote learning for summer school specifically could be the right choice for your district:

1. Our classes are asynchronous and only take four weeks to complete, allowing students to balance their school work with summer fun
2. Our program includes teachers and support staff, freeing up your staff to focus on other responsibilities and providing students with 360 degrees of support
3. Our course catalog offers 100+ classes, giving students opportunities to catch up, get ahead, or study subjects that aren’t offered during the school year

Asynchronous, four-week classes
Graduation Alliance courses are offered 100% online and can be completed at any time and from anywhere. No textbooks or other physical materials are required. Students can take their courses with them on family road trips or balance them with a summer job.

The flexibility of this program allows students to focus on other priorities or activities they look forward to during the summer months like spending time with friends, attending camps or working a part-time job.

Teachers and support staff
Graduation Alliance is an all-inclusive course completion program. We provide the courses, teachers, support staff, and even WiFi-enabled laptops if necessary. Our course completion program is beneficial to both educators and students because it provides students with a complete online educational experience without adding any extra responsibilities to your faculty and staff.

One of the drawbacks of remote learning during the pandemic was the absence of the student support structure found in a traditional learning environment. Many students interacted only with their teachers during their remote learning stint. Support personnel may have been available to students, but they weren’t as accessible as they were when students were in the classroom.

Graduation Alliance has developed a unique multi-tiered system of supports to help students thrive in our online learning environment, which includes:

• Teachers who can just focus on teaching by helping students explore their interests, master course content, and prepare for what’s next.
• Academic Coaches who monitor student pace and progress. Coaches develop personalized education plans for every student and ensure students are staying on track to course completion.
• Local Advocates who help students overcome scholastic and social-emotional barriers to academic success. Advocates meet with students weekly (either in person or online) to help them through challenges and build community.
• Virtual tutors who are available 24/7 so students can get homework help any time of day or night.
• IT Support team members who can help students navigate issues in the student portal and work through problems with their program-issued equipment.

Because of the built-in support provided through Graduation Alliance, your team faculty and staff don’t have to worry about creating lesson plans, grading assignments, or anything else that goes into a traditional summer school program. All you have to do is refer students to the program or have students and their families sign up.

Substantial course catalog
We offer more than 100 online courses, including 29 ACE credit recommendations, 25 NCAA-approved courses, and a variety of career and technical education classes. Your students will have the opportunity to earn original credits, whether they need to make up classes, want to get ahead, or have an interest in taking some courses that aren’t available during the school year.

Our ACE credit recommendations allow students to earn college credits online. ACE credit recommendations are accepted by a host of colleges and universities across the country and provide students with the opportunity to complete some of their general education courses while they’re still in high school, which not only prepares them for college but also saves them some money in the long run.

Twenty-five of our core curriculum courses are NCAA approved, ensuring students who want to compete in collegiate sports are prepared for the academic rigors of college courses. Additionally, we offer a variety of career and technical education courses that help students explore their career interests and prepare for the workforce.

Our expansive course offerings give students lots of options, as we offer both core classes and elective options. So your district can use Graduation Alliance for course completion or to supplement your in-person class offerings.

. . .

With summer on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about summer school options for your students. Graduation Alliance can be implemented for as many or as few students as you need and can be just one of several summer options provided by your district.

If you have students who need the flexibility of an online program, want to explore elective options, or have the desire to get ahead during the summer months, Graduation Alliance is a good option for your district!

For more information, please fill out our Request for Information form.