The following extended year program will be put in place during the current school year. The following criteria will be utilized to determine summer school eligibility for school year.

Rationale and Purpose

The primary purpose of the summer school program is to provide an extended opportunity for Middle School students to develop essential literacy, numeracy and social skills.

More Specifically, the summer school program will provide:

• an additional measure of accountability for students who fail to meet minimum standards during the regular school year.
• additional opportunities for students to meet grade-level standards and benchmarks in the areas of reading, writing and mathematics.
• opportunities to participate in activities designed to improve social skills, organization and goal setting.

Eligibility Criteria

• Maquoketa Students enrolled in grades 6-7-8 during the 2010 – 2011 school year are eligible to attend summer school.
• An application signed by a parent or legal guardian must be received by the Middle School office by May 10th of each school year.
• In the situation where numbers for attendance must be limited, students meeting the mandatory attendance criteria will be given priority. After this number is established, those requesting voluntary entrance into the summer program will be considered. In the case where there are fewer spots available than applications received, a drawing for the available spots will be made at each grade level.
• In cases where a student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), the procedures outlined in this plan will take precedence over the summer school attendance policy.

Attendance Criteria

A. Required or Mandatory Attendance Criteria: Students will be required to attend summer school based upon the following criteria:

• failing any three courses in one trimester.*
• failing any two courses in any two trimesters.*
• failing the same course for all three trimesters.
• students who fail to show growth on Iowa Tests of Basic Skills or who fail to make an effort on the tests may be required to attend summer school.
• students who fail to attend or successfully complete the mandatory summer school session will be retained at the same grade level for the following school year.

* If the failing grades occur in either the first or second trimester, a meeting involving the student, parents, teachers and school counselor can be held to establish an improvement plan for the student. This meeting will be arranged by the school counselor or middle school administration after a written request for such a meeting is made by either the student or parent. Subsequently, if the criteria established in this plan are met, summer school will not be required. If the criteria are not met, summer school will be required.

B. Optional Attendance Criteria: Students may elect to attend in the summer program based upon the following criteria:

• self-nomination based on concerns of the student’s skills and knowledge.
• parent-nomination based on concerns of the student’s skills and knowledge.
• nomination or recommendation by teachers

Transportation

Transportation arrangements to and from school for both mandatory and voluntary summer school programs will be the responsibility of parents and/or guardians.

Program Completion / Reporting Progress

A grade reporting instrument will be developed. Summer School instructors will assign grades in each of the areas of instruction (literacy, numeracy and social skills/service learning). Parents will receive the students’ final grades within one week of the end of the program. Attendance will be recorded daily.

If a student has been notified that they meet criteria for mandatory summer school attendance, unless there are verifiable extenuating circumstances, it is reasonable to assume that they will not be promoted to the next grade level without successfully completing the summer school program. The parent or guardian of any student who does not successfully complete the summer school program may meet with a Middle School administrator prior to fall registration to discuss the best placement for the student for the coming year.