Because she has friends taking the same summer course, they plan to get together weekly to work. Finerty has some built-in accountability. The best route to success, Fitzpatrick and Smith agree, is for students to stick to as regular a schedule as possible during the summer semester - such as working at particular times of day or days of the week. "But they know what they need to do to catch up when they get back." "A student going to Florida for a week in July might fall a little bit behind that pacing because they've been doing more vacation activities," she says. She suggests enlisting parents to check in on their student's progress throughout the course, and having kids pay close attention to the pacing guide their teachers give them at the beginning of the semester. Success is all about taking the right approach, says Smith. "With flexibility we know there's a chance that procrastination may dominate," says Fitzpatrick.Īnd while they may be used to having a dedicated hour at school to work on online courses with a mentor, during the summer it's all on the student to stay on pace. "It is a scaled up level of work, but is speeding you up in your school year."Įven with all the advantages of credit forward summer courses, there is still one challenge: Students just aren't used to taking classes during the carefree summer. "That can help a student feel more motivated to focus because they know they can get it done in a quicker fashion," she said. Plus, says Smith, the classes are completed in 10 weeks rather than the traditional 18, which can be a benefit for some learners. Online courses eliminate the need for them to navigate public transit or make other arrangements. Transportation can also be a challenge for summer students who normally rely on the school bus to get to classes. "But because we'll be on the road so much, it won't be a problem." "I'll probably work in California at least one hour a day," she says. Because of the ability to work at her own pace, none of those things are a problem. And later in the summer semester, she's planning a road trip in California. Whether they're taking courses not offered by their local school or simply getting standard curriculum courses out of the way, Fitzpatrick says the online format in the summer is ideal for a variety of reasons.įor instance, just a few days after Finerty’s semester ends at Bloomfield Hills High School, she starts her online courses. "Those personal interest classes can be a great opportunity for students to work toward things they're interested in doing for a career in the future." "We offer things like film studies and art appreciation," says MVS Instructional Manager Shannon Smith. And then there are career-focused students who want to explore areas of personal interest. In addition to the academic advantages motivating Finerty, the opportunity to graduate early is appealing to college-bound spring athletes who want to attend college and start with the team one season early. "If they're involved in sports, band or choir, squeezing courses in can be a challenge." "A lot of students at the high school level are challenged by how many courses they can take during a given term," Fitzpatrick says. But many summer students are what Michigan Virtual Schools calls "credit forward" students, who are working ahead. Some are indeed the traditional summer course candidates who are retaking classes in which they didn't succeed during the school year. While many are using summer courses to get traditional curriculum courses out of the way like Finerty, others are exploring journalism, archeology, art history and more. "There are a few required graduation classes that do not fit into the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme," she says, "so I thought the best way to get them finished was over the summer." And even if "fun" doesn't necessarily apply to taking classes like economics, the advantages for Finerty make it worth it. Though some parents may have a hard time believing it, students like Finerty are starting to agree. "It doesn't have to be tied to a credit recovery situation where somebody is taking something during the summer because they weren't successful during the traditional school year," says Michigan Virtual University President & CEO Jamey Fitzpatrick. But because she’s taking economics over the summer, she can spread out some of her tougher courses. But Finerty is also enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, meaning her schedule is pretty challenging this fall. This summer she's enrolled in an economics course online, a requirement in her school's curriculum. For Caitlin Finerty, a student finishing her freshman year at Bloomfield Hills High School, summer school means being able to take choir next fall.
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