The session will have classes of 15 students or less, officials said. The District's plan for this summer, to be announced at a news conference Tuesday, will target far more lagging students than programs in Washington's suburbs. For instance, Prince George's County, which has 132,000 students, recently announced plans to require that 6,500 struggling students attend summer school. The original number was higher but was substantially reduced because of budget concerns. Decisions about which District students will be told to attend the six-week program will be made next month, after the school system receives scores from April's Stanford 9 standardized test.
Officials plan to track test scores to determine whether the classes result in improvements.
They will be required to attend unless administrators at their school determine that their scores were an inaccurate reflection of otherwise high academic achievement. For the first time, students with a string of failing grades in reading, English or math will be told to go to summer school, school officials said. Students retained in their current grade levels will also be told to attend. Summer school also will be offered, as enrichment, to students who earn high grades and perform well on the Stanford 9. Under the law, students may not be compelled to attend the summer classes, and administrators worry that many parents might opt for recreational summer camp or another non-academic activity.