Mesquite ISD is considering a proposal to permit some high school students to skip the last week of school next year, while others stick around for concentrated doses of individualized teacher instruction. The plan would target struggling students using TAKS scores, course grades, and attendance records as criteria. Those who’ve attended regularly and proven themselves academically would get an early start to summer.
From my view in the trenches, the plan would be brilliant for Lake Highlands. Over the years, I’ve heard teachers and principals share how they struggle to convince kids to take the TAKS tests seriously. Even with the gravity of test scores to student success, they still have some who bubble in all the “a” answers on their scorecard and lay their head down to nap. Sometimes it’s the kid who’s convinced he’s going nowhere (and guarantees it by giving up), but sometimes it’s just the average teen who is in no mood for standardized testing that day. The carrot of early summer freedom might just grab that kid’s attention and make him decide to do his best.
The plan would allow intensive tutoring at no additional cost to the district because, with all those passing students gone from the building, teachers would be free to shower struggling ones with attention and help.
Summer in Lake Highlands is not just a time of rest and relaxation, it’s a time when many students take advantage of outdoor camps, elective classes, spiritual retreats, summer jobs, volunteer opportunities, college visits, mission trips, and many other worthwhile activities. Even lounging in the sun and hanging out with friends has some rejuvenation value for those who’ve worked hard. And the teacher who loves her students and aches to see them succeed will think she’s hit the jackpot having more time to pull them up. This plan gets an A+.
