Straight-A Gang Takes Over Summer School

Nicole Roberts is taking a political science class this summer “in order to get sleep” come fall.

The 17-year-old senior at Woodbridge High School in Irvine said her schedule in September is crammed, what with enrolling in advanced-placement classes, trying for a 4.0 grade-point average and aiming toward an athletic scholarship in basketball.

Nicole--bright, driven, college-bound--is typical of the new summer-school students populating Orange County classrooms.

Twenty years ago, summer school was mostly for laggards, kids who needed to make up the credit for a flunked course or were trying to pull up a barely-passing grade.

But in the 1990s, summer school is increasingly the seasonal classroom of the mightily ambitious, the scholars who want to finish a required class early so they can move on to higher-level classes in the fall, or who seek to lighten what they know will be a heavy load of advanced-placement classes and other commitments during the regular school year.

The result: increased summer enrollment, a bigger variety of offerings and teachers who find summertime teaching more engaging with a more motivated class.

“When I was a kid [in the mid-70s] there was nothing in terms of accelerating your program,” said Gregg Stone, summer school principal at Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo. It’s a different scene this summer, he said, with 40% of students taking courses for advancement.

The majority of summer-school students at Woodbridge High in Irvine also are looking to enter more advanced courses. “Before, kids were taking classes to make up,” said Ken Bailey, assistant principal and the administrator in charge of summer school.

More students are seeking out summer school, boosting enrollment and prompting some schools to offer more varied and advanced classes.

Woodbridge’s summer enrollment has increased by 20% over the past 10 to 15 years, Bailey said.

Spurring its popularity is increased competition to get into a top college. By taking required courses during the summer, students gain entry to more honors and advanced-placement courses that make their transcripts look good.

Hectic schedules are another reason. Students who are involved in sports, music or arts--extracurricular activities that also enhance their high-school records--are increasingly using summer school to free up their course schedule for the academic year or make a demanding academic load more manageable.

Oscar Gonzales, 16, a fellow political science student of Nicole’s at Woodbridge, shares many goals with her.

“During the year, I have sports and work and participate in extra-curriculars,” the senior said. “There’s never any time for anything.”

In fact, roughly half the students in the required class are taking it so they can take on a heavy academic lineup or extracurricular activities. Roughly one-fourth are taking the class to improve their grade, and one-fourth are taking it to get the credit and move on to more advanced courses. Only one student in the the class of 40 must repeat the class because of a failing grade.

That’s a dramatic change from 15 years ago, said teacher Joan Malkin. And the difference shows in the day-to-day classroom discussion.

“They are more competitive and more interested in their grades. I have students who ask ‘What is it that I can do to write a better essay?’ That didn’t happen in the past,” she said. “I like the competition. It raises the bar. If we’re are getting more advanced placement students, then the regular students benefit. They work harder.”

The range of classes offered at Woodbridge High has also changed. In addition to required courses, the school offers courses in advanced math, science and social science that are popular among college-bound students.

To a lesser extent, the same phenomenon can be seen in the county’s less-affluent districts.

Ten years ago, none of the students who signed up for summer school in the Garden Grove Unified School District were interested in prepping for more advanced courses, said Charles Leonard, director of alternative and continuing education. Indeed, the district’s summer offerings still stress basic and practical skills such as typing and English as a Second Language.

But the number enrolled for college-bound advanced placement has increased to 20%, Leonard said. Since the district has been unable to do much toward increasing its offerings, many of the students are taking classes at community colleges.

At Anaheim’s Montgomery High School, Arrianee Lebeau, a 15-year-old entering freshman, is really planning ahead. She is taking biology this summer to qualify for advanced-placement biology in her junior year.

She is more serious about getting into the college of her choice than her older siblings were, she said, even though one older sister attends UC Irvine.

“I’ve looked up to them but they are not as motivated as I am,” Arrianee said.

“The pressure is always on top of you,” said Daniel Chung, 17, a senior at Woodbridge. “I worry about my future. The only thing that counts these days is college.”