Summer school enrollment up

The spike in enrollment is being partially attributed to a new sequence of courses being required of freshmen and sophomores starting this fall. The idea behind the tougher standards is to ensure that all students are prepared to enter the University of California system upon graduation if they so desire. Under the current requirements, not all students are on that path.

On top of working with the feeder elementary and middle schools, additional classes were rolled out this summer to help prep students for the new requirements. To accommodate the influx of students, the district even had to look for more teachers, said Ethel Konopka, who was in charge of summer services last year. Normally, the spots for summer teaching positions are relatively competitive.

For the first time, the district is offering reading development. At the end of the summer, LeBeouf said students will be tested in the subject to give officials an idea of how prepared incoming students really are.

The district is also offering pre-algebra for the first time this summer.

As part of the new curriculum, students will be expected to have completed geometry and algebra by the end of their sophomore years. Until this year, students were given credit for remedial math. With remedial math - known as Math A - no longer qualifying for credit, students should now optimally arrive at the high school ready to take a sequence of math classes beginning with geometry and moving on to algebra classes.

Another major change is students must complete an extra semester of modern world history by the end of their sophomore year; they must also complete a year of foreign language in that time. Currently, foreign language is not a requirement for graduation.

Students will also have to complete a year of classes in the arts before graduating. One year of biology, chemistry or physics must also be completed by the 10th grade.

School officials say the intention of the plan isn't necessarily to feed students into the UC system, but to prepare them for whatever avenue they might pursue after high school. These days, they say, even jobs that don't require college degrees demand a certain foundation of academic preparation.

Summer classes are offered at San Mateo and Capuchino high schools and run from 8 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. Each class lasts about two hours. The session runs from June 14 to July 23.

Students are not charged for summer school.

Yunmi Choi can be reached by e-mail at yunmi@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.