Ironwood students rewarded for summer school participation

IRONWOOD - Incoming Ironwood second grader Kaitlynn McCracken not only kept up with her studies over the summer by participating in the Ironwood Area School District's summer program but also received a gift certificate for attending 19 of the sessions.

The program, designed to prevent students from "backsliding" and losing knowledge over the summer vacation, was open to the district's incoming second through 11th graders and offered the students a chance to work on lessons using the software already used in the district's accelerated math and language programs.

Students could work on the lessons at home via computer or work with teacher-volunteers from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursdays during the summer.

The students could work at their own pace and lessons could be tailored to an individual's skill level, according to Kevin Lyons, one of the teachers organizing the program.

"We are going to have kids at three levels, they are either going to be working below grade level, they are going to be working at grade level, or they are going to be working beyond grade level. And (the software) can custom make those assignments to fit wherever they are at," Lyons told the Daily Globe in June. "So if they are below grade level, it's helping them get caught up. If they are at grade level, it's reinforcing what they are hearing in the classroom. And if you are above grade level, now you are being challenged with material you may have never seen before."

McCracken earned 17 accelerated reader points and mastered 31 accelerated math objectives, according to Jennifer Burla, who works with the district's Title 1 program, and earned a gift certificate from Book World donated by the Ironwood Parent Teacher Organization.

The reader points were accumulated by finishing books, with longer books worth more points according to Burla.

Another student, Peter Gallo, was also recognized for earning 90.0 accelerated reader points, according to Burla. Gallo, who read a number of books including several from the Harry Potter series, was able to choose a book from a number donated by the Ironwood PTO, Burla said. The other donated books were also given to students who participated in the program.

The program was a success, Burla said, and something the district would likely continue next year.

"Even towards the end, the kids who were here really worked hard and achieved some success," Burla said, adding that while participation declined somewhat toward the end of summer, there were as many as 22 kids attending a session in June. At least a dozen kids also participated at home at various points in the summer, Burla said.

Parents will be surveyed during the district's Back to School nights, Burla said, to see either why their students didn't participate in the program or if there was something participants thought could be improved.