The Northport-East Northport Board of Education discussed cutting traditional summer school classes in exchange for a web based program at last week's meeting. The move would save approximately $206,000, mostly from staffing, from the 2013-2014 budget.
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Administration Matthew Nelson acknowledged that the decision to cut the AIS summer school program is budget driven and stood out as an obvious choice because of low attendance rates and inconsistent efficacy among students.
A web-based program called Compass Learning Odyssey was used in the district this year and would replace the traditional summer school program. AIS teachers and parents would work to create an individualized and incentivized program for students to complete throughout the summer.
The Odyssey program can be taken repeatedly until mastery is achieved and can also be taken non-sequentially. It is available to every student in the district.
One of the criticisms of the home based program is that the parent would largely be responsible for enforcement. In its support, Superintendent Marylou McDermott said the program provides more targeted instruction, and may therefore be more effective than traditionally structured classroom programs.
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