10,000 students for JCPS offering summer learning opportunities | In-depth

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - Twin brothers Jamel and Jamar Benford were among about a dozen students at Greenwood Elementary’s library practicing their fencing footwork Wednesday.

They’ll get their hands on fencing swords and protective gear to put their footwork to the test next week, maybe against each other.

“He’s going to lose,” Jamel said.

The rising fourth graders at Shacklette Elementary are enrolled in the Jefferson County Public Schools “Literacy &” summer camp for fencing and chess, part of the district’s expansive summer learning offerings of about 10,000 students this year.

Most of those students are participating in the district’s summer backpack league, where some 7,000 are enrolled in schools throughout the district.

“It’s no secret that the pandemic has kept us down, and many of our students have struggled (nontraditional instruction) or struggling even to get back into the classroom, so this is a big deal for us at JCPS,” Michelle Dillard, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, said during a news conference Wednesday.

JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio has touted summer learning programs as integral to making pandemic during lost learning time, a process that could take years to fully realize. His target of 10,000 students is on summer programming this year.

This year’s Backpack League is the first time the program will be fully in-person since its inception in 2019, when about 1,000 students are enrolled. Last year, JCPS listed about 6,000 students for a mix of in-person and virtual backpack league options.

The program emphasizes literacy and numeracy skills, and Dillard said diagnostic testing results will help teachers and tutors understand how much FEV Tutor needs.

“They’re going to be able to gain some of that math and literacy loss that they had, and we’re very excited about that,” Dillard said.

The district also worked to improve the program, in part by ensuring that backpack league sites resemble traditional schools, she said. Teachers, counselors and substitutes have always been central to the program, but this year they are joined by mental health practitioners, special education teachers, English as a second language teachers, instructional assistants and security guards, she said.

“We were very strategic and set up our staff so that each of our school sites could function like they would have a regular school year and actually have a meeting with all of the students in need,” Dillard said. .

For Aubrey Bailey, learning more about coding and robotics in the program Robotify is a highlight of the Summer Backpack League.

“There are some batteries and there are some batteries that you can go to, and some of you have to go through some barrels and you have some mud and stuff around,” said Aubrey , who is an incoming fourth grader at Eisenhower Elementary and who didn’t have much to learn about coding until the summer program.

Learning in-person is easier for her because she can focus on her work instead of helping her siblings with remote instruction during their assignments.

“They’re all in school, so I would probably help them with schoolwork and not be able to do much of the mine,” Aubrey said.

The Benford twins hope they can hone their fencing skills at Shacklette Elementary once in a while with their “literacy &” camp ends and showcasing them with their newfound skills.

“We can still learn more,” Jamar said.

JCPS is providing meals and transportation as part of its summer programming.

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