Manteca Unified School District is preparing to roll out a robust summer session to help those struggling with learning loss due to the pandemic and those who are at grade level but are seeking additional challenges.

“The data we’ve collected shows there is a huge need at the kindergarten through third grade level,” said MUSD community outreach director Victoria Brunn of the impact of remote teaching on learning loss.

The summer session being offered in June and July includes in-person learning at four to six regionally located school sites for those students experiencing the effects of learning loss.

It will entail approximately four weeks of learning.

There will also be programs focused in Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM), kindergarten bridge, migrant student support and homeless/foster youth support. There will also be a special education extended school year program.

Summer school in the past has been aimed at those students needing help to obtain passing grades. This year is will include an initiative the district was working on before the pandemic forced the switch to distance learning last March

Exact Path — a digital learning program — is being made available to students that are at grade level. It is designed to continue to allow them to sharpen their skills through an individualized learning pathway.

The in-person learning features classroom instruction tailored to the specific needs of each individual student in the areas of foundational knowledge in either math or English Language Acquisition.

It will be based on diagnostics data gleaned from the spring Measure of Academic Progress assessment.

The district opted to offer a more stepped up summer program based on the likelihood that all 23,000 Manteca Unified students were shortchanged due to the forced move to distance learning whether it was in grasping basic skills or being able to excel beyond standards.

“Many will need individual classroom instruction,” noted Lisa Goodwin, who is overseeing the summer session.

The digital summer program is part of the district’s long-range goal of moving toward giving students the ability to learn year round.

The district has been hiring credentialed and support staff for the summer session.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com