WATERLOO – Brianna Evans used to love school.
That began changing when she arrived at Central Middle School and “they started giving us all this homework.” A fight last fall followed by seven weeks at the Waterloo Educational and Behavioral Center further deepened the eighth-grader’s academic troubles. But Evans is finally experiencing success after starting summer school last week.
She spends mornings at Hoover Middle School, working at her own pace to complete online lessons in math and reading. She goes through tutorials, practices the skills being taught and takes tests over the materials. And that old positive attitude about school is slowly returning.
Students are required to get at least 80 percent correct on the tests before moving on. Evans has been regularly exceeding that, especially in pre-algebra, which she had difficulties with during the past year.
“Every time I get 100 percent on my work, I feel good about it,” said Evans.
She is among 35 struggling Waterloo Community Schools’ students doing advance preparation for their freshman year with the summer classes. The district also is offering online summer school classes at East High, with 120 attendees, and West High, with 146 attendees. The programs run through July 2 at all three schools.
The software powering those lessons is made by Plato Learning, the same company supplying curriculum for performance-based diploma academies at East and West. A third academy will start this fall at Expo High School. East and West are drawing a mix of students for credit recovery, completing performance-based diploma classes and credit acceleration.
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