MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
HAVEN, Kan. — Haven USD 312 is reporting positive early results from a new summer tutoring program designed to help students retain academic skills while classes are out.
Superintendent Craig Idacavage said on the BW Morning Show that the district previously offered a traditional summer school program but was not seeing the desired results.
District staff developed a more individualized tutoring approach for this summer.
“We saw a lot of positive gains in our data over the summer,” Idacavage said. “As we’re getting ready to start our assessments here in the fall, we’ll see if that also carries over.”
Idacavage said the program is intended to keep students academically engaged without taking away their opportunity to enjoy summer break. Teachers typically spend part of the opening weeks of school reviewing material and helping students return to a classroom routine.
The superintendent also provided an update on the district’s Little Learners child care and early education program at the former Yoder Grade School. He said the program has waiting lists and has reached capacity because of limited classroom space rather than staffing shortages.
“We are busting at the seams,” Idacavage said. “We’ve got wait lists on our programs.”
The district is changing its prekindergarten model to include more team teaching with its early childhood special education department. Its classrooms for 2- and 3-year-olds are full, along with its infant-to-age-2 program in Haven.
Idacavage said Haven USD 312 has been able to supplement its child care staff with part-time high school employees who are at least 16 years old.
The district hopes early childhood services will help prepare children for kindergarten. Idacavage said students entering kindergarten after attending the district’s preschool have generally scored at benchmark.
Enrollment is expected to decline slightly because several larger graduating classes have been replaced by smaller kindergarten classes in recent years. However, Idacavage said this year’s kindergarten class is the largest since he became superintendent.
The district also welcomed 13 new out-of-district students at the middle and high school levels, not including families that moved into the district. Idacavage said it is the largest number of new secondary-level out-of-district students during his tenure.
Haven USD 312 entered the summer with its teaching positions filled. The district recently hired another bus driver but continues to accept additional drivers.