Pupils head to summer school June 1

Hundreds of Columbia County pupils will get a second chance to pass a failed course or state exam at summer school, starting June 1.

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The deadline to register is Friday, with classes starting the following Tuesday at Greenbrier High for high and middle school pupils, and at Cedar Ridge or Lewiston for elementary school pupils.

An open house will be held 3-5 p.m. May 31 at Greenbrier High.

"No teachers are going to be there, but it'll be a chance for students to see their schedules and find their classrooms," said summer school Principal Ed Williams, who is an assistant principal at Greenbrier High. "A majority of the students ... have never stepped foot in Greenbrier before and don't know the layout. ... So we're hoping that (an open house) will help reduce the confusion on the first day."

Greenbrier's summer school will offer students opportunities for credit recovery, remediation or enrichment.

Courses using the Georgia Virtual School online program costs $300 per half credit unit. Credit recovery and remediation courses cost $80 per half credit while enrichment programs cost $260 per half credit. Students enrolled at private schools or living outside Columbia County will be charged $285 per half credit.

Elementary and middle school pupils can take remediation courses for the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test for free.

"We're required by the No Child Left Behind law to give some type of remediation, and this is what we do," said school system Title I Director Lisa Soloff.

Third-graders must pass the reading portion of the CRCT to advance, while fifth- and eighth-graders must pass reading and math.

CRCT courses start June 1 for elementary pupils and June 2 for eighth-graders.

Those failing the CRCT don't have to take the remediation course to have another go at the exam, Soloff said.

The reading portion of the exam will be administered on June 17, while the math CRCT will be given on June 18.

For information, call (706) 541-0650.