By SUE ELLEN ROSS – Staff Reporter

RESERVE – The LEAP Summer School program was approved by the St. John Parish School Board at their April 15 meeting.

Students from fourth and eighth grades that did not reach the required scores to pass to the next grade level on recent LEAP tests will be given the opportunity to retest, after they complete the LEAP summer school program.

All St. John Parish elementary schools, with the exception of Glade School, will offer the classes. Construction is scheduled during the summer at Glade, so those students will attend LaPlace Elementary.

The school system will provide transportation, as well as daily lunch. The academic program will include various teaching and technology programs. Among them are Accelerated Reading and Math; Strategic Instruction model (SIM); and the Standards-based Math Program (SUMS). The school day is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Fourth-graders must score BASIC in one area (English/Language Arts or Math) and Approaching Basic in the other for promotion to the fifth grade.

Eighth graders must score Approaching Basic in both areas to move to the next grade level.

Funds for the program will come from two sources. The number of students that need LEAP summer school vary from year to year, so the state’s allocation this year for $138,046 may not be enough. To that end, the St. John Parish school system has budgeted an additional $310,000 from their General Fund to be utilized for the program.