RESERVE — The St. John the Baptist Parish Public School District has begun a new summer remediation program aimed at helping students who otherwise would have been held back because they were behind on coursework advance to the next grade.

Previously, summer instruction has mainly targeted students who scored poorly on standardized tests.

“This is an awesome opportunity for our students because we are providing transportation, meals and instruction that will allow students to be promoted, all at no cost to them,” said Serina Duke, summer school principal. “In the past, parents had to seek out a state-approved, accredited summer school program and pay up to $360 per course, provide transportation and pay for meals.”

The St. John the Baptist Parish Public School District’s curriculum team developed lessons for elementary and middles school students geared specifically toward power, or the most important, Common Core State Standards.

High school students are working within a computer-based program to gain credits for graduation and to achieve End-of-Course Test remediation. High school students and those in the district’s Connections Program are attending summer remediation on the temporary Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School campus. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade, meanwhile, are taking classes at East St. John Elementary School.

As an added support for students and teachers, the St. John the Baptist Parish Public School District has partnered with the Louisiana Resource Center for Educators to bring in 11 teacher practitioners who are working toward teacher certification.

The new program is part of the St. John the Baptist Parish Public School District’s commitment to its students, employees and community to continue to make strides toward becoming a top-10 school district in the next five years.