LAUSD offers 'acceleration days' during winter break
Two optional "acceleration days" were offered on Monday and Tuesday at Los Angeles Unified School District campuses to provide students with an opportunity to catch up on instruction due to lost classroom time during the pandemic.
A mix of one-on-one tutoring and college and career preparation studies are offered as part of a "teaching opportunity," according to the district. About 300 schools will be open for the opportunities this week.
About 72,000 LAUSD students, elementary through high school, signed up for this week's acceleration classes. Monday and Tuesday are the first two of others to be offered. The next ones are scheduled for April during LAUSD's spring break. The cost of the four accelerated days is about $42 million.
To maximize participation, district staff says they personally reached out to the parents of students who need the help most.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho arrived Monday morning at the Maywood Center for Enriched Studies magnet school and pitched in to help teach. He said within months, the district plans to take the premise of acceleration days to the next level, with personal acceleration plans will be created for each student. The hope is to help them overcome not only pandemic setbacks but other inequities.
Last week, LAUSD reported an 86.1 percent four-year graduation rate for the 2021-2022 school year, the district's highest ever. That marks a 4.5-percent increase from the previous year. The district said there were increases in graduation rates for all student groups.