Richmond County School System — Richmond County, Georgia
Blended learning summer school program
helps at-risk high school students build
cognitive skills and recover credits.
BACKGROUND
Situated along the banks of the Savannah River, Richmond County School System (RCSS) is a large, high-poverty school
district serving 32,159 students in 57 schools. The majority of students in the district are African American (73 percent); 22
percent are Caucasian, and the remaining 5 percent are Asian, Hispanic, or represent other nationalities. Approximately
three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
ENGAGING DISENFRANCHISED STUDENTS
In 2013, RCSS implemented a six-week blended learning summer school program to give teenage parents, students
in foster care, students with mental health concerns, and at-risk high school students who previously failed courses
a second chance to learn subject matter and recover academic credits. Imagine Edgenuity’s online courses were an
integral part of the program.
With the encouragement of five subject-area learning facilitators, the 126
students enrolled in the program completed 86 percent of their Imagine
Edgenuity courses with passing grades. “For many of these students,
experiencing success allowed them to realize that it was possible to take
ownership of their learning and get back on track to graduate,” says Dr.
Rosemary Vaughan, the District Race to the Top Program Manager.
What contributed to the program’s success? Structured, predictable
instruction. Vaughan explains, “Edgenuity’s online courses provided a
highly predictable instructional routine that focused student attention
on content, not form. This consistent format not only allowed students
to build familiarity with critical skills and concepts, but it also fostered
resiliency and confidence.”
PROBLEM: A group of students who had given up on school were consistently failing courses.
SOLUTION: Richmond County School System implemented a blended learning summer school program designed
to improve access, participation, and academic progress for these high school students.
OUTCOME: Blended, personalized instruction deepened relationships with teachers and empowered
disenfranchised students to master content material and get back on track after falling behind academically.
School Demographics
African American 84%
White 11%
Hispanic 4%
Other 1%
Low Income 75%
Students with
Disabilities 3%
Success Story
Blended learning summer school program
helps at-risk high school students build
cognitive skills and recover credits.
BACKGROUND
Situated along the banks of the Savannah River, Richmond County School System (RCSS) is a large, high-poverty school
district serving 32,159 students in 57 schools. The majority of students in the district are African American (73 percent); 22
percent are Caucasian, and the remaining 5 percent are Asian, Hispanic, or represent other nationalities. Approximately
three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
ENGAGING DISENFRANCHISED STUDENTS
In 2013, RCSS implemented a six-week blended learning summer school program to give teenage parents, students
in foster care, students with mental health concerns, and at-risk high school students who previously failed courses
a second chance to learn subject matter and recover academic credits. Imagine Edgenuity’s online courses were an
integral part of the program.
With the encouragement of five subject-area learning facilitators, the 126
students enrolled in the program completed 86 percent of their Imagine
Edgenuity courses with passing grades. “For many of these students,
experiencing success allowed them to realize that it was possible to take
ownership of their learning and get back on track to graduate,” says Dr.
Rosemary Vaughan, the District Race to the Top Program Manager.
What contributed to the program’s success? Structured, predictable
instruction. Vaughan explains, “Edgenuity’s online courses provided a
highly predictable instructional routine that focused student attention
on content, not form. This consistent format not only allowed students
to build familiarity with critical skills and concepts, but it also fostered
resiliency and confidence.”
PROBLEM: A group of students who had given up on school were consistently failing courses.
SOLUTION: Richmond County School System implemented a blended learning summer school program designed
to improve access, participation, and academic progress for these high school students.
OUTCOME: Blended, personalized instruction deepened relationships with teachers and empowered
disenfranchised students to master content material and get back on track after falling behind academically.
School Demographics
African American 84%
White 11%
Hispanic 4%
Other 1%
Low Income 75%
Students with
Disabilities 3%
Success Story
The RCSS blended learning summer school program provided both face-
to-face and online instruction. Five days a week, teachers mentored and
coached students in two 130-minute classes. After school, students spent
two hours a day working on Imagine Edgenuity online courses at home.
A RIGOROUS, MULTIMODAL CURRICULUM THAT FOSTERS
COGNITIVE AND METACOGNITIVE SKILLS
Imagine Edgenuity online courses worked well for RCSS students because
they made instruction more flexible and reduced barriers to learning.
“The majority of our summer school students have struggled to process
classroom content. They have lost hope for learning and have become
paralyzed academically,” Vaughan says.
“Edgenuity courses have helped us to reverse this trend by presenting
information and concepts in a variety of modalities,” she adds. Courses capitalized on a variety of instructional formats,
including video lectures, graphic displays, simulations, multimedia activities, closed captioning, and text, to support
students in comprehending information. Courses also allowed students to express themselves in different ways, using
interactive discussion forums, multimedia composition software, virtual manipulatives, and graphing calculators.
Additional tools, such as Imagine Edgenuity’s assignment calendar, progress bar, online notebook, and the ability to
pause, rewind, and replay, taught students critical learning skills such as note taking and study skills. “These features
allowed all learners, regardless of learning style, to understand classroom material,” Vaughan explains.
BUILDING POWERFUL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
The presence of technology alone did not foster student success. Engaged teachers who managed, facilitated, and
coordinated learning helped ensure that all students learned. Teachers set clear expectations, established personalized
learning goals, addressed student misconceptions, and encouraged students to take ownership of their learning.
To guide the process, teachers used data from Imagine Edgenuity’s learning management system to assess, analyze, and
synthesize student work and provide practice, challenge, and remediation when needed. Natalie Robinson, the Academic
Supervisor of the Learning Center, notes that data from the Imagine Edgenuity educator dashboard helped teachers build
powerful relationships with students. Robinson explains, “The data helped strengthen one-on-one relationships by allowing
teachers to zero in on the areas in which students needed them the most.” The data enabled teachers to celebrate success
and hold students accountable for performance.
Robinson found that sharing data from the Imagine Edgenuity student dashboard also helped accelerate student
achievement. She notes, “The automatic feedback provided students with immediate gratification.” When students
saw their progress, they were intrinsically motivated and excelled.
Vaughan agrees. “We found that combining strong, skilled teachers with educational technology set high expectations
and motivated students to learn.”
imaginelearning.com
877-725-4257 • solutions@imaginelearning.com
“We found that combining strong, skilled teachers with educational
technology set high expectations and motivated students to learn.”
Dr. Rosemary Vaughan, District Race to the Top Program Manager
950073849 2210
to-face and online instruction. Five days a week, teachers mentored and
coached students in two 130-minute classes. After school, students spent
two hours a day working on Imagine Edgenuity online courses at home.
A RIGOROUS, MULTIMODAL CURRICULUM THAT FOSTERS
COGNITIVE AND METACOGNITIVE SKILLS
Imagine Edgenuity online courses worked well for RCSS students because
they made instruction more flexible and reduced barriers to learning.
“The majority of our summer school students have struggled to process
classroom content. They have lost hope for learning and have become
paralyzed academically,” Vaughan says.
“Edgenuity courses have helped us to reverse this trend by presenting
information and concepts in a variety of modalities,” she adds. Courses capitalized on a variety of instructional formats,
including video lectures, graphic displays, simulations, multimedia activities, closed captioning, and text, to support
students in comprehending information. Courses also allowed students to express themselves in different ways, using
interactive discussion forums, multimedia composition software, virtual manipulatives, and graphing calculators.
Additional tools, such as Imagine Edgenuity’s assignment calendar, progress bar, online notebook, and the ability to
pause, rewind, and replay, taught students critical learning skills such as note taking and study skills. “These features
allowed all learners, regardless of learning style, to understand classroom material,” Vaughan explains.
BUILDING POWERFUL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
The presence of technology alone did not foster student success. Engaged teachers who managed, facilitated, and
coordinated learning helped ensure that all students learned. Teachers set clear expectations, established personalized
learning goals, addressed student misconceptions, and encouraged students to take ownership of their learning.
To guide the process, teachers used data from Imagine Edgenuity’s learning management system to assess, analyze, and
synthesize student work and provide practice, challenge, and remediation when needed. Natalie Robinson, the Academic
Supervisor of the Learning Center, notes that data from the Imagine Edgenuity educator dashboard helped teachers build
powerful relationships with students. Robinson explains, “The data helped strengthen one-on-one relationships by allowing
teachers to zero in on the areas in which students needed them the most.” The data enabled teachers to celebrate success
and hold students accountable for performance.
Robinson found that sharing data from the Imagine Edgenuity student dashboard also helped accelerate student
achievement. She notes, “The automatic feedback provided students with immediate gratification.” When students
saw their progress, they were intrinsically motivated and excelled.
Vaughan agrees. “We found that combining strong, skilled teachers with educational technology set high expectations
and motivated students to learn.”
imaginelearning.com
877-725-4257 • solutions@imaginelearning.com
“We found that combining strong, skilled teachers with educational
technology set high expectations and motivated students to learn.”
Dr. Rosemary Vaughan, District Race to the Top Program Manager
950073849 2210