By Heather Carr, Staff Writer
Though summer break may seem as a two-month vacation from homework and studying, it is a rigorous introduction to upcoming AP classes for many students.
Although summer assignments are a required portion of the agenda for the upcoming school year, its effectiveness in preparing students remains in question, according to mixed reactions from students and teachers.
In a Google survey involving 49 teachers from various schools in the Huntington Beach High School District, including Fountain Valley, 53% had given summer assignments this past summer.
15% of those had rated it as ‘not successful,’ 10% had rated it as ‘somewhat successful,’ 41% had rated it as ‘moderately successful, and 34% rated it as ‘very successful.’
Chris Dornbush, an English teacher from Oceanview High School, expressed skepticism over its effectiveness and criticized its inability to spark student participation due to what he believed was a biased standpoint towards the interests of himself versus those of his students.
“It was always the idea that they had so much content to cover that they would never make it through the class without filling up their summer with a vast reading of books and articles that I thought were uber-important,” said Dornbush.
Assessments are commonly given during the first weeks of school to test students on the information they gained from the summer assignment.
“During the first days of schools, it [summer assignment] simply became a ‘gotcha’ assignment–those who did the reading (who probably would have read something any how because they enjoy learning) got a bump in the grade, and those who didn’t would try their best to B.S. their way through it strictly for points,” said Dornbush.
Other teachers, however, supported its usefulness in preparing students for the upcoming school year. Some teachers believe that it allowed teachers to save several weeks by avoiding introductory coursework by presenting students the basics over the summer.
Fountain Valley AP European History, teacher Michael Kral, was among them.
“My rationale for the assignment is that provides me with an extra week or two to spend on other content throughout the year. It is difficult to have success on the exam unless all areas are covered,” Kral stated. “Not having to spend too much time on the late middle ages helps me bank those days so I can finish the content two weeks early and start reviewing in class.”
Students remained relatively divided on the issue. There were those who credited it for preparing them for their upcoming courses, while others complained that it took away from their summer break.
“I guess it does improve a little bit,” said Kim Tran (’15). “Over the summer, people tend to forget what they’ve learned in the previous years, so I guess it does help for extra practice.”
However, others expressed skepticism on the issue.
“Summer gives us a time to relax for school. and summer homework just burns us out,” said Adam Tallabas (’16).
Students and teachers alike have recognized summer homework as an effective tool in preparing students on what they need to know in order to attain a greater understanding of the courses they will take.
