OXFORD – Changes to the 2007 summer school program helped improve the program for the more than 150 students who participated, an official said.

“Everyone, I think, felt very positive overall,” said Curriculum Director Kathy Elkins of the program that is still being fine tuned.

A total of 193 students were originally enrolled in the program and 153 completed it last summer.

“We have some air conditioning and very focused instruction,” said Elkins in assessing the 2007 summer school for SAD 17 directors last week.

“The purpose was to give kids very strategic instruction in areas of their weaknesses,” Elkins said of the program, which included literacy instruction for students weak in that area.

Elkins said that in order to provide a more intense literacy summer school experience, the eight sites that previously housed summer school and their resources had to be consolidated into two sites: Paris Elementary School and Harrison Elementary School.

In her report, Elkins said one of the biggest concerns expressed by students, teachers and clinicians was the number of students participating. In some cases there were classes of 20 students, and a goal is to reduce that number to 16.

Other problems expressed by teachers and clinicians were insufficient time for collaboration and preparation. It has been recommended that that time be increased by 30 minutes.

There were even suggestions to change the name of the summer school to a more positive name, she said.

“Maybe we could put a little more positive spin on it?” asked Elkins.