Somerville High guidance team interviewing freshman repeaters
The guidance director for the school district says her staff plans to interview 50 Somerville High students repeating their freshman year, to asses their needs and help them succeed.
Carolyn Richards, the head of guidance and testing, told the School Committee on Wednesday that many of the repeaters went through their entire freshman year without earning a single credit toward graduation.
That surprised School Committee member Paul Bockelman.
"I just don't see how we could ever have a kid not get any credits," he said, noting that other schools in the district have early intervention plans for failing students.
Richards insisted that freshman repeaters throughout the nation have zero credits.
"You go to any high school in this country, particularly your urbans, and you're going to find that," she said, adding that it happens for many reasons. She declined to elaborate, citing privacy concerns for students. But she predicted that the interview process will help right the ship.
Five interns from Boston College, Cambridge College, and Harvard University will assist in the interview process. Richards said the interns will provide a boon to the high school counselors, who have a caseload of about 300 students each.
"[The interns] are a very educated, learned, hard-working group," she said.
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