Here we have "extended school year" for the kids that need extra help in math, reading, LA, and also for OT. Both of my kids did extended school year for what it was worth as it was about an hour and a half two days a week. DS had it last summer for OT only and he went but I am not sure what he really got out of it.
Wow...six weeks does seem like a long time just on routines and procedures. About public summer school....around here it is enrichment for elementary through middle school. I didn't send my son to the summer school class before kindergarten (getting ready for kindergarten class). I think my son's kindergarten teacher thought I was quite crazy for not having my son attend the summer school class and not even having him attend a full year of preschool before he entered the real kindergarten (although I was informed it is the new first grade). Summer school for high school is for students who failed classes, I believe.
Public school has to be about the business of training the masses to be compliant or nothing gets done. It's a group thing, much different from one student working at his own pace. BTW, many of the textbooks we homeschoolers use contain alot of review in the beginning, too. Maybe not 6 weeks worth????
Welcome, Cincy! I think this is the first I've "met" you; we've had so many new people lately! I learned a secret with the review. I switched my oldest from Horizons math to Saxon in 4th grade. We started the year at the beginning of the book, and she kept complaining, "WHY do I have to do this? I already KNOW it!!!" So I gave her the first test, and she got 100%. The next day, I gave her the second test and again she did really well. So each day I gave her the next test. When her grades suddenly dropped from the 90's to the 70's, I knew where she needed to start. Saxon is designed for schools, where everyone needs to be on the same page and the review is necessary for that. But for US, it's not.
