People’s Self-Help Housing reported students in its Camino Scholars program saw their scores improve 74% since the start of the school year.
Students in the Camino Scholars program saw their scores improve by 74 percent for the 2020-21 school year, People’s Self-Help Housing reported.
Normally Camino Scholars serves more than 600 students at its 11 learning centers throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. During the pandemic, Camino Scholars took a hybrid curriculum approach, helping students in small learning cohorts and in-person instruction tailored to their individual needs.
The program’s end-of-year data shows a significant increase in final scores across all subjects, PSHH reported in a news release.
At the start of the school year, 35% of the program’s students were reading at their grade level, and 32% of them were two or more grade levels behind in their reading.
By the end of the school year, 61% of the students were reading at their grade level or higher, and only 13% were needing more help.
Overall, student scores had improved by 74% since the start of the academic year.
“Upon school closures due to the pandemic, we kept working with students and took what would have been a bad situation and turned it into something positive resulting in growth for the program and our students despite COVID,” Joanna Dominguez, PSHH director of education, said in a statement. “For nearly two decades, we have provided a wide range of site-based services, addressing the opportunity gap and supporting educational dreams.
“COVID resulted in us continuing to provide just that in more creative way!” she said.
Camino Scholars’ services for students include preparing college-bound students with application assistance, financial aid navigation, career workshops, campus visits and mentorship. The program just saw its first student enrolled in doctoral studies.
For more information, go to pshhc.org/education.
— Dave Mason
