MBX Foundation introduces alternative summer school, MBX Flex

Bari Cohn

Executive News Editor

The MBX Foundation announced to Costa families via email on Jan. 18 that it will begin MBX Flex this summer as an alternative to traditional summer school.

MBX Flex allows students to receive credit for a course by meeting with certificated teachers for approximately 20 two-hour block sessions, in addition to taking proctored tests. The course is offered in teacher-to-student ratios of one-to-one, one-to-two and one-to-three.

“Students must find their own partners [to take the course with],” MBX Executive Director Jennifer Williams said. “It is important that [the students] are able to follow the exact same schedule and are academically compatible as they must advance at the same pace.”

For a two semester course, the costs are $4,500, $2,400 and $1,600 for teacher to student ratios of one-to-one, one-to-two and one-to-three, respectively. For one semester courses, the costs are $2,250, $1,200 and $800 for teacher to student ratios of one-to-one, one-to-two and one-to-three, respectively.

MBX Flex will be offered alongside traditional MBX Summer School. Both options are Western Association of Schools and Colleges approved. WASC is one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the United States which offers assistance to schools worldwide.

“We know that students want to take summer school, yet have other things they want to do which makes it difficult for them to take our traditional summer school model which is strict about time and attendance,” Williams said. “MBX Flex works around a students schedule to ensure they learn and master the curriculum, but under a flexible schedule.”

The courses MBX Flex offers include two semesters of World History, United States History and Geometry, and one semester of United States Government and Economics. Students are able to take Algebra 1 and 2 courses for remediation, meaning they will retake the course to replace a non-passing grade.

Students may start their respective course beginning the weeks of June 18, June 25, July 2 and July 9. All courses must be completed by Aug. 10 in order to get credit for the course on their transcript.

“For the first year of MBX Flex, we want to be sure we can handle the scheduling, so we are offering the classes we feel are in the most demand,” Williams said. “[In the future, MBX] will offer other classes if we feel there is a need.”