NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) —The books are closed for the 2022-2023 school year; however, 17,260 Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) students are heading back to the classroom this June for summer school.

According to MNPS, it’s an opportunity for students to get caught up academically before the new school year begins. There are also a number of third-grade students who may need to use summer school as an intervention in order to be promoted fourth-grade after not passing the TCAP.

The MNPS Promising Scholars summer program is a free, full-day program for K-8th graders and offers students a mix of classroom learning, educational and physical activities.

An estimated 3,860 of the students enrolled are third-grade students.

“We are anticipating some attrition of those students who are signed up but do not require an intervention in order to be promoted,” said MNPS Executive Officer for Communications Sean Braisted.

Beyond the TCAP intervention, there are a number of reasons students can enroll in summer school, including ACT Prep, high school credit recovery, and programs for English Learners.

As an MNPS teacher leading summer school classes, Quanita Adams said it’s important to be sympathetic to students.

“There’s just a lot of pressure for students to perform and so the emphasis will be on making sure that students have a great time,” said Adams. “It’s having more compassion and then also tailoring their classroom experience to what I know has happened, and giving them a lot more patience.”

Adams will be teaching math to high school students and said she’s looking to make it a fun experience.

“It’s summertime and kids need a break, and so I want to be able to incorporate some amazing parts of geometry just into their everyday life so that it doesn’t feel overwhelming,” said Adams.

The Promising Scholars program runs through June 30.