Abingdon Elementary will offer a year-round school option for its lowest achieving younger students this fall. The pilot program will be open to low performing first and second graders with the goal of getting them up to grade level and ready for third grade.

Gloucester Public Schools applied for and received a $40,000 planning grant to develop its proposal for a year-round program. The General Assembly provided $412,000 to provide the grants of up to $50,000 for year-round instruction plans to raise performance on SOL assessments.

A team of seven Gloucester teachers and two administrators has been working since September to develop the proposal they call “Full Circle Academy.” The optional program should reduce the summer learning loss associated with traditional school calendars and has built-in remediation opportunities.

Abingdon principal LaQuiche Parrott volunteered to host the pilot program this fall. Two of her teachers, along with two teacher assistants, will wor...