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Summer Learning Partnership Report READy Scholars WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA 2014

READy Scholars Summer Learning Partnership Report 2014

Partnership Design This report describes the summer learning activities & outcomes of a partnership between BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

BELL is a nonprofit organization that partners with schools and community organizations to expand learning time for students in grades K-8.  Its mission is to transform the academic achievements, self-confidence and life trajectories of children living in under-resourced, urban communities.

Summer learning activities play an important role in a child’s academic success, as well as their social, physical, and emotional development. Without them, studies show that children tend to lose academic skills, gain weight, and face increased risks of negative social behavior. Summer learning loss has been shown to account for up to 2/3 of the academic achievement gap between children from low-income families and their higher-income peers.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WSFCS) has partnered with BELL to expand summer learning opportunities for children since 2012. In 2014, BELL tailored its summer learning model to focus on helping students attain goals for grade-level reading proficiency as defined by North Carolina’s Read to Achieve legislation.*

The nonprofit and school district combined resources and expertise and delivered a summer learning experience aimed at helping third and fourth graders boost their reading skills, self-confidence, and social skills, while encouraging healthy lifestyles and engaging parents in their child’s education. The READy Scholars program was hosted at ten elementary schools and offered at no cost to families.

The summer learning partnership helped students strengthen the foundational reading skills they need to advance to the next grade and begin the new school year ready to excel.

1,084 Scholars Enrolled

3-4 Grades Served

168 Total Hours of Summer Learning

87% Average Daily Attendance

+ 2 Average Grade-Equivalent Reading Gain, in Months, Underperforming Scholars**

98% Teachers reporting that scholars increased their self-confidence

85% Parents reporting that scholars are more prepared for the new school year

92% Parents reporting increased involvement in their scholar’s education

* BELL also partnered with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to deliver its BELL Summer model for middle school students in 2014 .

** “Underperforming” scholars score in the lowest quartile on STAR assessments at the start of the summer: Urgent Intervention (1-10th percentile) or Intervention (11-25th percentile).

"The academic gains are fantastic. But even if we didn't see the gains, the program would still be worthwhile because of the chance it gives children to engage with learning in a different way and have experiences they would never have otherwise. I saw children crying at closing ceremonies because the program was ending. Imagine that. They were upset to be leaving school in the middle of summer."

-  Dr. Beverly Emory Superintendent, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

✎  PROGRAM GOALS BELL and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools worked together to eliminate the summer opportunity gap, accelerate students’ reading achievement, and close the achievement gap. Students were called “scholars” to demonstrate high expectations and were encouraged to “Be Extraordinary,” the program’s motto. Program goals included:

¤  Increase scholars’ literacy skills.

¤  Strengthen scholars’ self-confidence & social skills.

¤  Increase parental engagement.

✎  PROGRAM MANAGEMENT BELL worked with WSFCS to recruit, select and train program leadership teams consisting of a Program Manager, Program Coordinator, and Instructional Coach. The Program Manager was responsible for setting and fulfilling program goals, supervising staff, and engaging parents. The Instructional Coach served as the primary academic officer, overseeing assessment and ensuring instruction remained consistent with curricula and program goals. The Program Assistant managed logistics, attendance, and parent interactions. Most program leaders are employed as school or district employees during the school year.

BELL was responsible for delivering the summer program model, managing quality, and measuring outcomes. The national nonprofit leveraged its capacity for program design & planning; scholar data management; staff recruitment, hiring & training; assessment & evaluation; payroll & finance; distribution of curriculum & supplies; fundraising; and information systems.

✎  PROGRAM STAFFING

BELL collaborated with WSFCS and host sites to identify and recruit high-performing teachers to lead academic instruction, enrichment instructors to lead afternoon activities, and teaching assistants to support classroom activities.

✎  TRAINING The Program Manager and Instructional Coach participated in BELL’s comprehensive leadership training, including online e-learning (BELL University), webinars, and classroom-based training. With assistance from BELL, they took the lead in training program staff, including teachers and teaching assistants, who also completed e-learning courses. Training focused on the summer learning program model, utilizing assessment data to drive instruction, effective teaching practices, collaborative teaching, and behavior management.

✎  SCHOLARS SERVED Scholars were recruited and enrolled based on three criteria: (1) Third graders who failed the end-of-grade reading test and who chose to participate in the READy Scholars program in order to have a chance to be promoted to the fourth grade with their peers based on additional assessments; (2) Third graders who passed the end-of-grade reading test and whose principals and teachers recommended that they participate to further strengthen their skills; and (3) Fourth graders who were struggling in their reading skills and/or social skills and who were recommended by school leaders and faculty. The school district facilitated the enrollment process by distributing information about the program and encouraging parents to enroll their children.

✎  FAMILY ENGAGEMENT Family involvement was a key component of the program, and staff members provided updates to parents on their children’s progress and challenges through phone calls, progress reports, and a mid-program Open House. All parents were invited to attend a Closing Ceremony celebration, at which scholars performed skits, songs, dramas, dances and presentations about their summer learning experience.

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Partnership Checklist

Summer Program Management ¤

Academic Curricula & Supplies ¤

Enrichment Curricula & Supplies ¤

Student Enrollment & Attendance ¤ ¤

Staff Recruitment ¤ ¤

Staff Hiring & Training ¤

Field Trips & Community Service ¤ ¤

Parent Engagement ¤

Assessment & Evaluation ¤

Classrooms & School Facilities ¤

Snack & Meal Service ¤

Philanthropic Funding ¤

Public Funding & In-Kind Contributions ¤

Transportation ¤

Scholar Enrollment & Attendance *scholars were recruited from all elementary schools in the district

Scholars Served

Average Daily Attendance

Gibson Elementary School 121 88%

Hall-Woodward Elementary School 131 86%

Kernersville Elementary School 65 90%

Kimmel Farm Elementary School 151 86%

Konnoak Elementary School 129 88%

Mineral Springs Elementary School 81 91%

North Hills Elementary School 103 89%

Petree Elementary School 80 83%

Sedge Garden Elementary School 119 84%

Speas Elementary School 104 90%

Total 1,084 87%

Program Design The READy Scholars program delivered academic and social enrichment for 7 hours per day, 4 days per week, for 6 weeks. In sum, the program expanded learning time by a total of 168 hours. The program started June 30 and concluded on August 7. The daily schedule started at 8:00 am and ended at 3:00 pm. The summer learning model included the following core elements:

STEM Drama Dance

Cooking Yoga Art

Spanish

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BREAKFAST & COMMUNITY TIME Scholars enjoyed a nutritious breakfast, followed by team-building activities to build social skills and strong relationships with peers and staff.

LITERACY INSTRUCTION Certified teachers led 3 hours of literacy instruction each day, Monday – Thursday. Instruction was organized into three parts:

•  Lesson Opener & Read Aloud: Teachers introduced the day’s lesson and text before dividing scholars up into three small groups.  Scholars with similar academic needs were grouped together. 

•  Reading Stations: Scholars rotated through three reading stations:

Small-Group Instruction: Teachers led short, engaging lessons focusing on specific phonics and text structure skills using Common Core-aligned curricula by Scholastic and best practices for reading development and early literacy. 

Technology Station: Scholars completed digital lessons on laptops or tablets.

Independent Practices: Scholars focused on elements such as antonyms, synonyms, prefixes, and suffixes.  Working together, they completed short reading and writing activities.

•  Games & Intervention Pull-Outs: Scholars played literacy games or engaged in other hands-on learning while teachers and teaching associates led interventions for struggling readers.

LUNCH & RECESS Scholars ate a healthy lunch provided through the federal Summer Food Service Program and spent 30 minutes engaging in organized physical activities, with a focus on team-building sports.

. ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES After lunch, scholars participated in fun, hands-on enrichment activities designed to foster critical 21st Century skills like teamwork and leadership. The activities helped boost scholars’ self-confidence and exposed scholars to new subjects and opportunities.

FIELD TRIPS & FIELD DAYS  Scholars visited community and cultural institutions and participated in Field Days.

8:30  

9:00  

12:00  

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1:00  

Greensboro Natural Science Center

Dan Nicholas

Park

Children’s Home Farm

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BELL  provided  scholars  and  staff  with  great  support,  made  small  group  instruc9on  a  priority,  and  even  made  it  possible  to  send  students  home  with  books  each  week.    Seeing  scholars  grow  in  confidence  and  be  excited  to  come  to  school  each  day  made  my  summer  amazing!      

Jonathan  Hegedus,  Assistant  Principal  &  READy  Scholars  Program  Manager  Kernersville  Elementary  School  

Impact Measurement The BELL Summer program sought to produce the following outcomes:

•  Students who are underperforming at the start of the summer will gain at least one month of grade-equivalent skills instead of experiencing summer learning loss.

•  At least 75% of scholars will demonstrate improved self-confidence and social skills.

•  At least 75% of parents will report that they became more engaged in their child’s education.

To measure performance against these outcomes, program leaders produced qualitative and quantitative data using the following tools:

✎  COMPUTER-ADAPTIVE ASSESSMENTS Teachers used STAR Enterprise Assessments, by Renaissance Learning, on a pre- and post-program basis. STAR assessments are built for measuring progress against Common Core standards. Scholars completed the STAR Reading multiple-choice assessments via computer, laptop, or tablet. The assessments adapted to scholar answers; if a scholar selected the correct answer, the next question became more difficult, if the scholar answered incorrectly, the next question became easier. The adaptive quality of these assessments enabled staff to hone in on the specific learning needs of each scholar. It also allowed staff to group scholars according to common needs and deliver data-driven instruction.

✎  READ TO ACHIEVE STATE TESTS In addition to BELL’s assessment activities, third grade scholars who failed the end-of-grade reading test and who participated in the READy Scholars program were given a second chance to pass the test and advance to the fourth grade on time.

✎  ATTENDANCE DATA BELL managed scholar enrollment and tracked attendance data in an online Scholar Management System powered by Salesforce.com. Scholars were expected to attend at least 80% of the time. In addition, scholars were only allowed three absences, given the strong positive correlation between learning time and academic and social outcomes

✎  TEACHER SURVEYS Partners used a teacher and teaching assistant survey instrument to assess program implementation and efficacy from the perspective of instructional staff. Teachers and tutors completed the anonymous survey at the end of the program, which included questions regarding scholars’ progress, training, curricula, program staff and service, and parent engagement.

✎  PARENT SURVEYS Partners employed a parent survey instrument to assess parent observations of scholar improvement, program quality, and parent satisfaction. Parents completed the anonymous survey on-site during the final week of the program.

Scholar Achievement

✎  GRADE-EQUIVALENT GAINS

Grade-equivalent gains are an important indicator of student success because they provide an absolute measure of how much a student has progressed up the proficiency ladder at a time when most children are not engaged in structured learning activities. A full grade level contains ten months of grade-equivalent skills development (i.e., based on an average school year of learning from September – June). To put it another way, a gain of 1 grade-equivalent month is equal to what an average student learns in 10% of a school year.

At the start of the BELL READy Scholars program, formative assessments provided teachers with baseline indicators of scholar performance along with individualized learning plans. Approximately 70% of scholars started the program underperforming in reading.*

Assessment data from the end of the BELL READy Scholars program show that scholars gained grade-equivalent reading skills. On average, scholars who were underperforming at the start of the summer gained 2 months of reading skills. All scholars – including scholars who started the summer at or near grade level, achieved average gains of 1 months of grade-equivalent reading skills.

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GRADE-EQUIVALENT GAINS IN READY SCHOLARS VS. SUMMER LEARNING LOSS

Average Grade-Equivalent Gains, in Months

Average Gain in Reading Skills, All Scholars

Average Gain in Reading Skills, Underperforming* Scholars

Average Summer Learning Loss, Disadvantaged Students without Summer Learning Opportunities**

✎  READ TO ACHIEVE STATE TESTS Approximately 601 third graders retook the end-of-grade reading test in the READy Scholars program, and 109 successfully passed and advanced with fourth grade status to the next grade.

Given the proficiency levels of scholars at the start of the summer - on average, scholars were performing at the 14th percentile in reading, an indication that they were significantly behind grade level– the combination of grade-equivalent gains and positive growth on End-of-Grade Read to Achieve tests suggests that participating in summer learning activities had a positive impact on reading achievement and helped mitigate summer learning loss.

The data also hints that summer learning opportunities may have the greatest impact on scholars who have the most to learn.

Finally, it highlights the importance of keeping scholars on track in grades K-3 so that by the time they reach the end of third grade, they are within reach of achieving grade-level proficiency and are able to transition from learning to read to reading to learn. It’s important that intervention begins early and happens often.

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* “Underperforming scholars” score in the lowest quartile on STAR assessments: Urgent Intervention (1-10th percentile) or Intervention (11-25th percentile)

** Sources

McCombs et al. (2011). Making Summer Count: How Summer Programs Can Boost Children’s Learning. Rand Education & The Wallace Foundation.

Cooper, Harris (2003). Summer Learning Loss: The Problem & Some Solutions. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary & Early Childhood Education.

87%

90%

98%

92%

91%

89%

98%

99%

96%

100%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Scholars are more confident in their abilities"

Scholars have a more positive attitude about school"

Scholars enjoyed the READy Scholars program"

The READy Scholars program helped me become more involved in my child's education"

I am highly satisfied with my READy Scholars experience"

I recommend the READy Scholars program to other parents"

Scholars have more confidence in themselves"

I recommend the READy Scholars program to parents"

Program staff are diverse and reflect scholar diversity"

Working with BELL helped me dievelop my professional skills"

✎  SELF-CONFIDENCE & SOCIAL SKILLS

Scholars’ academic success is rooted in their self-efficacy skills, determination, and their social skills, including their ability to communicate clearly and work well with others. Teachers and parents consistently reported that scholars’ participation in the READy Scholars program helped them make important gains in these areas. Such a positive impact can be attributed to a culture of high expectations, high-quality staff, a small staff to scholar ratio, and an individualized learning environment.

✎  PARENT & TEACHER ENGAGEMENT & SATISFACTION Teachers and parents consistently reported that the READy Scholars program was of high quality and met or exceeded their expectations. Teachers reported that the program structure and resources helped scholars achieve the goals set forth for them. They also reported that working the program helped them develop their professional skills. Parents reported that the model boosted their involvement in their child’s education – an outcome that is proven to have significant long-term impact on student achievement in school and beyond.

Teachers report:

Parents report:

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PARENT & TEACHER SURVEY RESULTS

Scholars focus and relax in an afternoon yoga class.

Working with BELL helped me develop my professional skills

Clockwise from top left: Giraffes joined scholars for lunch on a field trip; Scholars spelled “BELL” during a Community Time team-building activity; Scholars held a food drive as a community service project.

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Public & Private Funding

✎  BELL  

BELL raised philanthropic funding from local and national sources to cover a portion of program expenses. A local leadership council supported fundraising in North Carolina. Local donors supporting the READy Scholars program included the Winston-Salem Foundation, Reynolds American Foundation, the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, and Duke Energy. BELL raised additional funds from national donors including the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and The Wallace Foundation.

✎  WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS

The school district and its schools contributed public funding and in-kind resources to support program costs, including classroom space, utilities, janitorial services, breakfast and lunch, and bus transportation to and from program sites each day.

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✎  BELL CAROLINAS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL  Cammie Hauptfuhrer, Chair Philanthropist & Community Activist

Dr. Donald Martin Former Superintendent, Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Schools (retired); Professor of Education at High Point University

Walter McDowell Chair, Business for Education Success & Transformation (BEST NC) & Former CEO, Wachovia (NC & VA)

Claire Tate Community Advocate & former Executive Director of Partners in Out-of-School-Time (POST)

✎  CONTACT US  

Jerri Haigler Executive Director (Carolinas) jerri.haigler@experienceBELL.org (704) 706-7122