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Summer on the Island: How Carver Elementary Ran a Successful Study Island Summer Contest

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Here’s why we’re talking about preventing summer learning loss in the middle of October—we wanted to share how a Minnesota school partnered with Edmentum to have students participate in a summer contest by using one of our K–12 programs, Study Island, during the summer of 2018.

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Printable Worksheet bundles

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These bundles include math, language arts, science, reading and literacy activities from a variety of our online programs.

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The Little Mermaid | Under the Sea | Lyric Video | Disney Sing Along

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SUMMER PLANNING TOOLKIT!!!

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Summer Planning & Success Toolkit Augment your in-person (and virtual) summer school plans with helpful resources, blogs, and worksheets aligned to your specific summer goals.

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30 Day Summer Reading Challenge!

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Summer is nearly upon us and we want to make sure your transition to summer school is as easy as possible so we've developed a free Summer Planning & Success Toolkit, curated with our best resources, downloables, curriculum guides, and more! It's not too late to create an unforgettable summer learning experience.

In this guide you will find:

Tips to achieving summer student success through credit recovery, intervention and acceleration, and enrichment

Resources to fight summer literacy loss and encourage early reading and literacy development

Free worksheet bundles, printable activities, and more!

Engaging students in the summer is never easy. As you plan for your upcoming summer school program, consider the following:

Get a routine ready

In the tight schedule of a summer school environment, a student wondering what they are supposed to be doing is not making progress. Establish a hard-and-fast routine early in the summer period and stick to it so you can avoid confusion, ambiguity, and wasted time. Encourage your students to use organizers or planners so they can stay on top of their day to day tasks and weekly assignments.

Kick things off with formative assessment

Formative assessment helps give you a better grasp of where your students' knowledge and skills are and helps make individualized instruction for a variety of students a lot easier. We wrote a blog post on five unique ways to formatively assess your class virtually and in-person.

Plan bonding time

Take time to nurture your classroom community. Even if you and your summer students will only be together a few weeks, building a strong sense of community in your classroom is well-worth the effort. Looking for ideas to get started? Try out these icebreakers!

Don't forget about fun

Many students are less than thrilled to be spending their summer vacation in the classroom, so make sure to keep them excited and motivated throughout the program. Set goals, and celebrate when your students achieve them! Plan fun activities for students during the day or once per week to avoid burnout in the classroom. After all, it is still the summer break for your students!

Use the science of timing

Have you ever noticed that, during certain times of the day, your classroom is buzzing, students are working diligently, and everyone is getting along, while during other times of the day, things are a bit chaotic, and you find yourself having to constantly correct behavior and refocus attention? Turns out, there are scientific reasons behind why this happens. Check out these tips to optimise student performance in your summer session through the science of timing!

For more ideas on how to boost summer engagement, check out this blog for 5 ways to keep students on track during summer sessions!

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Tips for a Smooth Transition to Summer School

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Summer is nearly upon us and we want to make sure your transition to summer school is as easy as possible so we've developed a Guide to Summer School Success, and we want you to have it for free! It's not too late to create an unforgettable summer school experience.

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Free Downloadable bookmarks!

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30- Day Summer Challenge

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[Free Resources] Jump into Summer with FREE Classroom Resources for June

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School might be done for the year, but learning never takes a break! Check out all the amazing free resources Edmentum has lined up for June.Edmentum 30 Day Summer ChallengeThis 30 Day Summer Challenge flyer includes creative ideas designed to keep students engaged in their learning.

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FROZEN | "In Summer" Song - Olaf | Official Disney UK

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National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month comes at the perfect time each year! Not only are some of the delicious fruits and veggies at their tastiest, but it's also the beginning of summer vacation. Why not use the opportunity to remind students who are home for the summer the reason fresh foods are important to healthy diet, and delicious!

Celebrate National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month with free downloadable resources from Edmentum! You can use these printable packets to engage your students in a meaningful discussion to help them understand the nutritional value of different fruits and vegetables right before summer break. Or, you can print out the packets to send home as a fun, healthy summer activity!

When children are home during summer break, it's important to make eating healthy part of their summer fun. Check out these three summer activities you can do with your students before summer break or encourage them to try on their own during vacation:

1. Visit the Farmer's Market

What better place to learn all about freshly grown fruits and vegetables than the local farmer's market? Take a few minutes to poll your class on how many students are familiar with their local farmer's market. Engage in a class discussion to see how many students have been to the farmer's market, what they might find there, and what makes it different from the produce section at the supermarket or grocery store?

You can search this directory from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to find out where the nearest farmer's market is, when it's open, and what kind of special community events it might be having over the summer, and then forward that information to your classroom families ffor a fun, "family field trip" idea. Suggest that your students go with their families and play a game like famer's market bingo or embark on a ready-made farmer's market scavenger hunt. After all, it's always more fun to learn about eating healthy when the whole family is involved!

2. Make a List of New Fruits and Veggies to Try

For some children, being asked to try a new fruit or vegetable is like asking them to eat mud. Many won't want to do it. But, sometimes, getting a child to see trying a new fruit or vegetable as a way to accomplish a goal, rather than being forced to eat something they may not like, is an easier way to introduce new healthy fresh foods into their diets. Have your students select a few new fruits or vegetables they have never eaten before (but would be open to trying) to add to their "I want to try" list. They can add as many as they want, but they should at least put one or two down and make it their goal to try these new healthy foods at least once over the summer.

If there is time for a little bit of researching, ask your students to learn more about their selected fruits or veggies. Have students find out where they grow best, how many different varieties there are, if they have any interesting plant cousins, what sort of recipes they are used in, and what sort of uses they have besides being eaten. Who knows-maybe learning a little more about their new vegetable or fruit will help students feel more comfortable including it in their regular diet?

3. End the School Year with Goodbye Gardens

Scratching your head trying to figure out a fun parting favor to give your students? Why not try handing out a "goodbye garden" on the last day of school! Simply attach a fun personal note or poem to a packet of garden vegetable seeds (you can get bulk packs of assorted heirloom veggies for cheap) and pass them out on the last day of class. That way, your students have the opportunity to grow their very own vegetables over summer break.

If school is already out, you can always send your students a note in the mail and include the seeds in a card with your well wishes for their summer break. This fun idea not only leaves your students with something to remember you by over break, but it can also help spark an interest in gardening over the summer and, if they're lucky, provide a fun way to connect with eating healthy. ( Starting a class garden is always a fun idea, too!)

Remember, all food is good food. The important lesson is to help students build a good relationship with fresh fruits and veggies!

Looking for more fun resources to share with your students this summer? Check out this free and engaging resources packet from Edmentum that explores the science behind this month's summer solstice!
This post was originally published May 2018 and has been updated.

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[Free Resources] June Is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month

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National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month comes at the perfect time each year! Not only are some of the delicious fruits and veggies at their tastiest, but it's also the beginning of summer vacation. Refresh your knowledge on why fresh foods are important to add to your plate.

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Designing plans that address unfinished learning in a pandemic-affected year is taking many different forms. While education news outlets and U.S. Department of Education recommendations are aflutter exploring the prospects of extended school days or school-year calendars, many district and school leaders' eyes are also turning to summer programing for an extra boost.

While summer school is certainly not novel, summer school planning does beg the question-is it enough to offer the summer school options we traditionally have? The Ohio Department of Education Extended Learning FAQ offers a simple answer that will apply to many: "[Summer plans] should be driven by student needs; therefore, consideration should be given to doing more than the status quo in cases where the needs of students are beyond what is typical."

With that in mind, we curated these learning recommendations that highlight six critical planning decisions for summer.

1. Impacted Students: How will schools and districts identify which students have been most impacted by the pandemic, with a focus on the most vulnerable populations?

Research is already showing greater learning-loss impacts for specific populations that can provide a good leading indicator of where you might find the highest needs with your school or district. Previously, a study published by DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) 8th edition study from Amplify, stated 20 percent fewer kindergarteners were on track to learn how to read than their peers were at that time last year-a theme largely reported by others as well. In addition to significant gaps in the early elementary years, gaps across the board are especially pronounced for Black and Hispanic students. This year, new data from 43 states shows that after years of academic interventions, more young students are reading on track than at any time since the pandemic began. The new data also show that Black and Hispanic students in many grades are improving faster than average, shrinking the academic gaps that had widened during school disruptions, however this is still an important focus this summer.

2. Needs Assessment: How will schools and districts identify, unpack, and target the nuanced needs of impacted students?

According to a study published by Nature Human Behavior featured in the New York Times, students lost 1/3 of a school year of learning to the pandemic, with learning dealys and regressions being the most severe among children from low-income backgrounds. We know the story of learning loss will be different for every student. This is where administering high-quality assessments to accurately diagnose students' strengths, needs, and specific learning progress is essential. Begin each academic period with a proven diagnostic to inform your instruction and deliver personalized learning experiences for all.

3. Resources & Budget: What resources are available to address those needs?

Approved federal coronavirus funding streams allow for additional cash flow into summer programming that goes beyond previous years. Specifically from the CARES Act, the Elementary and Second School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, notes the following in allowable uses: "Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental afterschool programs, including providing classroom instruction or online learning during the summer months and addressing the needs of low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care." Determine if your district has access to funds to set up an effective program.

Additionally, procuring teachers to lead summer school may be a difficult mountain to climb this year. With teacher unions and generally burned-out educators to contend with, some states are looking at community programs to help provide additional support.

4. Approaches & Instruction: What approaches can best be deployed to address those needs?

This past school year has challenged educators at all levels to get creative, leading with innovative approaches that employ technology to overcome physical distancing. With all the lessons learned, there's much to take forward into your summer acceleration and enrichment programming. Whether your district decides to launch a full in-school option with busing and meals provided (as North Carolina recently approved) or you simply want to take the online learning programs you have today and encourage independent use over the summer, the myriad of options is extensive. Perhaps this summer would be best served by a mixed bag to attack different needs and family preferences.

5. Partnerships: Which partners can schools and districts engage with in supporting student needs?

Consider partnering with local and regional organizations, including libraries, museums, and after-school programs, in your community. These entities can often be well-versed in supporting K-12 students during the summer months. Other partners to prioritize include those that provide the educational programming you may already use or may be considering to use to augment your program's reach and quality. In your search, consider how Edmentum combines proven programs and consulting to power your teaching practices.

6. Alignment: How can your summer-learning plan reinforce and align to other district and school programs?

In planning your summer programming, assessment and academic instruction grounded in understanding skill gaps and clawing back missed credits are likely the most obvious places to start. Additionally, make sure that these summer learning experiences connect back to other school programs and initiatives. Your plan should include attending to students' social-emotional learning (SEL) to support success of the whole learner. The pandemic put a microscope on the value of mental health and wellness education, making it no longer just a "nice to have" option, and every district in the nation would be remiss not to consider where SEL will be integrated into the next school year's learning. SEL is just one example of an additional school program to consider, but others might include graduation plans, remote-learning plans, and tutoring.

Considering a combination of these six aspects to your summer-planning strategy will help ensure that you're providing the highest-need students with a successful experience to address unfinished learning and setting up a more prosperous school year. Want to find out about how Edmentum can help support your summer planning? Check out our Summer Success & Planning Toolkit!

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6 Strategies for Building Your Summer Acceleration & Enrichment Program

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Designing plans that address unfinished learning in a pandemic-affected year is taking many different forms. While education news outlets and U.S. Department of Education recommendations are aflutter exploring the prospects of extended school days or school-year calendars, many district and school leaders' eyes are also turning to summer programing for an extra boost.

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Student Growth Toolkit!

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Student Growth Toolkit Now more than ever administrators need the best tools and resources to ensure students are growing, accelerating, and meeting grade level expectations. That is why we put together our growth toolkit to empower you to build the best programs for your students.

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When students get to middle or high school with gaps in learning, coming up with a plan to intervene can be tricky. There are a lot of extra factors to consider that don't apply to elementary intervention. You might find yourself asking: When in the school day will these students get the focused instruction they require? How far back does intervention need to go? Are secondary teachers equipped to deliver foundational instruction?

Educators far and wide are grappling with these questions and seeking solutions to help students prepare for what's next-be it course readiness, graduation, or beyond. After reflecting on many conversations with Edmentum customers who use Exact Path, our K-12 assessment-driven, individualized learning program, we've compiled four of those best practices and considerations that you should know to help support your struggling middle and high school students.
1. Make Dedicated Time in the Schedule
The elementary school day lends itself to dedicated intervention blocks and pull-out programs in ways that secondary schedules simply don't. In K-5 classrooms, teachers have fewer students to support, more time to work with them, and additional access to foundational curriculum that, together, make intervention more manageable. But, once students hit middle or high school and are met with a packed schedule of individual courses (all taught by different instructors), where is there room for intervention? And, when there is time for intervention, who is skilled to deliver it (sometimes at a foundational elementary level)?

Middle and high schools are finding success in a plethora of ways, including:

Tutorials before/after school

W.I.N. (or "What I Need") time, scheduled in designated remediation periods

Remedial subject-specific classes that split time between on-grade instruction and academic gap closure

This conversation with Dr. Courtney Holley, the district MTSS director and school psychologist at Cook County Schools in Georgia, also provides some specific guidance on what intervention could look like for each grade band.
2. Dig Deep to Spot Gaps
Often, students are missing one or two critical skills that will block them from making any meaningful progress. This can be incredibly frustrating, both for the student who feels like the mountain toward success is too steep to climb and for the teacher who may have trouble identifying exactly what these gaps are and accessing resources to help close them. This is where a digital program can really make a difference.

With Exact Path, the diagnostic assessment looks across all K-12 curriculum to understand exactly what skill gaps are keeping students from making progress. And, when the assessment determines a 9th grader has 4th grade skills that need shored up, it doesn't mean that student must review all 4th grade material-rather, the program delivers a targeted playlist of lessons that represent exactly what the student needs to work on to help get back to grade level. This targeted approach yields powerful information for the instructor and helps students make significant gains in the most efficient way possible.
3. Set Secondary Teachers Up for Success
When teachers are forced to teach skills and standards that are on grade level because that's what the district scope and sequence requires, they are doing struggling students a disservice. But, can we expect all secondary teachers to be experts in teaching foundational math concepts and comprehension skills that students should have picked up years earlier? Classroom teachers are experts in their craft, but they are also human, and humans have limitations. Allow technology to help extend academic reach and capture additional insights that will guide instructional approaches.

With Exact Path, instructors no longer have to guess if students have mastered something or find themselves backed into a corner if they don't have the capacity to approach a skill. Instead, they receive real-time notifications about where help may be needed in the program. When educators log in, they're met with a robust bank of standards-aligned materials, including instructional videos, tutorials, practice items, and printable lessons and worksheets that can be used as online and offline assignments When gaps are wide and it's "all hands on deck" to meet the need, school leaders can feel confident that the personnel on staff can successfully support students (even outside of their chosen content area).
4. Give Students Ownership in the Process
Students at the secondary level who are struggling don't suddenly start experiencing these struggles overnight. Likely, the struggles have followed students throughout their academic career, which, in turn, leads them to believe that school will always be hard for them and that there's just no way around it. This fixed mindset is tough to overcome.

For these students, quantifiable data reports that expose gaps, highlight strengths, and accompany a path forward can break down these overwhelming feelings of failure into manageable steps that students can actively pursue. The Exact Path Student Summary Report and Knowledge Map data views can be critical for forward planning of this kind that is critical to keeping students engaged.

At Mitchell Community Schools in Mitchell, Indiana, Math Coach Melissa Epping, recounts a personal story of just this: "Last year, in particular, I had a student who was [negatively] attitudinal about wanting to come in and did not want to do more math. I pulled him over privately and showed him the screen [in Exact Path that documents which skills students have mastered and where there still may be gaps in learning] and had a discussion to say: 'Look, it's not that you can't do math period. You're just missing this skill, and when you fill that skill, then you'll be able to build on that skill in the next grade level.'

"After he left that day, my assistant came over to me, and she said, 'What did you say to him-because his whole demeanor changed from the time he walked to your desk and when he walked away from it?' He went from thinking: 'I can't do this' to 'I just need to fix this skill.' I can't even put into words the impact it had for that child to see that." Check out more of Ms. Epping's interview here.

This powerful, big-picture style of thinking encourages students to persist, even when things get hard. Interested in learning more about how Exact Path can support secondary intervention? Check out this brochure for more information.

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4 Things You Should Know to Support Struggling Middle and High School Learners

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After reflecting on many conversations with Edmentum customers who use Exact Path, our K-12 assessment-driven, individualized learning program, we've compiled four of those best practices and considerations that you should know to help support your struggling middle and high school students.