Power scholars camp partnership report 2015

Power Scholars CampTM Partnership Report 2015

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Power Scholars CampTM Partnership Report

Partnership Summary This report describes the activities and outcomes of a partnership between BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life), the YMCA of the USA, and six YMCA Associations: the YMCAs of Superior California, Greater Boston, Grays Harbor (WA), Jamestown (NY), Selma (AL), and St. Petersburg (FL).

The nonprofit organizations worked together to elevate the summer camp experience by integrating academic supports that increase achievement and eliminate summer learning loss for at-risk children. The Power Scholars Camp worked to boosts children’s reading and math skills, self-confidence, and social skills, while encouraging healthy lifestyles and engaging parents and community.

Summer learning activities play an important role in children’s academic, social, physical, and emotional development. Without them, studies show that children tend to lose reading and math skills, gain weight, and face increased risks of negative social behavior. Yet, in underresourced communities, many children lack affordable, safe, and high-quality summer learning options. 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.

The Power Scholars Academy Camp provides children who are at-risk of underperformance in school with rigorous academic instruction and camp-like enrichment experiences and field trips. The program operated at YMCAs at little or no cost to the families in Boston, MA; St. Petersburg, FL; Selma, AL; Jamestown, NY; Superior, CA; and Grays Harbor, WA.

391 K-6th 74% +1 +1.5

Scholars Enrolled Grades Served Average Daily Attendance Average Reading Gain, in Months Average Math Gain, in Months

83%

Teachers reporting that scholars increased their self-confidence

90%

Parents reporting that scholars enjoyed their Power Scholars Academy Camp experience

92%

Parents reporting they recommend the Power Scholars Academy Camp to other parents

Assessment data suggest that the program helped scholars strengthen the foundational reading skills they need to advance to the next grade and begin the new school year ready to excel. It also succeeded in increasing scholars’ self-confidence and social skills, delivering healthy meals, engaging scholars in physical activities, and exposing them to new ideas and experiences.

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✎ PARTNERSHIP & PROGRAM GOALS The Power Scholars Academy Camp leverages the strengths of three nonprofit organizations.

Local YMCAs provided their talent and deep connections with families, schools, and the community. YMCAs have a history of providing free or minimal fee programs (often paid through vouchers) to families who are unable to afford camp programs or other summer enrichment or academic opportunities for their children. Many children who attend camps are from under-resourced communities and under-performing schools. Many YMCAs have long been looking for ways to elevate their camps to not only provide a wonderful daycare service to children and families, but to also create an environment that addresses the achievement gap and works to reduce the effects of summer learning loss.

The YMCA of the USA (the Y) contributed its ability to scale its youth development principles through its community-based network. The Y launched the Power Scholars AcademyTM program in partnership with BELL in 2013, a program that has since grown to 14 YMCAs, with additional expansion planned for 2016.

BELL supplies its expertise in the design and delivery of high-quality expanded learning models that consistently produce strong and positive scholar outcomes. The nonprofit trained teams from local YMCAs on its summer learning approach and offered coaching support as the association operated the model at their chosen location.

Children were called “scholars” to demonstrate high expectations for their achievement.

The goals of the Power Scholars Academy Camp included: ¤ Increasing scholars’ literacy and math skills and mitigate summer learning loss. ¤ Strengthening scholars’ self-confidence, socialemotional development, and physical health and well-being. ¤ Increasing parental engagement.

In addition, the three nonprofit organizations sought to further develop the Power Scholars Academy Camp management structure, through which responsibility for planning and execution is owned by the local YMCAs while ongoing training and technical support is provided by BELL and the Y.

✎ PROGRAM MANAGEMENT BELL shared its program management approach, resources, and supporting systems for planning and design, staffing and training, service delivery, quality assurance, and assessment. It leveraged its information systems, curriculum partnerships, quality control processes, which are designed to enable staff to focus their time and energy on serving scholars and families with excellence.

The Y facilitated the launch of the Power Scholars Academy Camp, which is in it’s first year of implementation. They helped to provide additional support in training, marketing, evaluation, and fundraising.

The local YMCAs were responsible for recruiting, selecting, and training a program leadership team, based on BELL’s staffing model, to deliver the program model. The team included: • An Association Program Lead, who partnered with the school, hired program staff, supported quality assurance activities, resolved program challenges, and worked with Association management to secure program funding.

• A Site Manager, who led the hiring and management of site staff and worked with school and Association staff to coordinate enrichment programs, volunteer activities, and program events.

• An Instructional Coach, who provided support and feedback to classroom teachers and tutors to improve academic instruction, scholar engagement, and achievement.

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Partnership Checklist Summer Program Planning & Management

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Academic Curricula & Supplies

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Enrichment Curricula & Supplies

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Scholar Enrollment & Attendance

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Teacher & Staff Recruitment & Hiring

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Staff Training

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Quality Assurance & Technical Support

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Field Trips & Community Service

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Parent Engagement

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Assessment & Evaluation

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Facilities (YMCA building, Camp, etc)

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Meals & Snacks

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Volunteer Recruitment & Management

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Philanthropic Funding

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✎ PROGRAM STAFFING The local YMCAs hired program staff from the school and community, utilizing BELL’s summer staffing structure of two educators for every 24 scholars. Staff included:

Scholar Enrollment Selma, Alabama

54

Sacramento, CA

51

• Teachers, who worked part-time in the morning (Monday – Thursday), and were responsible for delivering data-driven academic instruction.

St. Petersburg, FL

74

Boston, MA

62

• Assistant Teachers, who worked full-time and were responsible for supporting the academic and social development of scholars throughout the day.

Jamestown, NY

71

Grays Harbor, WA

79

• Enrichment Teachers, who worked part-time and were responsible for developing and implementing enrichment classes (Monday – Thursday), supporting tutors, and supervising scholars during events. ].

• Volunteers, who helped out in the classroom and on field trips, creating more opportunities for oneon-one tutoring and mentorship.

✎ TRAINING BELL led training for Association Program Leads, Site Managers, and Instructional Coaches using a blended learning model. Training content focused on program principles, assessment practices, curriculum, quality management, and technology.

Training was delivered via online e-learning courses (BELL University), webinars, and in-person training held at the Y’s national headquarters.

Power Scholars Academy Camp leaders delivered training for program staff, integrating content on school and community needs and priorities.

Classroom-based training for teachers, tutors, and other staff was also supplemented through elearning courses about the summer learning program model, utilizing assessment data to drive instruction, effective teaching practices, collaborative teaching, and behavior management.

✎ QUALITY ASSURANCE BELL’s Quality Assessment Rubric was used by BELL and Y staff to monitor fidelity to the Power Scholars Academy Camp model. Performance metrics and observations about the quality of the learning environment, teaching effectiveness, and classroom culture informed ongoing technical support and coaching.

Total

391

✎ SCHOLARS SERVED Scholar enrollment was led by the Power Scholars Academy Camp leadership team. Priority was generally given to enrolling scholars who were struggling academically and who would otherwise lack access to high-quality summer learning opportunities. In many cases, YMCAs utilized a "parent ambassador" to spread the word through local churches and community organizations.

The Associate Program Lead and Site Manager worked with the community to then distribute enrollment information, lead informational parent events, collect data, and track enrollment and attendance.

✎ FAMILY ENGAGEMENT Family involvement was a key component of the program. At the start of the summer, many of the YMCAs held a Parent Orientation so that families could learn about expectations for their participation, review policies and procedures, answer questions, and reinforce the importance of scholar attendance. Power Scholars Academy Camp staff members provided regular updates to parents on their children’s progress and challenges through phone calls, progress reports, and a mid-program Open House.

During the program, parents often filled roles as field trip chaperones, guest speakers, and field day coaches. Each YMCA designed family outreach events, such as an Open House, a Pot-Luck Meal, and/or a Closing Ceremony celebration, at which scholars performed skits, songs, and presentations about their summer learning experience.

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Sample schedule

Program Design ✎ CORE ESSENTIALS & VALUES The Power Scholars Academy Camp is designed to serve scholars who lack access to high-quality learning opportunities outside of school and who may need more time for learning to master core academic skills. The model is guided by principles of effective summer learning, including (1) a culture of high expectations; (2) partnerships to magnify impact; (3) an exceptional learning environment, including a 1:12 staff to scholar ratio; (4) teaching excellence; and (5) relevant & engaging learning experiences that broaden scholars’ educational horizons while developing 21st Century skills.

Scholars and staff were expected to model core program values: Excellence, Collaboration, Learning, Respect, Courage.

✎ THEMES All summer long, scholars were encouraged to Be Extraordinary, the program’s motto. Activities focused on college- and career-readiness, healthy lifestyles, and community engagement were woven into academic and enrichment programming.

During College Pride Week scholars learned about the college experience and how success in school is connected to success in life.

✎ PROGRAM SCHEDULE The Power Scholars Academy Camp leveraged the resources of the YMCA and the local community to integrate academic support for 5-6 weeks of the summer and to expand some features of the Power Scholars Academy to the full 8-10 week summer camp calendar (i.e., “Community Time”, “Core Essentials,” program culture, program structure, project-based learning). Camps operated from 6-10 hours per day, Monday – Friday, and included the following core elements:

Breakfast + Community Time: Scholars enjoyed a nutritious breakfast to start each camp day. After breakfast, scholars participated in team-building activities to build social skills and strong relationships with peers and staff.

Literacy Instruction: BELL equipped YMCA staff with a powerful toolkit of teacher’s guides, scholar workbooks, access to technology and assessment data, and professional development to prepare them for delivering the greatest academic impact in a concentrated summer learning program. Each content area was scoped out to provide educators with details on whole group, small group, and individualized instructional methods in a rigorous, engaging, and scholar-centered learning environment.

During the five-week academic element of the Camp, certified teachers led 90 minutes of literacy instruction using curricula drawn from Scholastic’s Comprehension Clubs, Guided Reading Program, and Traits Writing.

Instruction focused on the priority skills critical for scholar success: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Curricula incorporated stories of contemporary figures and their journeys of struggle, perseverance, transcendence, and transformation and was organized around four social justice and learning platforms – define the self, become resilient, engage others, and build capacity – which provided a framework for scholars to chart their own development.

Writing activities helped scholars become capable, confident writers. The curriculum was based on the six traits of writing – Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Presentation.

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Math Instruction: During the camp’s five-week

Lunch & Structured Sports: Scholars ate a

academic component, certified teachers led 90 minutes of math instruction using curricula with targeted intervention modules to build conceptual understanding, problem solving, and mathematical skills.

healthy lunch, followed by at least 30 minutes of organized physical activities, with a focus on teambuilding sports.

Scholastic’s Do The Math helped scholars develop the skills they need to compute with accuracy and efficiency, the number sense they need to reason, and the ability to apply their skills and reasoning to solve problems. It incorporated eight researchbased instructional practices for scholars who need additional support: Scaffolded Content, Explicit Instruction, Multiple Strategies, Gradual Release Routines, Scholar Interaction, Meaningful Practice, Assessment & Differentiation, and Vocabulary & Language.

Enrichment Courses: The YMCA leveraged its

unique set of resources – it’s talent, facilities, partners – to deliver fun and engaging enrichment courses, activities, and experiences each afternoon. Enrichment Teachers and Teaching Assistants led at least two enrichment activities each day, designed to foster critical 21st Century skills like teamwork and leadership, increase selfconfidence, and expose scholars to new subjects, opportunities, and career paths.

Field Trips: Each week, scholars participated in field trips that blended learning and enjoyment.

Such trips support scholar learning by exposing scholars to diverse ideas, people, and places, and nurturing increased empathy, tolerance, and critical-thinking skills.

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Power Scholars Camp: Enrichment Activities Selma COURSES FIELD TRIPS

Swimming

Arts

Crafts

Public Garden

Horseback Riding

Community Garden

Outdoor Survival

Park Cleanup

Team Building

Native Plant Identification

Scavenger Hunt

CA State Capital

American River Parkway

McKlatchy Park

Old Sacramento

Woodland

Tahoe Park

Art

Swimming

Drama

Old McMicky’s Farm

Bowling

Glazer Museum

Museum of Science & Industry

Dell Homes Park

Mobile Gaming Revolution

STEM

Physical Fitness

Painting

Poetry

Social Studies

Roger Williams Zoo

Artesani Park

Movie Theater

Swimming

Talent Hour

Camp Onyahsa

STEM

Nutrition

Erie Zoo

The Audoban

Skyzone

Niagara Falls

Alleghany State Park

Waldameer

Chautauqua County Fair

The Y Games at Bergman Park

World Cultures

Cooking Healthy

Science

Gardening

Arts & Crafts

Sports

Sacramento COURSES

FIELD TRIPS

St. Petersburg COURSES FIELD TRIPS

Skate World

Boston COURSES

FIELD TRIPS

Lake Cochituate

Jamestown COURSES

FIELD TRIPS

Grays Harbor COURSES

FIELD TRIPS

YMCA Camp Bishop

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Impact Measurement The Power Scholars Academy Camp sought to produce the following outcomes: • Scholars will gain at least one month of academic skills instead of experiencing summer learning loss.

• At least 75% of scholars will demonstrate improved selfconfidence 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.

✎ COMPUTER-ADAPTIVE ASSESSMENTS Teachers used STAR Enterprise Assessments, by Renaissance Learning, on a pre- and post-program basis. The assessments are built for measuring progress against rigorous standards. Scholars completed both the STAR Reading and STAR Math assessments.

The multiple-choice assessments, administered via computer, laptop, or tablet, “adapt” based on scholar responses to assessment questions. For example, if a scholar selects the correct answer, the next question becomes more difficult; if the scholar answers incorrectly, the next question becomes easier. The adaptive quality of these assessments enables staff to hone in on the specific learning needs of each scholar. It also allows staff to group scholars according to common needs and deliver small-group, data-driven instruction.

✎ ATTENDANCE DATA The YMCA managed attendance data using an online Performance Data Management system (PDM). Data was then transferred to BELL’s online Scholar Management system for analysis. Scholars were expected to attend at least 80% of the time, given the strong positive correlation between learning time and academic and social outcomes. Program leaders integrated enrollment and attendance data with staffing and quality indicators to optimize the learning environment.

✎ TEACHER SURVEYS Partners use a leadership and staff survey to assess program implementation and efficacy. At the end of the program, site leadership and instructional staff complete the anonymous survey about scholars’ progress, training, curricula, program staff and service, parent engagement, and satisfaction with their professional experience during the program.

✎ 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.

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Scholar Achievement ✎ ACADEMIC GROWTH Assessment data from the end of the Power Scholars Academy Camp show that scholars gained an average of one month of reading skills and oneand-one-half months of math skills.

Gains in reading and math skills are an important indicator of student success because they provide a 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 skills development (i.e., based on an average school year of learning from September – June). A gain of one month, then, is equal to what an average student learns in 10% of a school year.

Scholars’ academic growth demonstrates that participating in summer learning activities has a positive impact on achievement and eliminates summer learning loss. The data also suggests that summer learning opportunities may have the greatest academic and social impact on scholars who are struggling in school and who lack access to the camps, travel, and other enrichment experiences that play a formative role in the development of children from higher-income families.

Teachers utilize formative assessments from the start of the summer to understand each scholar’s learning needs and to inform individualized learning plans.

ACADEMIC GROWTH IN THE Power Scholars Academy Camp VS SUMMER LEARNING LOSS -2

-1

0

1

2

3

+1 Month of Reading Skills

Skills Gained, in Months

+1.5 Months of Math Skills

-2 Months of Summer Learning Loss Experienced by Disadvantaged Students Without Summer Learning Opportunities* -2

-1

0

1

2

3

* 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 Soluations. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary & Early Childhood Education.

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✎ SELF-CONFIDENCE & SOCIAL SKILLS Scholars’ academic success requires self-efficacy skills, determination, and social skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and work well with others. That is why staff is trained to cultivate scholars’ growth mindset so that they believe that their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Teachers and parents consistently reported that scholars’ participation in the Power Scholars Academy Camp helped them make important gains in these areas. Such a positive impact can be attributed to a culture of high expectations, highquality staff, a small staff to scholar ratio, and an individualized learning environment.

✎ PARENT & TEACHER ENGAGEMENT & SATISFACTION Teachers and parents consistently reported that the Power Scholars Academy Camp 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 Scholar achievement in school and beyond.

PARENT & TEACHER SURVEY RESULTS Parents report: 93%

Scholars are more confident in their abilities

87%

Scholars have a more positive attitude about school

90%

Scholars enjoyed the Power Scholars Camp The Power Scholars Camp helped me become more involved in my child's education

85% 94%

I am highly satisfied with my scholar's experience

92%

I recommend the Power Scholars Camp to other parents

Teachers report: 83%

Scholars have more confidence in themselves

100%

I recommend the Power Scholars Camp to parents

96%

Program staff are diverse and reflect scholar diversity Working with the Power Scholars Camp helped me develop my professional skills

0%

100% 25%

50%

75%

100%

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THE GROWTH MINDSET This summer, program staff and scholars focused on cultivating a growth mindset. In a growth mindset, scholars believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work — brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for short- and long-term achievement.

The Power Scholars Camp’s culture of high expectations, staff modeling, and transforming mistakes into positive learning opportunities are some of the strategies used to strengthen scholars’ growth mindset.

End-of-program surveys suggest that this approach is resonating with scholars, as 88% of parents reported that scholars showed improved abilities to overcome challenges, and 83% of teachers reported that scholars exhibited a growth mindset.

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Resource Sharing & Sustainability

CONTACT US

BELL, local YMCA camp sites, and the Y-USA, provided resources to support the Power Scholars Camp.

YMCA Greater Boston Jacquelin Rudis, JRudis@ymcaboston.org Amy Turner, ATurner@ymcaboston.org (617) 223-1642

These local YMCAs raised funding to pay for direct program expenses. In some cases, community partners also provided in-kind support, with program elements such as field trips, special events, and enrichment activities.

The YMCA of the USA contributed funding from its national Achievement Gap initiative to pay for direct program expenses, such as hiring and training staff, âœŽâ€Ż CONTACT THE POWER SCHOLARS purchasing curriculum and supplies, etc. ACADEMY It also CAMPsupport related to fundraising, provided communication, and youth development resources.

BELL raised philanthropic funding from national sources, including the Wallace Foundation and Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, to cover a portion of program support expenses including staff training, technical assistance, and assessment and evaluation.

Partners expect that strong outcomes will lead to passionate local support for the Power Scholars Camp.

After the first three years of operation, funding raised nationally by BELL and the YMCA of the USA will be replaced by local resources generated by local YMCAs. The two national organizations will continue to provide training, technical support, and assessment & evaluation activities as the program grows.

Power Scholars Camp Association Program Leads

YMCA Grays Harbor April Hekkila, AHekkila@ghymca.net (360) 537-9622 YMCA of Jamestown John Barber, JBarber@jamestownymca.org (716) 664-2802 ext.242 YMCA of Selma Ann Murray, Ann@ymcaofselma.org (334) 505-7002 YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg Danielle Mauck, DMauck@stpeteymca.org (727) 895-9622 ext. 204 YMCA of Superior California Nora Shigemoto, NShigemoto@ymcasuperiorcal.org Tiffany Davidson, TDavidson@ymcasuperiorcal.org (916) 457-9627

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