Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Recommendations for Summer Learning
Consider how the focus for summer learning could shift in response to COVID-19 circumstances:
Objectives of Traditional Summer Learning:
- Intervention and remediation
- Credit recovery
- Prevention of regression
- Provide English Language Learners (ELLs) with supports to address any English language development instruction
- Provide Extended School Year services in compliance with Individual Education Plans
Enhanced Summer Learning Beyond Traditional Objectives:
- Focus on grade-level content and instructional rigor to maximize learning acceleration
- Frontload the next school year’s learning to give students a jumpstart to the 2021-2022 school year
- Implement high-dosage tutoring aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) to accelerate learning
- Focus on depth of instruction rather than the pace; prioritize the content and the learning
- Ensure the inclusion of all learners, when and where possible
- Identify and address specific gaps in learning through instruction, rather than grouping students with similar ability
- Maintain social and emotional connections and academic opportunities for students, particularly at-risk students
- Focus on the commonalities students share during this time, not just their differences
- Utilize funds from the Mental Health Services and Supports grant for additional counseling services during summer programs
- Implement Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) teams that focus on the most vulnerable students
- Utilize ESSER funds to develop the content of summer programs by hiring and training staff or providing transportation to students as needed
- Provide English Language Learners (ELLs) with supports to address any English language development instruction
Objectives of Traditional Summer School
- Students who are furthest behind
- Secondary students who need to meet promotion requirements or complete graduation credit(s)
- Students with disabilities who experience significant regression
- English language learners (ELL)
- Students experiencing homelessness, particularly those who have experienced moves or have been chronically absent
Enhance Summer Learning Beyond Traditional Objectives
- Students who are at risk socially or emotionally and need connections with peers and adults
- Students who are furthest behind academically in one or more subjects, based on internal assessment and state requirements, including secondary students who need to meet promotion requirements or complete graduation credit(s)
- Students with disabilities who experience significant academic regression
- Students experiencing homelessness, particularly those who have experienced moves or have previously been chronically absent
- Students who need ongoing academic enrichment
- Early learners who have not yet mastered foundational reading skills
- Students who have had poor attendance since spring 2020
Objectives of Traditional Summer School
- Written communication to keep family members informed of student progress
Enhance Summer Learning Beyond Traditional Objectives
- Regularly communicate with families in ways that have proven successful (e.g., email, phone call, text, mail, social media, etc.). Be mindful of the needs of your school community and develop methods for communicating in multiple languages with consideration of literacy levels and less frequently spoken languages
- Assist families with supporting student use of online platforms and devices
- Assist families with supporting student learning
- Conduct regular check-ins to support students and online parent/family meetings
- Utilize ESSER funds to provide training programs for parents and care givers regarding ways a student’s family can help support the development of a growth mindset
Objectives of Traditional Summer School
- Assessment for evaluation or summative purposes
- Frequent assessment to inform grading
- Progress monitoring to measure response to interventions
Enhance Summer Learning Beyond Traditional Objectives
- Establish competencies for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, aligned to prerequisite concepts and skills for the upcoming grade
- Capture and analyze qualitative information about a student’s progress with particular skill sets rather than using traditional grade measures; provide professional development for staff on such uses of qualitative information
- Emphasize low-stakes formative assessment of mathematics and ELA competencies aligned to focused work of prior and upcoming grades, except in necessary cases for credit recovery purposes
- Monitor progress to measure response to intervention
- Utilize funds from the Learning Acceleration Grant to provide professional development to staff on how to design or enhance formative assessments to inform instruction
Objectives of Traditional Summer School
- One day in advance of summer school opening for classroom set up
- Limited professional learning opportunities designed to enhance summer school programming
Enhance Summer Learning Beyond Traditional Objectives
- Grade- and curriculum-specific training in instructional design in conjunction with formative assessment and accelerated learning strategies
- Regular common planning time for grade-alike Include ELL/bilingual, special education, and intervention teachers to plan differentiated lessons that address academics and social emotional learning
- Regular faculty meetings to ensure staff wellness and opportunities for problem-solving
- Engagement of clinical interns (e.g., student teachers) whose clinical practice or experience was interrupted in the spring or novice teachers who are starting in the fall
- Utilize ESSER funds to provide professional development for educators focused on how to use extended learning time through summer programs to support student learning
Objectives of Traditional Summer School
- One-on-one or small group instruction is traditionally not included
- Students are grouped according to general academic ability and not specific to identified learning gaps
- A strong focus on remediating gaps existing from the past year’s or previous grade-level's content
- Academic enrichment is not prioritized as much as remediation; higher-performing students are often excluded from summer programming
- Programs are not designed to align with associated school year activities or experiences for continuity of learning
Enhance Summer Learning Beyond Traditional Objectives
- High-dosage tutoring is recommended in tandem with identification of learning gaps within NJSLS-aligned curriculum for the most vulnerable students
- Students receive individual or small group supports to address gaps needed to attend to content of summer coursework
- Summer Bridge/Summer Learning Acceleration Academies develop foundational content knowledge and skills to accelerate learning in advanced coursework in the next school year
- Planning for additional extended day learning and/or afterschool during the school year is coordinated with the content of summer programs to ensure continuity of learning
- ESSER and Learning Acceleration funding can be used to leverage the planning and delivery of these components