Description:

The Summer UP program, in the second year of implementation, provided expanded learning opportunities for MCPS students in select MCPS focus schools. The program aimed aimed to improve academic achievement while providing access to a variety of engaging enrichment activities in the areas of STEM, the arts, computer science, and mindfulness. 

The purpose of this evaluation was to provide information for future program planning through stakeholder surveys and statistical analysis of academic achievement using a matched-comparison group design. 

Recommendations:

• Continue to provide the Summer UP opportunity for rising Grades 3–5 students at MCPS focus schools.  Parents indicated Summer UP provided their children with opportunities they would not otherwise have.  In addition, students, staff and parents all reported high engagement in the types of academic, enrichment and field trip activities the program provided; all characteristics of quality summer program (Augustine, 2014).
• Consider expanding the program to five weeks.  Research suggests that the intensity and duration of instruction can impact student outcomes and recommends three hours a day, five days per week, for five to six weeks to observe an impact (Augustine, 2016; Maina, 2019; Davila and Modarresi, 2019).
• Engage with MCPS curriculum experts to ensure the Summer UP instructional program aligns with the district’s curriculum and fits within the instructional time of the summer program (Schwartz, 2018).
• Provide staff with sufficient professional development and/ or time to familiarize themselves with the summer curriculum they were hired to teach (Schwartz, 2018).

File Name: Summer UP_Elementary_Highlights and Report.pdf (1.2MB PDF)