Description:

Extended Learning Opportunities—Summer Title I Enrichment Program (ELO-STEP) in Montgomery County Public Schools is a new initiative that was first offered in summer of 2015 as an equity strategy to incoming above average Grade 3 Title I students. This report presents the evaluation findings associated with the Year One implementation of the program. The formative evaluation revealed that almost all ELO-STEP students believed that their math and science teachers made those subjects interesting. Teachers communicated that ELO-STEP: a) had a well-designed curriculum, b) encompassed an instructional content that supported students' learning, and c) helped students engage in enriched & accelerated academic work. Parents conveyed that their child enjoyed the learning experience, liked the teachers, and will participate in enrichment opportunities in the future.

The outcome analyses found that ELO-STEP reinforced the academic achievement of students impacted by poverty. In mathematics, the benefits of the program were evident for all of the four comparisons made, suggesting its effectiveness in improving performance of all students, Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, and students receiving FARMS beyond that observed in similar peers. In reading, parallel analyses found a benefit for two of four comparisons made, indicating that ELO STEP positively impacted the reading performance of Hispanic/Latino and those students receiving FARMS.

File Name: Nov 2016 Eval ELO-STEP dh.pdf (300.4KB PDF)