Summer Learning Research Articles

Using Assessment Metadata to Quantify the Impact of Test Disengagement on Estimates of Educational Effectiveness

Educational stakeholders have long known that students might not be fully engaged when taking an achievement test and that such disengagement could undermine the inferences drawn from observed scores. Thanks to the growing prevalence of computer-based tests and the new forms of metadata they produce, researchers have developed and validated procedures for using item response times to identify responses to items that are likely disengaged. In this study, we examine the impact of two techniques to account for test disengagement—(a) removing unengaged test takers from the sample and (b) adjusting test scores to remove rapidly guessed items—on estimates of school contributions to student growth, achievement gaps, and summer learning loss. Our results indicate that removing disengaged examinees from the sample will likely induce bias in the estimates, although as a whole accounting for disengagement had minimal impact on the metrics we examined. Last, we provide guidance for policy makers and evaluators on how to account for disengagement in their own work and consider the promise and limitations of using achievement test metadata for related purposes.

An Investigation of the Summer Learning Effect on Fourth Grade Students’ Reading Scores

Students’ reading losses during the summer are a concern for schools in the United States. The purpose of this investigation was to examine fourth grade students’ (N = 5,113) reading development over the summer. The results indicated that students in the lowest two quartiles made achievement gains over summer while these same students evidenced limited reading growth throughout the academic year. In contrast, students in the upper two quartiles evidenced reading losses over summer, although evidencing continuous reading growth throughout the school year. The findings support the need for further investigation of the effects of summer on reading achievement.

Hip Hop, empowerment, and therapeutic beat-making: Potential solutions for summer learning loss, depression, and anxiety in youth

ABSTRACTA challenge faced by many students is the loss of academic skills during the summer months. However, less attention is given to social and emotional needs during the summer. Thirty-five middle school students from low-SES homes participated in a summer program designed to improve verbal, academic, and youth development competencies. Three students in the program also participated in an intervention that used Hip Hop and Empowerment (HHE) and Therapeutic Beat Making (TBM) strategies to promote youth development and reduce elevated depressive and anxiety symptoms. Data were collected by questionnaires measuring Empowerment-based Positive Youth Development (EMPYD) indicators of Connection, Confidence, Competence, Caring, Character, Sense of community, and Active and engaged citizenship, plus well-being indicators of depression and anxiety. Results included improvements across all youth development indicators and depression and anxiety symptoms for the intervention participants. Using the Independent Samples Mann-Whitney U Test, a statistically significant decrease (worsening) between Time 1 and Time 2 measures of character were found for the non-intervention group. When comparing the intervention group to the non-intervention group at Time 2, statistically significant differences were found for improvements in character and depression and anxiety symptoms. This study suggests that a well-designed, research-based Hip Hop-integrated strategy may complement summer learning strategies and help improve mental health outcomes for low-income middle school youth. It is necessary to continue research that explores the efficacy of Hip Hop-based mental health interventions, and potential ways to mitigate social and emotional loss alongside academic loss in the summer months.

Examining the impact of a summer learning program on children’s weight status and cardiorespiratory fitness: A natural experiment

This study examined the impact of an existing 7-week summer learning program on children’s weight status and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). MethodsUsing an observational repeated measures within-subjects design, children’s (N = 20 mean age = 6.35; 45% female; 80% African American) height, weight, and CRF (i.e., Fitnessgram PACER), were measured during the first and final week of the seven week program. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables. Median regression analysis examined estimated the differences in BMI zscore, overweight and obesity prevalence, and CRF during the first week (baseline) compared to the final week (outcome). ResultsOf those enrolled initially in the program, 77% attended for more than 4 weeks. When controlling for attendance and sex, no statistically significant changes were observed for, median zBMI (pre: 0.12, post: 0.11) or CRF (pre: 10, post: 13.5 PACER laps). All children except for one maintained the same weight status (e.g. normal weight, overweight) from baseline to outcome. A total of 12 participants increased or maintained the number of PACER laps completed, while 8 participants’ PACER laps decreased. ConclusionThe results of this natural experiment provides preliminary evidence that participation in a structured summer program can potentially mitigate unhealthy weight gains and fitness loss over the summer for some children. Future studies with larger more representative samples are needed to establish the impact of structured summer programming on children’s CRF and weight status.

Pervasiveness and Magnitude of Summer Learning Loss

Pervasiveness and Magnitude of Summer Learning Loss

An intervention study to prevent ‘summer reading loss’ in a socioeconomically disadvantaged area with second language learners

Summer reading loss is a documented reality for many students. Research has established differences in the contribution of summer reading activity between children from families with different economic status. In this study, 120 students in Grade 2 and 115 students in Grade 3 from a socioeconomically vulnerable area participated in a summer reading intervention. In addition, a control group from the same schools comprised of 106 students from Grade 2 and 94 students from Grade 3. Almost 90% of the participating students did not have Swedish as their native language. The participants were tested on reading skills, including word decoding, nonsense-word reading, word comprehension and reading comprehension, before and after the summer vacation. The intervention was planned together with teachers from three participant schools and leisure centers. Before the summer holiday the schools arranged reading weeks and library visits. The students were encouraged to read at home during the vacation and record the number of books read on a digital platform. The results showed that the largest effect sizes between groups (intervention and control) were observed for word decoding in Grade 2 and word comprehension in Grade 3 where the intervention group improved more than the control group. If summer learning loss can be avoided or limited, the treatment can be considered worth implementing.

Students\u2019 perceptions of STEM learning after participating in a summer informal learning experience

BackgroundInformal learning environments increase students’ interest in STEM (e.g., Mohr‐Schroeder et al. School Sci Math 114: 291–301, 2014) and increase the chances a student will pursue a STEM career (Kitchen et al. Sci Educ 102: 529–547, 2018). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an informal STEM summer learning experience on student participants, to gain in-depth perspectives about how they felt this experience prepared them for their in-school mathematics and science classes as well as how it influenced their perception of STEM learning. Students’ attitudes and perceptions toward STEM are affected by their motivation, experience, and self-efficacy (Brown et al. J STEM Educ Innov Res 17: 27, 2016). The academic and social experiences students’ have are also important. Traditionally, formal learning is taught in a solitary form (Martin Science Education 88: S71–S82, 2004), while, informal learning is brimming with chances to connect and intermingle with peers (Denson et al. J STEM Educ: Innovations and Research 16: 11, 2015).ResultsWe used a naturalistic inquiry, phenomenological approach to examine students’ perceptions of STEM while participating in a summer informal learning experience. Data came from students at the summer informal STEM learning experiences at three diverse institutions across the USA. Data were collected from reflection forms and interviews which were designed to explore students’ “lived experiences” (Van Manen 1990, p. 9) and how those experiences influenced their STEM learning. As we used a situative lens to examine the research question of how participation in an informal learning environment influences students’ perceptions of STEM learning, three prominent themes emerged from the data. The informal learning environment (a) provided context and purpose to formal learning, (b) provided students opportunity and access, and (c) extended STEM content learning and student engagement.ConclusionsBy using authentic STEM workplaces, the STEM summer learning experience fostered a learning environment that extended and deepened STEM content learning while providing opportunity and access to content, settings, and materials that most middle level students otherwise would not have access to. Students also acknowledged the access they received to hands-on activities in authentic STEM settings and the opportunities they received to interact with STEM professionals were important components of the summer informal learning experience.

A case for culturally relevant science education in the summer for African American youth

This article focuses on the impact of culturally relevant teaching and learning during a summer enrichment program for high school students. Culturally relevant science instruction and curriculum helped students to foster a more positive interest in science and STEM careers as it provided students the opportunity to do science in meaningful and relevant ways. Students were able to see themselves represented in the curriculum and recognized their own strengths; as a result, they were more validated and affirmed in and transformed by, their learning. We use this case to warrant increased support for summer learning programs focused on providing African American youth with access to high quality, culturally relevant/responsive science education.

The Impact of a Summer Mathematics Academy on Rising Kindergartners’ Understanding of Early Number Concepts

ABSTRACTThis article examined the impact of a math-intensive summer academy for rising kindergartners (N = 17) enrolled in an elementary school with low socioeconomic populations. The program was designed to support student understanding of early number concepts. The research plan included the administration of the Texas Early Mathematics Inventory: Progress Monitoring (TEMI-PM), the validated assessment instrument that accompanies the research-based curriculum used in the summer academy. Participants showed statistically significant growth in the areas of magnitude comparison, number identification, and total score. Additionally, at the beginning and ending of the next school year, participants outperformed their peers in all areas measured by the TEMI-PM. Findings have implications for early number sense intervention strategies, including addressing summer learning loss.

Learning Landscapes: The Education Spectrum from Camps to Classrooms

Summer camps and school classrooms are intersecting institutions, both complementing the learning lives of young people. Each summer at camp children enjoy recreational, artistic, nature, and adventure programs that can help them acquire important skills that are not always or explicitly taught in the classroom. Campers practice sportsmanship, positive peer relations, social skills, and a sense of belonging. These activities develop the mindsets and noncognitive factors necessary to reduce summer learning loss and increase academic achievement when campers once again return to school as students in the fall. Including summer camps as a landscape on the education spectrum is essential to shaping more appropriate versions of teaching and learning—versions open to embracing and valuing all settings and the links that exist between these spaces.

Book Review: Summer Matters: Making All Learning Count

With the help of the Museum of Science and Industry, the Chicago Public Library now offers young patrons the opportunity to participate in an innovative summer program called Rahm’s Readers Summer Learning Challenge. The program uses the principles of STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and design thinking to encourage the development of twenty-first-century skills. In Summer Matters: Making All Learning Count, Elizabeth M. McChesney of the Chicago Public Library and Bryan W. Wunar of the Museum of Science and Industry explain why and how they created their Summer Learning Challenge, and how readers can implement similar programs at their libraries.

An Intervention Change-Up:Investing in Teacher Expertise to Transform Student Learning

Too often, the summer learning imposed on students and teachers tends to be an abandonment of our goals, values, and beliefs in English language arts instruction. The authors propose authentic reading and writing experiences instead, meeting the learning needs of students and teachers simultaneously.

Is ‘summer’ reading loss universal? Using ongoing literacy assessment in Malawi to estimate the loss from grade-transition breaks

Summer learning loss – decreased academic performance following an extended school break, typically during the period after one grade ends and before another grade starts – is a well-documented phenomenon in North America, but poorly described in sub-Saharan African contexts. In this article, we use the term ‘grade-transition break’ loss in lieu of ‘summer’ loss to refer to the period after one grade ends and before another grade starts. This study analyses data from early grade reading assessments in Malawi, estimating statistically significant average reductions of 0.38 standard deviations (SD) across several measures of reading and pre-reading skills during two grade-transition breaks. The data show the loss in reading skills during the extended breaks between grades 1 and 2 and between grades 2 and 3 in two consecutive years. The study found no gender-based differences in loss. The findings suggest a need for early grade reading interventions to develop and evaluate mitigation strategies lest significant proportions of within-year performance gains be lost over the break between academic years.

Early Opportunities to Strengthen Academic Readiness: Effects of Summer Learning on Mathematics Achievement

Students who come from low-income backgrounds tend to be underidentified and underserved in gifted education. Early interventions with learners of high potential from underserved groups, including exposure to challenging curriculum and summer opportunities, are important for nurturing these students’ talents and preparing them for advanced learning opportunities in later school years. Project SPARK, based on the Young Scholars model, focuses on recognizing and responding to high-potential learners from underserved populations in the early grades. In this study, we examined the effects on mathematics achievement of participation in a summer program as part of Project SPARK in schools with substantial populations of students in poverty, as demonstrated by percentage of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. We examined summer program effects on achievement for the sample overall and specifically for students from low-income backgrounds. Students who participated in the summer program made moderately larger mathematics achievement gains than students who did not participate, with Cohen’s d-type effect sizes of 0.92. Students who qualified for free or reduced lunch saw similar gains over the summer if they participated in the summer program, indicating that the summer program experience was supportive for students across a range of income backgrounds.

Can Schools Enable Parents to Prevent Summer Learning Loss? A Text-Messaging Field Experiment to Promote Literacy Skills

The vast differences in summer learning activities among children present a substantial challenge to providing equal educational opportunity in the United States. Most initiatives aimed at reversing summer learning loss focus on school- or center-based programs. This study explores the potential of enabling parents to provide literacy development opportunities at home as a low-cost alternative. We conduct a randomized field trial of a summer text-messaging pilot program for parents focused on promoting literacy skills among first through fourth graders. We find positive effects on reading comprehension among third and fourth graders, with effect sizes of .21 to .29 standard deviations, but no effects for first and second graders. Texts also increased attendance at parent-teacher conferences but not at other school-related activities. Evidence to inform future efforts to reverse summer learning loss is provided by parents’ responses to a follow-up survey.

A summer of distinction: Exploring the construction of educational advantage outside the academic year

ABSTRACTSociologists of elite education have argued that understanding educational inequality requires looking beyond persistent class- or race-based gaps in academic achievement at the ways in which privileged youth and families construct their advantages. Meanwhile, scholars focused on summer learning have argued that understanding educational achievement requires looking into what happens to youth learning during the summer months. This paper brings these two literatures into contact, calling for inquiry into the multifaceted ways in which educational advantage is constructed during summer. As an initial contribution to this line of inquiry, I present findings from an ethnographic case study of a six-week summer enrichment program at an elite US boarding school. Focusing on daily routines and the language through which participants articulated the value of the program, I apply several established notions about “elite” schools and educational advantage to the time-space of summer. I then turn to features of Summer Session that suggest unique affordances of a summer program being unlike school, elite or otherwise. This balance – of a summer experience being advantageous when it is both like and unlike school in particular ways – is one of many possible contributions from bringing the sociology of elite education together more fully with out-of-school time research.

Investigation of Summer Learning Loss in the UK-Implications for Holiday Club Provision.

This study sought to examine whether summer learning loss occurs in spelling and word reading in a population of 77 primary school aged children aged between 5 and 10 years (37 boys, mean age 100 months, SD 18 months, and 40 girls mean age 103 months, SD 16 months) attending three schools in areas of low socioeconomic status in Scotland and the North East of England. Word reading and spelling was measured using the word reading and spelling subtests of the Wide Ranging Achievement Test. Participants were tested on three occassions: immediately before and immediately after a 7-week summer break, and again after 7-weeks of teaching. The results showed a significant main effect of time for spelling scores, F(2,136) = 21.60, p < 0.001, . Post-hoc analysis [t(73) = 4.84, p ≤ 0.001] showed that spelling scores were significantly higher at the end of the summer term (M = 26.57) than at the start of the new academic year (M = 25.38). Likewise, spelling scores after 7 weeks post return to school (M = 27.61) were significantly higher than at the start of the Autumn term, t(73) = 7.79, p ≤ 0.001. Performance in spelling declined when children returned to school immediately after the summer holiday (M = 25.38) but 7 weeks later, performance had improved beyond the baseline reported immediately before the summer break (M = 26.57) [t(73) = 4.40, p ≤ 0.001]. There was also a main effect of school in relation to spelling scores, [F(2,68) = 6.49, p < 0.05, ], with children from school 2 and school 3 outperforming children from school 1. There was no signficant main effect of gender [F(1,68) = 1.47, p > 0.05, ]. None of the interactions were significant. There was no main effect of time on word reading scores [F(2,136) = 1.12, p ≥ 0.05, ]. However, there was a main effect of school [F(2,68) = 4.85, p ≤ 0.01, ] in relation to reading scores, with children from school 2 and school 3 outperforming children from school 1. There was no significant main effect of gender [F(1,68) = 0.37, p ≥ 0.05, ]. None of the interactions were significant. This is the first such study in the UK to demonstrate that after a summer break of seven weeks, summer learning loss occurred, or at least stagnation in learning, in a population of primary school aged children attending schools in areas of low SES in relation to spelling. However, after seven weeks of teaching, children caught up to and exceeded the level achieved in spelling prior to the summer break. However, the summer holiday period did not result in a loss of word reading skill, reading scores were consistent across the entire study.

From the Editors

From the Editors

Are Schools (Still) a Great Equalizer? Replicating a Summer Learning Study Using Better Test Scores and a New Cohort of Children

When do children become unequal in reading and math skills? Some research claims that inequality grows mainly before school begins. Some research claims that schools cause inequality to grow. And some research—including the 2004 study “Are Schools the Great Equalizer?”—claims that inequality grows mainly during summer vacations. Unfortunately, the test scores used in the Great Equalizer study suffered from a measurement artifact which exaggerated estimates of inequality growth. In addition, the Great Equalizer study is dated and its participants are no longer school-aged. In this article, we replicate the Great Equalizer study using better test scores in both the original data and in a newer cohort of children. When we use the new test scores, we find that variance is substantial at the start of kindergarten, and does not grow, but actually shrinks, over the next two to three years. This finding, which was not evident in the original Great Equalizer study, implicates the years before kindergarten as the primary source of inequality in elementary reading and math. Total score variance grows during most summers and shrinks during most school years, suggesting that schools reduce inequality overall. Changes in inequality are small after kindergarten and do not replicate consistently across grades, subjects, or cohorts. That said, socioeconomic gaps tend to shrink during the school year and grow during the summer, while the black-white gap tends to follow the opposite pattern.

Summer learning experience for girls in grades 7--9 boosts confidence and interest in computing careers

Academic exposure to computer science, encouragement to study computer science, and connecting personal interests to computing areas influence women to pursue degrees in computer science. Guided by...