Agenda Item
a. National Summer School Initiative 2023 – Scholars Academy (in an amount not to exceed $828,000)
Summary: Ms. Stacy Stepney, Chief Academic Officer
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education approve the National Summer School Initiative (NSSI) agreement to provide professional development, curriculum, coaching support, and leadership training that will support grades 3-8 students, teachers and leaders for Scholars Academy not to exceed $828,000.
Why: The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is focused on providing continuous and differentiated support for students during the summer to positively impact student achievement. The National Summer School Initiative will provide engaging, standards-based instruction in English Language Arts (ELA) and math. The curriculum is discourse-based and culturally responsive with learning experiences to address social, emotional learning.
Details: The Division of Curriculum and Instruction will partner with the National Summer School Initiative (NSSI) to provide a four-week summer session for students. A three (3)-day teacher institute will be held to train teachers on the curriculum, pedagogy, and high-impact teaching methods. Additionally, twice a week, teachers will participate in weekly coaching sessions led by their NSSI mentor teacher. Each weekly coaching session focuses on two essential levels of great instruction: intellectual preparation and student work analysis. Twice a week, by video conference, mentor teachers will provide professional development in exactly what and how to provide instruction for the upcoming instructional week.
The deliverables based on the agreement include:
• Curriculum for grades 3-8 ELA and math (print and digital)
Scope and Sequence
Lesson Overview
Mentor Teacher Videos for classroom instruction
Examples of exemplary student work in the lesson
• Leader Institute (1½ days)
• Teacher Institute (3 days)
• Mentor Teacher Coaching Sessions (8 sessions - 2 sessions each week for 4 weeks)
Financial impact: The financial impact is contingent upon the number of students who enroll in Scholars Academy. The anticipated cost is an amount not to exceed $828,000.00.
(General Funds) 100.1000.530000.64011.7480.9990.8010.035.0000
Contact: Ms. Stacy E. Stepney, Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum and Instruction, 678.676.0731
Dr. Lenisera Barnes-Bodison, Executive Director, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, 678.676.0166
Dr. Kimberlynn Weston, Director, Department of PreK-12 Curriculum and Instruction, 678.676.0144
Effective: Upon Board of Education approval to July 31, 2023.
Status: Approved by General Counsel (Hall Booth Smith, P.C.)
Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs
Scholars Academy
Summer School Feedback
June 19 through July 20, 2022
Survey conducted by National Summer School Initiative (NSSI)
General Parent Comments
• Overwhelmingly agreed that the district’s summer school program
prepares students for the next grade level.
• Believe that the summer school program will help their child avoid
academic difficulties in the coming school year and will give them an extra
boost of confidence to perform better in school, particularly in math and
reading.
• Felt that the summer school program supports their child’s social and
emotional needs by offering a safe, creative, and fun place to meet new
peers.
• Some noted that the class sizes are appropriate, while others would like to
see smaller class sizes to improve teacher-student interaction.
General Parent Suggestions for Improvement
• Improved transportation routing and scheduling
• Have students participate in field trips during camps
• Increase the amount of STEM activities
• Increase learning times or offer extend program timeframe
General Teacher Comments
• NSSI is simple to use because it provides a good structure and narrative for
teachers to follow when implementing instruction.
• Found the NSSI instructional videos quite beneficial and supportive of the
curriculum.
• Close reading and novel studies were well-liked by teachers.
• NSSI teaching videos, curriculum, and professional development does not
adequately address the needs of all learners, especially those below grade
level.
• NSSI curriculum emphasizes critical thinking and problem
solving/reasoning skills; some students may struggle with the material and
become frustrated.
Many comments noted that materials were not received in a timely manner, resulting in negative feedback.
General Student Comments
• Increasing reading and math proficiency was cited as the best aspect
of summer school by a large majority of students.
• Felt that taking part in the summer school program had improved
their reading and math skills.
• Teachers were highly regarded by students, who described them as
fun, caring, and engaging.
• Although students may feel less confident when presented with
difficult math tasks in math class, students expressed greater
confidence in their reading and writing abilities.