- NJASA
- Partnership Corner Dec 2022
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NJASA’s Premier Crown Jewel Partner
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3 Ways to Raise Student Achievement This Summer
With winter break around the corner, summer planning probably isn’t at the top of your priority list. But as every educator knows, summer is a crucial time for maintaining your students’ academic growth. So as you get ready for a well-deserved break, we wanted to share 3 things you can do right now to prepare for a summer of student growth and achievement.
As the proud Crown Jewel partner of NJASA, Scholastic Education Solutions offers a wealth of programs to support your district literacy goals now and throughout the summer.
Engage Families Early and Often
Research shows that effective family engagement can have a profound impact on student achievement—from increased attendance to better test scores. And the summer months are no exception. In fact, the latest Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report found that 94% of parents agree that reading books over the summer will help their children during the school year.
That makes families your most important academic ally during the summer months. By engaging them throughout the school year, you can help them turn reading into an essential part of their weekly (and even daily) routines.
Here are just a few ways to engage families during the school year with a little help from Scholastic Education Solutions:
• Build personal at-home libraries with high-quality, low-cost books that are culturally responsive and encourage all families to read and learn together.
• Empower educators and families to work together by holding a Scholastic family literacy event or workshop.
• Mobilize your community with a mentorship program that pairs young readers with caring adults for even greater literacy achievement.
Evaluate Your Summer Learning Materials
If you’ve made any changes to your curriculum recently, it may be time to assess the efficacy of your summer learning materials. Summer programs should be a natural extension of classroom learning and reinforce the skills students are building during the year. Here are a few important questions to ask yourself as you review your summer learning resources.
• Is this resource evidence based? What is the evidence for its efficacy?
• Does this program provide the explicit instruction students need to master foundational skills such as phonological awareness and decoding?
• Does this program prioritize social and emotional development?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, Scholastic Education Solutions can help.
Scholastic Scholar Zone Powered by BellXcel Summer provides evidence-based ELA and math instruction for PreK–8 summer programs. LitCamp is another great resource that combines literacy and social-emotional learning in a fun summer-camp-themed program.
Prioritize and Promote Independent Reading
For many students, independent reading is the core of their summer learning experience. Spending instructional time now to develop the skills they need to decode and comprehend what they’re reading will prepare them to take ownership of and pride in their summer reading. Here are some independent learning resources you can use right now and throughout the summer:
• Build the background knowledge students need to unlock the meaning of texts with informational resources like Scholastic Magazines+.
• Encourage students to discover new books while tracking progress and monitoring success with Literacy Pro, the blended reading management tool for Grades K–8.
• Engage students with culturally responsive books like those found in the Rising Voices Library. Remember, more representation means more motivation!
Let’s Make a Summer Learning Plan Together
You and your staff work hard to raise student performance all school year long. Maintaining those achievements throughout the summer is one of the most important ways to ensure students are ready for the next grade. As one of NJASA’s premier Crown Jewel partners, we can’t wait to work with you to keep the learning going all summer long.Your Local Scholastic Partners:
Central and Southern New Jersey
Julie Guadalupe Barbella
Education Solutions
908- 202-8784
Northern New Jersey
Ardelio Valdes
Senior Account Executive, Northern New Jersey
Scholastic Education
347-517-2178