2. Our Vision is for All
Children to Excel
• MISSION:
Transform the academic achievements, self-
confidence, and life trajectories of children living in
under-resourced communities.
• APPROACH:
BELL partners with schools and community
organizations to combine resources and leverages
time in the summer and after school to improve
student achievement.
15
School Partners
3,500
Scholars Served (2015)
3. Summer Learning Loss
66%
of the academic achievement gap between
disadvantaged students and their higher-income
peers in 8th grade can be traced to unequal
access to summer learning
opportunities.
+1 Month
Middle-Income Students Gain
Academic Skills in the Summer
-2 Months
Disadvantaged Students Lose
Academic Skills in the Summer
Reading Achievement, Middle - Income Student
Reading Achievement, Disadvantaged Student
Source: National Summer Learning Association
5. Why Measure?
Short term impact on student’s basic math and
literacy skills
Effectiveness of curriculum
Effectiveness of teachers and program staff
Engagement of parents/guardians and students with
learning
What students like and don't like
How to improve
6. Assessment & Evaluation
QUANTITATIVE TOOLS
STAR Enterprise Assessments
Scholar Management System
(Salesforce.com)
Independent Evidence
QUALITATIVE TOOLS
Parent Survey
Teacher Survey
Quality Monitoring System
A rigorous, independent evaluation
of BELL Summer found strong
evidence that the program increases
scholars’ academic skills and
parental engagement.
7. Challenges:
Measuring Success of Playable Technology Program
1. How to test students
for improvement in
specific curricular
concepts? For
example, problem
solving or
implementing
hypothesis.
2. How to gauge
student’s engagement
with STEM enrichment
program?
8. Solutions:
• CONTROL GROUP COMPARISON
• ENHANCE CURRENT MEASURING
TOOLS
• ARRANGE CIRRICULUM GOALS
AROUND PRE-DETERMINED
CONCEPTS
9. Sample Updated Survey:
1. HowmuchdidyouenjoythePlayableTechenrichmentclass? Not at all Alittlebit Some Quitea bit
Atremendous
amount
2. Howmuchdidyoulearnabout buildingwearableinterfacesthis
summer?
Almost
Nothing
Alittlebit Some Quitea bit
Atremendous
amount
3. Didyoufindtheplayabletechcourseeasyordifficult? Veryeasy
Somewhat
easy
Both easy
and difficult
Somewhat
difficult
Verydifficult
Think about each sentenceand put an Xin theboxthat matcheshowyou feel about it. Yes Maybe No
4. Wouldyoutakeanotherclassinvolvingcoding?
5. Wouldyoutellyourfriendstotakea classonwearabletechnology?
6. Wouldyouwanttodocodingasa jobwhenyougrowup?
7. WhatwasyourfavoritepartaboutthePlayableTechnologyclass? __________________________________________________
8. Whataresomeprojectsyouworkedonduringthe PlayableTechnologyclass? __________________________________________________
10. Enhanced Curriculum :
The Scientific Method
We plan to adapt the
curriculum to reflect the
scientific method. The scientific
method provides clear
guidelines for instructors to
gauge student comprehension
of basic curricular concepts
that are not captured through
the STAR assessment tool.
When not engaged in structured learning activities in the summer, children from low-income families experience summer learning loss of 2 months’ grade-equivalent reading and math skills.
Only 25% of students attend summer learning programs, and in many urban communities as few as 5% of at-risk students attend.
Summer learning losses over time account for 66% of the academic achievement gap by the time a student completes the 8th grade.
Summer learning is also directly linked to whether students attend college preparatory classes, graduate high school on time, and attend four-year colleges.
1. BELL measures total outcomes in math and literacy calculated in months gained and overall levels of interest in the BELL program
2. Therefore, data is not collected on any specific program
3. Leaving us unable to understand the effectiveness of any particular program enhancement’s specific curricular concepts
4. For example, the playable technology program helped students design and implement wearable tech and intentionally utilized a cross section of subject areas and concepts - examples: problem solving and hypothesis implementation
