At the end of this school year, Bethlehem Area School District officials saw fewer students hit their end-of-the-year reading goals compared with previous years.
It was a big loss for the district, which had set a goal six years ago of having 90% of third graders reading on grade level at the end of this school year. Instead, 63% of third graders were reading on level.
In the middle of last school year, before the pandemic, 78% of second graders were reading at level. But then the pandemic happened, and students had to deal with a mixture of remote lessons and then hybrid learning that could pivot to virtual at any moment.
Across the board, the district saw fewer students reading on grade level at the end of the year than in previous years.
It’s situations like that why Lehigh Valley districts, including Bethlehem, are ramping up their summer programs this year. Whether they’re hiring additional staff for summer school or adding programs, district officials are hoping to help students make up for any skills they lost while they switched between hybrid, remote and in-person learning, and to reengage kids, some of whom haven’t been to school in more than a year.
In a normal year, the “summer slide” can leave children with two or three months of learning loss, said Akshara Vivekananthan, assistant director of education at the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.
A McKinsey & Co. study from December estimated students were experiencing a COVID slide, losing on average five to nine months of learning by the end of the school year. Vivekananthan expects some Lehigh Valley students to be in that range, although the supporting data hasn’t come in yet.
A Morning Call investigation into the percentage of students failing two or more classes in fall 2020 compared with fall 2019 found increases across the board, regardless of a school district’s instructional model. Increases ranged from 1-2 percentage points in a few districts to much more — 33 points — in Wilson Area High School. About half the Lehigh Valley’s middle and high schools saw the percentage of students failing two or more classes at least double in the fall.
Bethlehem expanded its summer programs to all of its 16 elementary schools and the four middle schools. Typically, the district’s programs would only be at six to eight of the elementary schools and two of the middle schools. The program will run in two phases this year to target students’ social and academic needs.
The first phase will be camp-like, focusing on interactive activities and group work. The second phase is an academic-focused “Ramp Up” program for elementary and middle school students based on need.
The Ramp Up program began last summer consisting of one week of lessons but will now be two weeks long. Bethlehem Superintendent Joseph Roy said the program will have a very low student-teacher ratio, and focus on literacy and math.
Multiple districts’ summer programs are invitation-based to reach students identified in class as needing the extra time to get back on track.
Northampton added three summer sessions for all students compared with previous summers, which only offered an extended school year for special education students and summer school to make up lost credits.
Northwestern Lehigh added four summer programs for elementary school students and four for middle school students, each partnering with different organizations such as Penn State-Lehigh Valley and the Da Vinci Science Center. Before the pandemic, summer education was only offered for special education students and course remediation.
This summer, district officials are trying their best to reach students after a challenging year.
“The main thing we’re hearing about this summer is we need to use it as an opportunity to welcome back our students and get them prepared for what is a new model,” Vivekananthan said. “The core of that is, yes, let’s learn, but let’s also play and heal.”
When it comes to summer programming, districts are largely using federal pandemic funds to pay for extra classes.
Students aren’t the only ones who missed the daily routine of a school environment.
“What I miss the most as a teacher, and I think what my kids missed the most, is just that group interaction,” said Laura Meyers, a third grade teacher at the Northampton Area School District’s Lehigh Elementary.
She jumped at the chance to teach students through the district’s Summer Bridge program, which for third graders has an “Around the World” theme and incorporates activities as they “travel” from country to country. The 8- and 9-year-olds will be in the classroom, but stamping passports more than even the busiest vacationers.
The curriculum is project-based and has been developed throughout the past month, she said. The summer programs will be heavily in-person. Northampton is still offering a remote option but the majority have chosen to learn in person.
It’s not the only district looking outside the box for post-pandemic programming.
This summer, Allentown School District high school students can choose from dozens of new enrichment camp programs that range from exploring culture through cuisine, learning about mysteries in history, getting a head start on college applications, introducing them to personal finance or doing glass etching.
In Allentown, a mix of programs can help students recover course credits or just offer a fun summer experience. The district is offering dozens of camps that range from AP boot camp, which the district has offered every year, to new camps geared toward practical skills, academic skills or fun.
“It’s been a hard [15] months of students not being in school and I think summer learning is the opportunity to bridge that gap between not being in school and really reengaging students in learning and getting them back in the habit of being in school and being in front of the teacher and just reengaging them all together in what school is and that learning is fun,” said Brandy Sawyer, the Allentown School District executive director of secondary and alternative education.
Parkland School District, which offers summer school for students in grades six to 12, normally hires one teacher per subject area. But this year it hired two, thinking that even if there weren’t more students in the program, they could be in smaller groups, Assistant Superintendent Rod Troutman said.
The summer school is being taught remotely. Troutman said that allows it to reach more students, who don’t always have reliable summer transportation, and to fit the additional help into their schedules. He said if students wants to come to school to meet their teacher, they can.
Northampton Superintendent Joe Kovalchik said teachers are coming up with the curriculum in the summer sessions, and it will be like attending school without grades. But to the dismay of many students who are ready for the beach and long break from the classroom, there will still be homework.
The added programs are separate from summer school, which runs regularly over the summer and allows students to receive credit for failed classes.
“I’m not saying that kids are going to be 100% back on target in regards to the academics but it’s definitely going to help them for next year,” Kovalchik said.
