Research brief
Effective summer programs: Practical guidance for district leaders
June 2024
By: Miles Davison, Jazmin Isaacs, Sofia Postell, Michael Gaddis, PhD, Ayesha K. Hashim, Susan Kowalski, Karyn Lewis

Description
This report dives into the research on summer programs, their implementation and design, as well as the efficacy of those programs for literacy, math, and social-emotional learning (SEL) outcomes. It also provides recommendations for district leaders to use as a framework for planning and implementing effective summer programming.
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The report documents the process NWEA followed to determine and validate the cut scores for fall, winter, and spring that can be used to identify students in Grades Kā8 who have severe learning difficulties and need intensive intervention in reading and mathematics.
An added memorandum presents the updated threshold scores by grades and terms for MAP Growth Mathematics and Reading.
By: Wei He, Patrick Meyer
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: Guidance


Severe weather events are no longer isolated anomalies. They are becoming a regular part of the school year in communities across the country. This brief highlights how severe weather events can cause deep and lasting disruptions to student learning and well-being, often in ways that far exceed the immediate days schools are closed. It also makes clear that while some communities are disproportionately at risk, no school is immune.
By: Megan Kuhfeld, Jim Soland, Sofia Postell


Family engagement as a long-term strategy for continued COVID recovery
This NWEA research report emphasizes the vital role of family engagement in helping students recover academically from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report synthesizes current research on family engagement, examines the effectiveness of current strategies, identifies common barriers, and offers guidance for how districts can communicate more effectively with families about student progress.
By: Ayesha K. Hashim, Rebecca Johnson, Rachel Perera
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth, Guidance


Boys regain the advantage in middle school STEM skills: Post-COVID trends in gender achievement gaps
The research study used a robust set of data from three national assessments to examine trends in gender gaps in 8th grade STEM skills over the course of the pandemic.
By: Megan Kuhfeld, Karyn Lewis, Gustave Robinson
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth, Math & STEM


This is the accompanying technical appendix to the research study, āBoys regain the advantage in middle school STEM skills: Post-COVID trends in gender achievement gaps,ā leveraging data from three national assessments, as well as enrollment in Algebra, to examine trends in gender gaps in 8th grade STEM skills over the course of the pandemic.
By: Megan Kuhfeld, Karyn Lewis, Gustave Robinson
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth, Math & STEM


Integrating Literacy and Science: A Powerful Partnership for Student Success
This research brief explores the connection between science and literacy instruction documenting the benefits of integrated science and literacy instruction at the elementary level, and highlighting the benefits of integrating instruction while providing research-based guidance on how to effectively do this.
By: Susan Kowalski, Ayesha K. Hashim, Scott J. Peters
Topics: Growth, Equity, Informing instruction, Math & STEM


Practitionerās Guide to Integrating Literacy and Science
This is the accompanying guide to the research brief, Integrating Literacy and Science: A Powerful Partnership for Student Success, which describes four key components of effective integration of literacy and science instruction at the elementary level. In this practitionerās guide, we provide sample lessons to demonstrate each of these components in action in an elementary classroom.
By: Scott J. Peters, Susan Kowalski, Ayesha K. Hashim
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: Equity, Growth, Informing instruction, Math & STEM