Running head: CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 1

CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP AND PREVENTING

SUMMER LEARNING LOSS IN STUDENTS

MARIAH WANIC

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

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Policy Research

The achievement gap for students is a national issue that particularly effects in low

income students. The term achievement gap is defined as, “the discrepancy in educational

outcomes and access between various student groups in the United States, in particular African

American, Native American, certain Asian American, and Latino students on the low end of the

performance scale, and their White and certain Asian American counterparts in the higher end of

the academic performance scale (Howard, 2010). Students lose reading and math skills during

the summer months when they aren’t in school. According to the National Summer Learning

Association (2018) each summer most student lose two months of math skills, and two to three

months of reading skills.

Poor proficiency rates and state assessment results in Michigan place it in the lowest third

of states, race and income play a role in this wide achievement gap (O’Keefe, Pennington, and

Mead, 2017). In the past 10 years, Michigan policy makers have enacted education reforms,

such as the adoption of Common Core State Standards, No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top,

M-STEP, and most recently the Third Grade Reading and Retention bill (O’Keefe, 2017). These

education reforms have been enacted to address the achievement gap. Federal, state, and local

policies through the education accountability movement have coupled school and teacher

performance to student test results (Peng, 2015).

The school calendar was formed in time that students needed to help their families plant

and harvest crops. This type of calendar leads to “summer slide”, which is when low income

children fall behind educationally, and higher income children acquire educational skills (NSLA,

2017). Summer learning lose accounts for approximately 2/3 of the achievement gap in reading

for elementary school children (NSLA, 2017). Unfortunately, 9 out of 10 teachers have to
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reteach for the first 3 weeks of the school year due to summer learning lose (NSLA, 2017).

According to Cooper (n.d.), the National Education Communication on Time Learning released a

report in 1993 urging a change in the school calendar to fit the different students in the school.

In 1996, Cooper conducted a study on the effects of summer vacation on standardized

achievement test scores, the study identified three findings (Cooper, n.d.). Standardized test

scores went down from fall of the current year as compared to spring of the previous year

(Cooper, n.d.). The main areas students lost skills in were math and reading. Gender, ethnicity,

and family economics play are role in summer learning loss (Cooper, n.d.).

Possible Solutions

Three main remedies for summer learning loss have been identified, as extending the

school year, modifying the school calendar, and providing summer programs (Cooper, n.d.). The

United States is lagging behind most industrialized nations when it comes to the extended school

year, United States students attend school 175-180 days per year as opposed to Japan with 240

days (Cooper, n.d.). Modifying the school calendar would entail creating shorter cycles of

breaks throughout the year (Cooper, n.d.). Summer programs that would help decrease summer

learning loss included: remedial and accelerated programs provide a positive impact on students

(Cooper, n.d.).

Extended School Calendar

Michigan currently requires a minimum of 180 days of student instruction, as opposed to

other countries such as Japan requiring 240 days (Cooper, n.d.). It has been determined that in

order to make a difference, a minimum of 35 days must be added to the school calendar to see

results in achievement (Cooper, n.d.). Through increase in the number of school days each year,
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students would have a shorter summer break. The United States is lagging behind most other

industrialized nations when it comes to the number of days students attend school (Cooper, n.d.).

According to the National Education Association (2015), the extension of the school year

typically costs about $1,200 per student, this could result in teachers with seniority making up to

$20,000 more per year. With the state foundational allowance being $7,631 for 2018, the

additional cost could cause financial instability for some schools.

Modified School Calendar

Another option would be to alter the school calendar cycle to rearrange break periods to

include shorter breaks throughout the entire year rather than a long break during the summer.

This could be achieved through a trimester system or balanced calendar. The balanced calendar

does not increase the number of student instructional days, the number remains 180 days. The

trimester system could consist of 12 weeks in class and 3 weeks off. Students requiring remedial

services would instead receive 1 week of remediation and 2 weeks of break, as opposed to their

peers who were meeting achievement goals. A balanced calendar is another form of modifying

the school calendar, which can consist 9 weeks in school and 3 weeks off with students needing

remedial services receiving those during one week of their break. There are districts that have

implemented these models with some success.

Schools can operate under a single or multi-track balanced calendar model. The single

track model consists of the all teachers and students attending on one schedule. The multi-track

model can consist of up to four (4) tracks, which are separate groups of teachers and students that

attend school with only their designated group or “track”. If a school is operating a multi-track

balanced calendar with four tracks, it can increase the school capacity by 33% (NAYRE, 2015).

According to the National Association of Year Round Education (2015), the most common
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balanced calendar is the 45/15 day single track model. The 45/15 day single track model,

requires the standard 180 days of instruction for students, 190 days of teaching and attendance

for teachers, a 15 day fall break, a 15 day winter break, a 15 day spring break, and a 5 week

summer break. Struggling students would be provided remedial services during specified times

over their breaks. Students receive continuous education under this type of educational program.

There is a common misconception that the cost of implementing a modified school

calendar is extremely large. This is not necessarily the case. According to HR Hanover

Research (2018), the California Department of Education highlighted cost savings they have

associated with operating a balanced calendar, these include:

Avoided Costs: capital outlay for additional facilities; avoided extra‐site operation and

staffing, including classified, certificated, and administrative personnel, furniture,

supplies and equipment, utilities and maintenance, and transportation.

Potential Savings: additional average daily attendance (ADA) generated; shared

materials (library, computer, audio visual, science resources, textbooks); benefits

(calculated on a 12‐month basis for most employees), reduced absenteeism (additional

ADA and decreased requests for substitute teachers); and decreased vandalism.

The California Education Department estimates a 3% increase in expenditures to operate a under

a modified school calendar, because of the need for additional resources, these resources include

transitions costs (administrative planning and development, storage needs, air conditioning, and

communication) and operational costs (building modifications, utilities, maintenance and

transportation), this information was provide in the HR Hanover Research (2018). The biggest

contribution for the increase in expenditures is the high price of providing remedial or

enrichment programs during scheduled breaks.

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Remedial Programs During the Summer

The final solution consists of summer programs that would help prevent summer learning

loss through use of remedial and enrichment programs during the summer months. These

services would be available to low income students that don’t have summer enrichment

programs readily available to them like their higher income counterparts do. These remedial

programs could be available at the school free of charge to families. The student and their family

would have to be on board to make this successful, as they would need to get to the school on

their own during the summer months. O’Brien (2012) states that assistance for remedial

programs offered in the summer is available from around 75% of public schools. These

programs are underutilized with between 6% and 30% district enrollment occurring (O’Brien,

2012). According to O’Brien (2012), it would be beneficial for schools to partner with day care,

day camp, or other organizations that students are participating in during the summer months. It

would help lower the costs associated with operating summer programs if schools partnered with

already existent programs. Schools need to get innovative about remedial summer offerings in

order to be cost efficient and effective for student success.

Politics

Michigan has experienced poor proficiency rates and assessment results landing it as the

third lowest performing state in the country. Federal and state policy makers have implemented

a number of educational reforms over the years to address the achievement gap. These

educational reforms include, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Race to the Top, M-STEP, Third

Grade Reading and Retention Bill, and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Michigan House

Bill 4803 bans Michigan schools from starting school before Labor Day, this bill was enacted in

June 30, 2005. No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top failed to close the achievement gap.
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It is still yet to be seen if the latter reforms, such as M-STEP, Third Grade Reading and

Retention Bill, and Every Student Succeeds Act will be a cure all. The policy makers are the

people that will determine what educators can do to close the achievement gap. The Michigan

policy makers have created a barrier for schools to overcome by implementing the banning of

school prior to Labor Day. Schools may apply for a waiver to be allowed to operate prior to

Labor Day. These educational reforms in conjunction with one of these solutions may be the

difference in closing the achievement gap and providing a meaningful education.

Policy Report

The achievement gap is a long standing issue for educators around the country. It is their

duty to close this gap and improve student growth. By closing the achievement gap, students

will have retained knowledge and skills, allowing them to score better on standardized tests. I

spoke to a former state school reform officer for the state, he stated that the current

Accountability Index in Michigan took the focus off of the achievement gap, but it is still the

responsibility of administrators to monitor this and fix the issue. He felt that to eliminate the

achievement gap a successful trimester model or balanced calendar would work. But there are

many considerations that would need to be addressed in order to make this work. He also

mentioned that turning around low achievers isn’t going to happen overnight, these things can

take one to two years. He expressed his thoughts on the opposition to a balanced calendar,

would be cost and getting parents to buy into the model. The audience for this particular policy

are educators around the state, parents, and students, in order to be successful these groups must

take an active role in addressing the achievement gap. It is time to look at how we educate

students, and make a change by adjusting our educational timeline and methods.
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I conducted three interviews with individuals in the field that are experts in education

with a clear understanding of the issue of the achievement gap. The first interview I conducted

offered expressed his believe that a trimester system or balanced calendar would be beneficial in

helping to close the achievement gap. The second interview I conducted was with a school

district leader who is operating his district on a modified calendar cycle. He offered a vast

amount of information operating under a balanced calendar. The final interview was with a

person that has a close connection with policy makers in the state of Michigan. He is aware of

the achievement gap and the things that policy makers are focusing on to close the achievement

gap. It was beneficial to hear from each of these individuals as they helped to further solidify my

recommendation for a policy solution.

Recommended Solution

I have identified three main solutions for closing the achievement gap through remedies

for summer learning loss. These remedies include: extending the school year, modifying the

school calendar, and providing summer programs (Cooper, n.d.). Of these three solutions, I

recommend the modification of the school calendar as the best option.

The modified school calendar would allow for continuous education of students,

eliminating the need for teachers to reteach lessons and prevent summer learning loss. There

would also be no increase in the number of instructional days for students, the count would

remain at 180 days.

I recommend Michigan school districts change to a modified school calendar for the

2019-2020 school year. The balanced calendar model I would suggest is the 45/15 day single

track approach. Students will attend 180 days per year starting July 1, 2019. Teachers will

instruct for a total of 190 days beginning on July 1, 2019. The 15 day breaks will occur in fall,
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winter, and spring. Students will also receive a 5 week break during the summer. Students that

are struggling and in need of remedial services will be able to take part in these services during

their breaks.

Benefits of a Modified School Calendar

The benefits of offering a balanced calendar to the student in Michigan are numerous.

One of the main benefits is that remedial programs could be offered during school breaks. With

the continuous educational cycle summer learning loss would be limited. Teachers would no

longer need to take days away from teaching to take part in professional development courses,

they would be able to take part during school breaks. Teachers and students use breaks to rest,

refocus, and refresh themselves. The balanced calendar if operated properly and with all

stakeholders buying in has the ability to improve academic achievement.

Opposition to Modifying the School Calendar

Opposition to changing the traditional calendar to that of a modified calendar such as a

balanced calendar, would mainly include cost and transportation. The important thing would be

getting students to school during those summer months. Parents and educators have also argued

that students would become fatigued by attending school for an extended school year (Cooper,

n.d.). Parents and students would need to buy into this changed model. Students may take issue

especially high school students, as their extra-curricular activities may not work with the

balanced calendar. Student may be on break when other schools are still in session and sport

schedules are not conducive to this type of calendar. Many buildings may not be equip with air

conditioning to accommodate summer heat, so that would cost the district money to upgrade.

Teachers are also accustomed to having summers off, they may be opposed to teaching through
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the summer with shorter breaks. There are many factors that would need to be considered and

ironed out in order to run a successful balanced calendar model.

According to Cooper (n.d.), parents and educators have argued against extending the

school calendar. It is believed by some that by extending the school calendar students will

become fatigued from attending school longer (Cooper, n.d.). Teachers would need to learn new

teaching strategies and curriculum would need to change (Cooper, n.d.). It is also suggested that

additional time may not be used wisely and it would be a waste for students (Cooper, n.d.).

Policy Instruments

The policy instruments I chose for implementation of the balanced calendar are

McDonnell and Elmore’s policy instruments, capacity building and system change. Fowler

(2013) defines capacity building as, “the transfer of money for the purpose of investment in

material, intellectual, or human resources.” Capacity building will need to be addressed during

implementation to determine if the building is adequate to facility year round school. There may

need to be modifications to the building such as installation of air conditioning throughout the

building. These changes will need to permanent changes in how the school district functions

(Fowler, 2013). Fowler (2013) defines system change as, “the transfer(s) official authority

among individuals and agencies.” Resources in the school district may need to be reallocated to

meet the needs on the new balanced calendar. The system changes policy instrument will focus

on the implementation of a new school calendar. We must modify the traditional calendar to

facilitate learning for today’s students.

Implementation

In conclusion, I am a proponent for modifying the school year to close the achievement

gap. Through modification, students will still receive adequate breaks from school on shorter
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cycles throughout the year. Teachers would no longer have to reteach as students would be

continuously learning. Many school are equipped with air conditioning to accommodate

students in the warmer weather. Each district would need to take a hard look at their budget to

determine adapt it to fit the balanced calendar model. Teachers would have to learn new

methods of teaching and skills. The socioeconomic gap achievement is primarily developed

during summer vacation, and this slows during the school year when less time is spent at their

home (Huang, 2015).

I advocate for educating students on modified calendar cycle to that of year round school.

These cycles could be 45/15 days, 60/20 days, or 45/10 days. Students would be provided

remedial and enrichment programs, would receive those services in the first week of break.

The student may need assistance in mathematics, he/she would come to school for only a three

hours each day to work on mathematics. We don’t want to burn the students out by spending an

entire day on one subject. The students would still be meeting the 180 day requirement by the

state of Michigan, but in a different cycle. Each district will need to decide which of these cycles

they want to implement for their year round school schedule.

It will be essential to seek support from teachers, staff, and parents to make this

successful, if you can’t get this support the idea of year round school should be reconsidered

(Lynch, 2017). Committees of educators, community members, and parents should be involved

in the planning and implementation process. A standing meeting should be set to discuss the

implementation process for year round school. Once all terms have been identified it will need

to go before the district for approval, and once implemented an annual review should take place

to make any necessary changes. The socioeconomic gap achievement is primarily developed
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during summer vacation, and this slows during the school year when less time is spent at their

home (Huang, 2015).

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References

Cooper, H. (n.d.). Summer Learning Loss: The Problem and Some Solutions. LD

Online the Educators’ Guide to Learning Disabilities and ADHD. Retrieved from

http://www.ldonline.org/article/8057/

Fowler, F. C. (2013). Policy studies for educational leaders: An introduction. (4th Ed.).

Boston, MA: Pearson.

HR Hanover Research. (n.d.). Costs and Benefits of the Year-Round Calendar System.

Retrieved from https://www.hanoverresearch.com/insights-blog/costs-and-benefits-of-the-year-

round-calendar-system/

Howard, T. (2010). Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools : Closing the Achievement

Gap in America's Classrooms. New York :Teachers College Press.

Huang, H. (2015). Can Students Themselves Narrow the Socioeconomic-status-based

Achievement Gap Through Their Own Persistence and Learning Time? Education Policy

Analysis Archives, 23(108), 1–39.

National Association of Year Round School. (2015). Calendars Traditional Vs. Modified.

Retrieved from http://www.nayre.org/

National Education Association. (2015). Longer School Days Affect Everyone. Retrieved

from http://www.nea.org/home/14511.htm

National Summer Learning Association. (2018). At A Glance The Achievement Gap

Summer By The Numbers. Retrieved from https://www.summerlearning.org/

O’Brien, A. (2012, June). How to Beat Summer Learning Loss. Edutopia. Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-to-beat-summer-learning-loss-anne-obrien
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O’Keefe, Pennington, and Mead. (2017, January 30). Michigan Education Policy Fact

Base. Retrieved from

https://bellwethereducation.org/sites/default/files/MI%20Slide%20Deck%20finalfinal%20w%20

acknowledgements.pdf

Peng, L. (2015). The Effect of Summer on Value-added Assessments of Teacher and

School Performance. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 23(92), 1–26.