FAQs
I. About Summer Discovery
Ballmer Group is making an investment in summer enrichment for students in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties. We know from parents and community leaders that not enough summer enrichment programs for students in Southeast Michigan exist, and we know that barriers such as transportation and cost prevent parents from enrolling their children even if spots are available.
Beginning in January 2024, traditional and charter schools will have the opportunity to apply for funding to provide instruction and enrichment activities in summer 2024. In its first year, the programs will be for students completing grades K-8 in spring 2024 (Rising 1st – Rising 9th graders).
Michigan parents report that afterschool and summer programs help them keep their jobs, build connections to their children’s education, and keep their children safe and engaged in learning. However, parents also report that there are not enough programs to serve students; in fact, in Michigan, unmet demand for out-of-school-time (OST) is at an all time high. For every child in an afterschool program in Michigan, four more are waiting to get in.
Summer Discovery is a regional effort designed for students and families in Southeast Michigan, where many students need more access to learning and activity opportunities during the summer break. We believe in equitable access to safe, quality out-of- school-time (OST) programs that grow academic outcomes, offer enrichment activities that increase exposure and interest in careers, engage families, and deepen community support for afterschool and summer programs. We believe that ALL kids in Michigan deserve opportunities to succeed in school and to dream big about their futures.
To build the application, an initial community engagement process was conducted, which included interviewing community leaders, school leaders and district leaders about summer opportunities. Included were community groups that represent Southeast Michigan families as well as school leaders who bring the perspective of how to help students learn.
While applicants will be required to apply for funds annually, Ballmer Group intends for this to be a multi-year grant/program and is committed to an initial three years of funding to support the initiative. We hope this investment will be catalytic and encourage more OST programming across Michigan.
The funders of this initiative have engaged Building Impact Partners to serve as the program manager and United Way for Southeastern Michigan to serve as the fiscal sponsor and local implementation partner of Summer Discovery. All grant agreements and financial monitoring will be led by United Way for Southeastern Michigan, in partnership with Building Impact Partners.
Applicants and grantees will be supported by a team of program officers at Building Impact Partners for the duration of the grant period. Program officers will follow up with you if any additional information is needed to process your application and are available to answer questions throughout the application process. Throughout the grant period, support for accepted grantees will take the form of meetings, optional workshops, email blasts with upcoming dates and announcements, and select site visits.
II. Program Model & Criteria for Eligibility
In summer of 2024, grantees will have flexibility to design programs that meet the needs and cater to the interests of their students, teachers, and families. Schools can choose to use the Lavinia RISE curriculum (see section XII of this FAQ) or select their own curriculum, and may use grant funding to fund new programming or enhance existing programming.
The grant opportunity provides up to $2,000 per student for schools to design and implement high-quality summer learning programs for students completing grades K-8 in spring 2024 (Rising 1st – Rising 9th graders). In line with the existing body of research on effective summer programming, all programs must:
- Serve students completing grades K-8 in spring 2024 (Rising 1st – Rising 9th graders) in Macomb, Wayne, and Oakland Counties
- Provide at least 20 days of summer instruction (excludes assessment-only or enrichment-only days)
- Provide an average of three hours of high-quality English language arts (ELA) and math instruction over at least 20 days
- Provide both English language arts (ELA) and math instruction
- Provide care for students for 8+ hours/day (may include before- and/or after- care), including both academics and enrichment
- Ensure a student-to-teacher ratio of no more than 25:1
- Hire teachers to provide the ELA and math academic instruction who are qualified to provide academic instruction during the school year
- Utilize family engagement strategies, including regular touchpoints with families throughout the summer
- Administer standardized pre- and post- assessments provided by Summer Discovery
- Conduct in-person instruction and enrichment
Any school that meets the following criteria may apply:
- Conduct in-person instruction and enrichment
- Serve at least 50% free lunch population
- Serve at least 50 students during the school year
- Serve students completing any grades within the range of K-8 in spring 2024 (Rising 1st – Rising 9th graders)
- Virtual programming: Funding is available for in-person instruction and enrichment only.
- Students entering kindergarten and students in Rising 10th-12th grades: Funding is only available for students who are completing grades K-8 in spring of 2024 (Rising 1st – Rising 9th graders).
Individual traditional public school or individual charter schools in Wayne, Oakland, or Macomb Counties who meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the RFP materials.
- For an individual traditional public school, district level information, including a letter of support, will be required in the individual school’s application to ensure proper contracting and payment. If awarded, the grant agreement will require both district signature and that of the applicant individual school principal.
- For an individual charter school whose legal entity is a Charter Management Organization (CMO), a letter of support will be required in the individual charter school’s application to ensure proper contracting and payment. If awarded, the grant agreement will require signature from the legal entity and the applicant.
Please review this guide which provides resources for how you can best support your schools.
If you still have questions, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].
Yes! At the point of application, the school will be required to submit a document that outlines the full scope of the service agreement between the school and each community-based organization (CBO), as applicable.
Acceptable documentation may include a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Contract for Service, Letter of Support, or a Letter of Intent from the CBO, so long as it outlines the following:
- the name and organization information of the CBO (including address and EIN)
- the service deliverables
- the timeline or period of engagement
- the cost structure and payment terms
The school (and its district) will consider the CBO as a contractor. The school and the district are expected to manage the engagement with the CBO including verifying service deliverables are met, ensuring timely payment (but no sooner than when district receives funding), and will be required to verify this information as a part of the final report.
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) interested in partnering with a school to provide enrichment will need to work with the school to be listed as a partner in the school’s application and to provide the necessary documentation (see #5 above). If the CBO is interested in being added to a list of available enrichment providers to schools in this process, they can reach out to Building Impact Partners at [email protected].
Please note that reaching out does not guarantee partnership, as schools act as lead applicants and make decisions about partnerships as they are designing their summer programming.
Yes. Individual schools should plan to have their Community-Based Organization (CBO) selected to include in their application at the time of application submission, and no later than the final application deadline if possible. If a school would like to apply for Summer Discovery but is not able to solidify a CBO partner by the time of application, please submit an application with this note. You should estimate CBO costs in your budget. The final deadline by which to have a CBO partner selected and to submit all necessary documentation (see #5 above) is Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Grant agreements will not be completed unless this information is submitted by this final deadline.
Schools should first budget for direct costs associated with the 3+ hours of ELA and math academic instruction. Then using the maximum award amount outlined in section III (Grant Funding Model), the schools should budget the remaining difference for enrichment services.
Yes! Funding is available for any number of students/grades within the targeted grade levels (Rising 1st – Rising 9th graders). For example, a program could limit participation to Rising 1st through Rising 6th grade students. Another program may only serve Rising 6th through Rising 8th grade students.
III. Grant Funding Model
The funding model provides $80 per student for each day of the program, up to $2,000/student. The table below calculates the per student amount based on the length of the program:
| Length of Program | Per Student Amount |
| 20 Day Program | $1,600/student |
| 21 Day Program | $1,680/student |
| 22 Day Program | $1,760/student |
| 23 Day Program | $1,840/student |
| 24 Day Program | $1,920/student |
| 25+ Day Program* | $2,000/student |
*Any program greater than 25 days will receive the maximum student rate of $2,000.
This per student amount is reliant upon meeting program dosage requirements:
- All programs must provide 8+ hours of student care, which can include before/after care. A CBO and a school may partner as long as students receive structured, high-quality activities (and any necessary transportation).
- A school must provide summer instruction for 20 days minimum (excludes assessment-only or enrichment-only days).
As long as a school meets these requirements, there is flexibility to add days or make adjustments as needed.
For more information about the funding model, click here.
As long as a school provides an average of 3+ hours of ELA and math instruction over at least 20 days, we encourage flexibility with scheduling. There may be days that are dedicated solely to assessments and/or trips or enrichment, and while these days do not count toward the required 20 days of instruction, you may still receive funding for these days. For example, if a school takes students on field trips on Fridays, you may still receive funding for those days even though no instruction was given. As long as the 20 days of instruction is met, grantees are still eligible to receive funding for enrichment or field trip days (up to 25 days).
For more information about the funding model, click here.
An estimated student enrollment is required in your application, which will allow you to calculate the predicted funding amount.
It is often the case that the estimated number of students in the application does not end up matching your real-time enrollment numbers in the summer. For this reason, each grantee will have an enrollment check to most accurately predict the number of students who will attend and to see if the grant total needs to be adjusted. The goal is for the adjusted enrollment to be as close to the actual enrollment as possible. This opportunity to adjust enrollment predictions will take place closer to the start of your summer program (due May 15).
NOTE: During the enrollment check, if your updated enrollment projections are less than your original estimated student enrollment, the grant amount in your grant agreement will be adjusted to reflect the updated number of students you predict will attend the program and you’ll be asked to submit a revised budget.
For more information about the funding model, click here.
Because attendance is so important for student success, sites will be required to track and report attendance. At the end of your program, sites will be asked to report on your final average student attendance.
Grantees will receive 70% of their actual grant total upon signing their grant agreement. Two attendance-related criteria must be met to ensure the final 30% of the grant is received following the program:
- Maximize access: Actual enrollment is at least 70% of the adjusted enrollment.
- Maximize student impact: Average student attendance meets or exceeds 70%.
Please note: the final 30% of the grant award is also contingent on review & approval of final expenditure report, final spend reported, meeting all grant reporting requirements, and meeting all of the grant criteria.
For more information about the funding model, click here.
Yes. In addition to attendance requirements outlined above, the final 30% payment is also contingent upon meeting all grant reporting requirements, meeting all grant terms and deliverables, and review and approval of the final expenditure report inclusive of supporting documentation and final spend amounts. Unspent funds not captured from the final 30% payment will be required to be returned to the funder.
Please note: the final 30% of the grant award is also contingent on review & approval of final expenditure report, final spend reported, meeting all grant reporting requirements, and meeting all of the grant criteria.
For more information about the funding model, click here.
This program is designed to empower individual schools to serve their families over the summer. Individual schools will directly apply with the support of its corresponding legal entity. Centralized services provided by the district or CMO to an individual school (i.e. payroll, transportation, food service, building support, etc.) are allowable costs under the terms of this grant. Grant agreements will be with the legal entity for the individual school (i.e. district, CMO or stand alone charter school). The individual school will be required to sign the agreement with the legal entity, as applicable.
For more information about the funding model, click here.
You may use grant funding to fund new programming or enhance existing programming. Funds can be used to support many aspects of your summer program. This may include staffing salaries and teacher bonuses, curriculum, supplies and materials, enrichment activities, facilities costs, transportation, meals, technology and any other expenses you incur related specifically to summer learning.
We would expect the following items to be prioritized in budgets:
- Food for students
- Paying teachers and other staff at a competitive rate
- Robust enrichment activities, which may be offered by teachers and/or community partners
- Transportation costs (travel to/from the program, travel to an enrichment partner, travel for field trips)
- Attendance incentives (e.g. weekly celebrations or activities to specifically encourage attendance)
- Before/after care to meet the needs of working families (optional)
For more information about the funding model, click here.
Assuming all necessary requirements are met, you will receive a grant agreement from our fiscal sponsor, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, by June 3, 2024, with payment processed upon signing the grant agreement. We will ask you to provide an updated summer enrollment number near the end of your 2023-24 academic year (by May 15, 2024), and if your adjusted enrollment number is less than the number of students you projected in your application, your grant amount will be updated to reflect the adjusted enrollment number.
First payments, totaling 70% of the adjusted grant amount, will be disbursed once all required documents, including a fully signed grant agreement, are received. Payments will be issued to grantees who have submitted all required materials on or around June 21, 2024 (please allow 2-3 days for the funds to post in your account). Payments may be
issued earlier than that date for grantees who have submitted all materials ahead of deadline.
The balance of your grant will be paid on or around October 11, 2024. Note: final payment is contingent upon meeting attendance-related criteria, review & approval of final expenditure report, final spend reported, meeting all grant reporting requirements, and meeting all of the grant criteria.
For more information about the funding model, click here.
IV. Student Attendance
Because attendance is so important for student success, sites will be required to track and report attendance.
Each grantee will participate in an enrollment check close to the end of the school year to get the most accurate prediction of students who will attend and to see if the grant total needs to be adjusted. The goal is for the adjusted enrollment to be as close to the actual enrollment as possible.
Grantees will receive 70% of their actual grant total upon signing their grant agreement. Two attendance-related criteria must be met to ensure the final 30% of the grant is received following the program:
- Maximize access: Actual enrollment is at least 70% of the adjusted enrollment.
- Maximize student impact: Average student attendance meets or exceeds 70%.
At the end of your program, you will be asked to report each student’s attendance. The number of students you serve and these students’ attendance percentages will influence your total funding amount. In order to receive your full funding, average student attendance must average 70% or better for the duration of the program. The final 30% of the grant award is also contingent on review & approval of final expenditure report, your final spend reported, meeting all grant reporting requirements, and meeting all of the grant criteria.
We know that a focus on attendance during the summer is critical and that the largest threat to quality of programs is maintaining attendance. In your application, you’ll be asked to detail plans for encouraging and maintaining student attendance. We have seen that strong attendance is encouraged by actions such as:
- Early and consistent outreach to families
- Initial meetings or presentations to families to set expectations
- Strong transportation planning
- A daily attendance monitoring system, incorporating outreach for absent students
- Attendance incentives (e,g, weekly celebrations or activities)
- Of course, creating a unique summer culture that is different from traditional school in the form of a compelling program that includes engaging enrichment offerings… and fun!
V. Applications
- Early Decision Application deadline is no later than 11:59pm ET on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.
- Final Application Deadline is no later than 11:59pm ET on Friday, March 1, 2024.
We encourage applicants to submit an application as soon as possible in case any follow-up is needed.
We aim to notify all applicants of grant decisions by March 22, 2024. Early Decision applicants will be notified before this deadline. If materials are missing or follow-up is required, the grant notifications will likely be delayed. We encourage you to apply as soon as you can submit a strong application.
Yes. We have provided a budget worksheet for your planning purposes, which you can make a copy of by clicking here. You will be asked to provide a budget and a narrative to support that budget in your application. Funds may be used for new programs or to enhance existing programming. We would expect the following items to be prioritized in budgets:
- Food for students
- Paying teachers and other staff at a competitive rate
- Robust enrichment activities, which may be offered by teachers and/or community partners
- Transportation costs (travel to/from the program, travel to an enrichment partner, travel for field trips)
- Attendance incentives (e.g. weekly celebrations or activities to specifically encourage attendance)
- Before/after care to meet the needs of working families (optional)
Yes! See below:
Click here if you will be using the Lavinia RISE curriculum this summer
Click here if you will be using a school-selected curriculum this summer
You will be prompted to make a copy so that you can draft your answers before entering them in application form. Please feel free to complete the application in the Google Docs version of the application and then copy and paste your responses in the application once you are ready to submit. Concise answers are encouraged as long as they answer the question completely.
If you submitted an application and need to make edits and it is before the final application deadline (March 1, 2024), please email [email protected].
VI. Program Scheduling
For grantees selecting their own curriculum, dates can be set by you. The program must include at least 20 instructional days. There must be an average of three hours of high-quality English language arts (ELA) and math instruction over at least 20 days (excludes assessment-only or enrichment-only days).
Beyond these guidelines, grantees are welcome to create a schedule that meets the needs of your students and families and are encouraged to be as innovative as you would like (e.g. Mon-Thurs academics and Fridays enrichment or travel). As long as the 20 days of instruction is met, grantees are still eligble to receive funding for assessment, enrichment, and field trip days.
The Lavinia RISE curriculum includes 20 days of lesson plans. You can choose to deliver instruction Monday through Friday for five weeks (minus holidays) or schedule academics Monday through Thursday and take field trips on select Fridays for a longer program, or make other similar adjustments. We also recommend scheduling the pre- and post- assessments outside of the dedicated 20 days of instruction.
For schools using the Lavinia RISE curriculum, Lavinia is offering the program dates in the table below.
| Leader Training Intensive (Required) | Teacher Training Week (Required) | Student Start | Student Stop | # of Days | |
| June 17 Session | Monday, June 3rd | Tuesday, June 10th-Friday, June 14th | Monday, June 17th | Friday, July 19th | 23 days June 19 and July 4 Off |
| June 24 Session | Monday, June 10th | Monday, June 17th-Friday, June 21st (June 19 off) | Monday, June 24th | Thursday, July 25th | 23 days July 4 Off |
| July 8 Session | Monday, June 24th | Monday, July 1st-Friday, July 3rd (July 4 off) | Monday, July 8th | Wednesday, August 7th | 23 days |
In order to best meet the needs of working families, the grant opportunity requires full day programming (8+ hours) that includes both academics and enrichment (and may include before/after care).
For examples of what the schedule could look like, here are some sample schedules.
VII. Teacher Recruitment & Compensation
Because we know that higher quality instruction is correlated with the outcomes for students, we ask about your plans for recruiting the most experienced and highest- performing teachers in your application.
As long as you maintain a student-to-teacher ratio of no more than 25:1, your staffing structures are up to you! Some ideas of examples of innovative staffing include:
- Splitting positions for teachers who don’t want to or are unable to work all summer
- Implementing small-group tutoring
- Hiring youth workers (often HS or college alumni) to support enrichment and/or tutoring
- Partnering with schools of education to support lower ratios
- Using Community-Based Organization (CBO)/School partnerships where the school provides and pays academic staff and the CBO provides the facility, enrichment and wraparound services
Teachers providing the ELA and math academic instruction must be teachers that would be qualified to provide academic instruction during the school year. We know that some schools have flexibility related to licensure/certification so we do not have a blanket requirement – but do require that you use the same bar you would use during the school year to determine whether someone is qualified to teach a specific grade and subject area. Schools are responsible for screening personnel that will be working with students this summer (any costs related to screening personnel may be included in your budget).
We built the funding model to allow generous compensation for teachers, and we encourage schools to think, if possible, about what would be a significant rate of pay for their teachers in order to attract the best talent.
As one example, the Indy Summer Learning Labs teachers were paid $10k in summer 2023. This was paid with $7,500 for 150 hours ($50/hr) and then a $2,500 bonus for teacher attendance. This rate attracted more than enough teachers for the program despite staffing challenges during the school year.
PLEASE NOTE: If your school elects to use the Lavinia RISE curriculum, teachers are expected to attend 3-4 days of pre-program training and encouraged to attend ~45 minute weekly development meetings. We encourage you to consider these professional development time commitments when constructing your teacher compensation plans. See section XII of this FAQ for more details.
VIII. Transportation
Yes. Schools are responsible to design transportation plans that will meet the needs of their students, and the per student funding amount has been designed to factor in these costs. This includes transportation to and from the program, to and from enrichment, and to and from field trips. In your application, we will ask you to detail your transportation plans.
IX. Enrichment
Yes. We believe that offering unique enrichment opportunities and programming that is different from the typical school year encourages students to not only enroll in, but also to attend summer programming. We want students to receive academic instruction over the summer, but also to have a lot of fun! The per student amount has been designed to factor in enrichment costs. Providing enrichment opportunities outside of traditional instruction is a requirement of the grant.
As long as you provide a full day program (8+ hours) with both academics and enrichment, schools are free to design high-quality and engaging enrichment programs focused on your student interests and aspirations! The ELA and math academic component of the program needs to be an average of 3+ hours per day over at least 20 days. Beyond that, schools have flexibility to determine the types of enrichment programming provided.
Schools are encouraged to partner with CBOs or enrichment providers, and have flexibility in the number and type of partners. Schools may also engage your own staff members in providing enrichment opportunities. As long as all students have access to high-quality enrichment programs, schools have flexibility in the program design.
Enrichment opportunities can look like high-quality “specials” or “electives” consistent with the school year, but grantees are also encouraged to use the grant funding for innovative additional opportunities. Some examples may include:
- Including opportunities like field trips, community-based activities/volunteering, and/or career exploration
- Creating a rotating schedule or including an element of choice for students to maximize exposure and empower students to select programming of interest to them
- Moving programming out of schools where possible to give students an experience outside of the traditional classroom
- Pursuing a partnership in which a school and CBO work together to build a full-day program that offers both academics and enrichment
- Incorporating STEAM and/or digital literacy whenever possible
Schools are responsible for ensuring that all enrichment activities provided are engaging, high-quality and structured activities for their students. Schools should be confident that programs provide an opportunity for active, engaged participation by students in a safe and supported climate.
X. Family Engagement
In your application, we’ll ask about the plans you have for engaging families as you recruit for the program and throughout the summer. What this looks like is up to you, but some ideas for family engagement include:
- Regular touchpoints with families throughout the summer
- Family surveys to understand satisfaction to inform future planning
- A newsletter to convey student progress
- School-wide events or opportunities for families to engage
- Opportunities for families to chaperone or join on trips
For schools using the Lavinia RISE curriculum, additional family-facing template resources will be provided to give you materials to keep families engaged and updated throughout the summer.
After participating sites are selected, families will be engaged in their children’s learning during the program and in informing the program for this summer and future years.
In order to ensure that families are empowered to inform the program for future years, we may incorporate family surveys or focus groups throughout or at the conclusion of the program to understand how summer programming can best meet the needs of their families in Southeastern Michigan.
XI. Assessments
Yes. ALL participating organizations will be required to take the pre- and post- assessments to measure student growth this summer (provided at no cost to schools). This also applies to schools who are not using the Lavinia RISE curriculum.
The pre- and post-assessments are standards-aligned assessments following the standards map for both English language arts (ELA) and math and are administered to help inform instruction over the summer and evaluate the impact of the program on student learning. To understand how the assessments align with Michigan standards, visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
The assessments are a combination of multiple-choice and open-response questions. All students will take these assessments on the Edcite platform at the beginning and end of the summer program. If you prefer to administer paper assessments, you may opt to do so, but must grade and scan the assessments within 48 hours of administration. The Edcite platform will be provided to all schools, and training on administering and scoring the assessment will be provided.
The assessments are untimed, but we estimate about 40-60 minutes for ELA and 40-60 minutes for math – a total of up to two hours for the pre-assessments and up to two hours for the post-assessments.
We encourage schools to offer the math and ELA pre-assessments on day one of the program and the math and ELA post-assessments on the second to last day of the program. However, there is flexibility around the logistics of this, and the assessments could be administered over the course of two days if the site prefers (one day for ELA and one day for math). We do not recommend administering assessments on the final day to allow teachers time to score and enter the data for the assessments.
Training materials – including videos and resources – on assessment implementation and scoring will be made available through Lavinia Group’s online summer platform for all participating summer school sites to access at any time. All sites will also be able to attend optional office hours with representatives from Edcite, the assessment platform. Additionally, assessment implementation and scoring guidance will be covered during the Lavinia pre-program professional development week, and this portion of the professional development will be made available to all Summer Discovery grantees – including those who are not using the Lavinia RISE curriculum.
The pre- and post-assessments, developed by the Lavinia Group, are required for all participants, regardless of whether you use the Lavinia RISE curriculum or select your own curriculum. If you would like to administer additional assessments, that is at your discretion.
XII. Lavinia RISE Curriculum
This summer, we are partnering with Lavinia Group to provide their RISE Summer School Program to summer sites who opt in, free of charge. RISE Summer School is a comprehensive program that equips teachers to meet the many challenges associated with unfinished learning from the academic year. This evidence-based program has led to student growth in several cities nationwide. This summer, schools may decide to use the Lavinia RISE curriculum or their own high-quality curriculum if you already have something in place.
The Lavinia RISE program provides teachers and leaders with:
- Five weeks of engaging and standards-aligned curriculum in literacy and math
- Ready-to-use instructional materials and teacher-planning resources
- Pre-program training for teachers and leaders
- Twice-weekly virtual, professional development for teachers
- Pre- and post-assessments, progress monitoring, and data analysis tools
For schools that do not have a dedicated summer curriculum already in place, we strongly encourage you to use the Lavinia RISE curriculum.
Note: Regardless of curriculum, ALL participating schools are required to take pre- and post- tests to measure student growth this summer. These assessments are a grant requirement and are provided at no cost to schools.
If you would like more information, please visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
For schools using the Lavinia RISE curriculum, Lavinia is offering the following program dates:
| Leader Training Intensive (Required) | Teacher Training Week (Required) | Student Start* | Student Stop* | # of Days | |
| June 17 Session | Monday, June 3rd | Tuesday, June 10th – Friday, June 14th | Monday, June 17th | Friday, July 19th | 23 June 19 and July 4 Off |
| June 24 Session | Monday, June 10th | Monday, June 17th – Friday, June 21st (June 19 off) | Monday, June 24th | Thursday, July 25th | 23 July 4 Off |
| July 8 Session | Monday, June 24th | Monday, July 1st – Friday, July 3rd (July 4 off) | Monday, July 8th | Wednesday, August 7th | 23 days |
*The Lavinia RISE curriculum includes 20 days of lesson plans. You can choose to deliver instruction Monday through Friday for five weeks (plus holidays) as represented in the table above, or schedule academics Monday through Thursday and take field trips on Fridays for a longer program, or make other similar adjustments. We also recommend scheduling the pre- and post- assessments outside of the dedicated 20 days of instruction.
If you would like more information, please visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
The Lavinia RISE curriculum provides 185 daily minutes of literacy and math curriculum for all Rising 1st – Rising 9th graders. The curriculum is designed explicitly for summer learning and incorporates the latest research on the science of reading and Accelerating Student Learning. The curriculum provides a strong foundation for all learners while leaving opportunities for teachers to customize their instruction to meet the specific needs of their students. We have provided an overview of the literacy and math curriculum below.
Literacy Components
| Component | Grade-Level | Minutes/Daily | Description | Samples |
| Insight Humanities™ Book Studies | Rising 1st-9th | 45 minutes/Daily | This curriculum rapidly develops students’ critical thinking skills, passion for reading, and ability to analyze any book they encounter. Students read, analyze, discuss, and write about highly engaging, multicultural literature by award-winning authors. | Insight Humanities™ Rising Grade 1 Teacher Materials (Sample lesson) Insight Humanities™ Rising Grade 7 Teacher Materials (Sample lesson) |
| Close Reading for Meaning™ | Rising 3rd-9th | 45 minutes/Daily | Students will learn to independently access and understand complex text through a three-day cycle of reading for main idea, craft and structure, and mastery. The curriculum includes texts and aligned lesson plans. | Close Reading for Meaning™ Rising Grade 3 Teacher Materials (Sample lesson) Close Reading for Meaning™ Rising Grade 3 (Student Materials) |
| Explicit Phonics Instruction & Shared Poem | Rising 1st-2nd | 45 minutes/Daily | Designed so teachers can personalize instruction and target existing gaps, this curriculum includes direct, explicit, and multi-sensory routines and materials that teachers can use throughout the summer and into the school year. | Systematic Phonics Rising Grade 1 (Sample lesson) |
| Small Group Instruction | Rising 1st-9th | ~20 Minutes/2-3x Weekly | Concrete method for intentional, effective, small-group, and individual intervention for students not reading with proficiency. Teachers will analyze data across multiple assessments, create student groups based on needs, and implement highly effective strategies for small group instruction | Lavinia Group does not provide a curriculum for small group instruction since this block is intended to meet the varied and specific needs of students at your summer site. However, Lavinia Group will provide training on how to structure, plan for, and select appropriate materials for this block. |
Mathematical Components:
| Component | Grade-Level | Minutes/Daily | Description | Samples |
| Math for Meaning™ Story Problems | Rising 1st-9th | 45 minutes/Daily | Students develop the confidence and precision necessary to tackle any mathematical task independently while building their mastery of grade-level standards. This curriculum engages students in solving on and above grade level problems through hands-on learning and rich mathematical discourse. | Math for Meaning™ Rising Grade 1 Story Problems (Sample lesson) Math for Meaning™ Rising Grade 1 Story Problems (Student Materials) |
| Math Routines | Rising 1st-9th | 30 Minutes/Daily | The RISE Math Routines Curriculum is designed to build studentsʼ mathematical fluency and conceptual understanding through targeted, discussion-based routines. Students build automaticity with operations and concepts while keeping the “why” behind strategies front and center. | Math Routines Rising Grade 3 (Sample lesson) Math Routines Rising Grade 7 (Sample lesson) |
| Small Group Math Instruction | Rising 1st-9th | ~20 Minutes/2-3x Weekly | Personalize learning for targeted intervention and give students meaningful and accessible practice to grow their math skills. Teachers close the most pressing gaps while building student independence by creating targeted intervention groups, selecting content, and coaching students with meaning front and center, | Lavinia Group does not provide a curriculum for small group instruction since this block is intended to meet the varied and specific needs of students at your summer site. However, Lavinia Group will provide training on how to structure, plan for, and select appropriate materials for this block. |
If you would like more information, please visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
The Lavinia RISE research-based program is designed to support English Language Learners and students with Special Education needs in multiple ways. The program:
- Incorporates robust opportunities for group and partner discussion, allowing students to practice their oral speaking skills.
- Offers phonics instruction that includes direct, explicit, sequential, and multisensory routines to support foundational reading skills.
- Gives students access to information in various modalities, such as text, diagrams, etc.
- Provides opportunities for students to learn and keep track of content-area vocabulary.
- Teaches students how to organize their thinking visually using notebooks and, where appropriate, additional graphic organizers.
- Includes partner reading and read-aloud work so students are able to hear models of fluent reading and discuss their ideas with classmates.
In addition, professional development opportunities are explicitly designed to help teachers utilize appropriate scaffolds and differentiation techniques in response to student data. During the pre-program training, Lavinia Group will provide training on differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all students in one-on-one and small- group settings. We encourage program leaders to attend in order to learn strategies and best practices. Following the training and throughout the summer, teachers will have the opportunity to meet weekly with Lavinia Group coaches to receive support and guidance on how to support all learners.
If you would like more information, please visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
The curriculum allows students to have access to both word recognition and language comprehension strategies. Through the Phonics curriculum, students will receive explicit demonstration and practice in foundational reading skills. Through the Insight Humanities™ and Close Reading for Meaning™ curriculum, students will apply background knowledge, gain vocabulary, and make inferential meaning from various texts in multiple genres.
If you would like more information, please visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
Teachers will need access to a computer device in order to access the RISE Summer School platform. They will receive access to the curriculum as a downloadable PDF by grade level on the RISE Summer School platform. The materials are labeled by the grade students will be in this fall (for example, students entering 3rd grade in the fall of 2024 will use the curriculum materials labeled “Rising 3rd Grade”). Schools can choose to print and organize these materials by day, week, or all in one batch for the summer session. This online learning management system will serve as the central repository for teachers to access their curriculum and professional development courses this summer. Student technology is optional for summer school, however, we recommend administering the assessments digitally for students in Rising 3rd-9th grade.
If you would like more information, please visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
The costs of materials should be factored into the budget you submit to Summer Discovery. (Classes of 15 students should budget between $13-$39 per student for these materials and classes of 25 students should budget between $10-$28 per student for these materials, depending on the grade; see costs in materials list linked below). The curriculum and professional development will be provided at no cost to you, but the supplies are the responsibility of the grantee. You can find the materials lists and curricular materials costs here.
If you would like more information, please visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
If choosing to engage in the Lavinia RISE curriculum, it is expected that the whole program will be implemented in accordance with the training and materials provided by Lavinia Group. We believe this adherence is important to retain the quality of the program. However, you are welcome to supplement the Lavinia RISE Curriculum as you see fit. For example, you could choose to add a STEM block or incorporate a blended learning program, or incorporate other adjustments that meet the needs of your students.
If you would like more information, please visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
All summer school teachers and leaders will have access to the pre- and post- assessment data through the assessment platform, Edcite. In addition, all schools using the Lavinia Curriculum sites will receive a data tracker that they can leverage to progress monitor student reading data and math data each week. Informal data points have been pre-identified by Lavinia Group and are included in the RISE Summer School Pacing Guide. Teachers will use the Lavinia Group Rubrics for Literacy and Math to grade student work weekly.
School leaders will also have access to a comprehensive dashboard on the data tracker that summarizes student progress towards growth goals and overall standards mastery for their specific school. With this dynamic tracker, school leaders will be able to evaluate data across classes and grades as well as week-to-week throughout the program.
If you would like more information, please visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
There are two categories of professional development provided: Pre-Program Teacher Training Week and Weekly Development Meetings.
Teacher Training
| Pre-Program Teacher Training (3 Days) | Weekly Professional Development (~45 Minutes/1x Weekly) |
| Organizations using the Lavinia RISE curriculum should plan to attend Teacher Training Week prior to the start of summer school. The focus of Teacher Training Week is to develop an aligned vision for summer school instruction and to ensure teachers have ample opportunity to plan and practice the first few lessons of their summer curriculum. These trainings provide teachers with a comprehensive program overview and professional development on the curriculum components. Lavinia Group will also offer optional training sessions on small-group instruction and supporting multilingual learners. Lavinia’s model of professional development is highly interactive and immersive. Teachers will be encouraged to discuss, debate, and ask/answer questions about content and instructional practices throughout the training. Educators will have 4 hours of asynchronous pre-work and 3-4 days of live virtual sessions facilitated by Lavinia Group coaches. We encourage you to consider these professional development time commitments when constructing your teacher compensation plans. | For organizations using the Lavinia RISE curriculum, Lavinia Group coaches will facilitate weekly Intellectual Preparation and Student Work Study Meetings during the summer program for all math and literacy teachers. Each week of the program, teachers can complete an asynchronous session and attend a live virtual meeting facilitated by a Lavinia Group instructional coach. These live meetings are organized by grade level and content area so teachers can receive targeted professional development aligned to their teaching over the summer. These live sessions also provide a space for teachers to ask questions about the curriculum and how to differentiate to meet the needs of their students. We encourage you to consider these professional development time commitments when constructing your teacher compensation plans. |
Leader Training
| Pre-Program Leader Training (2 Hours) | Weekly Leader Cohorts (~45 Minutes/1x Weekly) |
| Leaders using the Lavinia RISE curriculum should plan to attend Pre-Program Leader Training prior to the start of Teacher Training Week. In this 2-hour live session, leaders will learn how to support teachers in planning for and executing a high-impact summer program that accelerates student learning. Leaders will learn best practices for summer instructional management and leave the session with tools and resources they can use in their summer and year-round classrooms to rapidly develop teacher practice. | This optional leader cohort is designed to support all Lavinia Group summer instructional leaders in providing students with a high-impact and meaningful summer program. The goal of the cohort is to create a community of practice for summer leaders to build their leadership skills, share best practices, and collectively problem-solve any barriers they encounter throughout the summer. |
If you would like more information, please visit the Lavinia Summer Discovery Page.
XIII. Reporting & Data Collection
At the conclusion of the program, schools will be required to complete
(1) a narrative and financial report on a template provided by Summer Discovery describing how you used the funds in support of your program as well as key successes, challenges, and lessons learned and (2) a student attendance report.
Additional details will be provided in the grant agreement for selected schools and by our program team throughout the summer.
Ballmer Group is considering the possibility of collaborating with an independent researcher to help understand the impact of Summer Discovery on students, and to provide evidence of your best practices for OST. If this happens, there will be some additional requests of schools, including signing a data sharing agreement. Data points requested may include individual-level student data such as Student ID #s, student names, demographic information (race/ethnicity, FRL status, campus), school-year attendance rates, and standardized assessment performance (state and/or NWEA/i-Ready).