COMPETENCY 1: ACCOUNTABILITY (TEACHING AND LEARNING)

Related Task: 1.4

Ability to prepare, develop, and evaluate research designed to assess the effectiveness of an
instructional program.
Specific Task: 1.4.3
Prepare and conduct a survey for parents of school children to determine their opinions of
the effectiveness of an instructional program.
Narrative Description of Task:
I will work with Julie Paterick, Reading Specialist and Program Coordinator, and BrandiLyn Mendham, Curriculum Director, to conduct a district-wide assessment of the
effectiveness of Summer Stretch: Zeeland Public Schools (ZPS) summer homework
program for elementary students. I will prepare and conduct a survey for internal and
external stakeholders (teachers and parents) and will use the results to help draw
conclusions on the effectiveness of the program. Finally, I will work with the district
committee to create recommendations for modifications to the program based on the
analysis and will share those recommendations with the districts administrative council.
SMART goal:
By April of 2015, I will create and administer a parent and staff survey and compile and
analyze the results. I will work with the Summer Stretch committee and district leadership
to develop recommendations for modifications to the summer homework program and will
share those with the ZPS administrative council.
Description and Rationale:
Zeeland Public Schools (ZPS) Summer Stretch program began in January of 2012 when
former superintendent, Dr. Dave Barry, initiated the formation of a team of elementary
teachers who would address the problem of the summer slide in grades K-5. According to
recent research, the average elementary student loses 2 months of grade level equivalency

over the summer months, and low-income students lose even more. Understanding the
impact that this loss has on both students and teachers, and realizing that students need
ongoing opportunities to learn and practice essential skills, the ZPS Summer Stretch
committee was created and the group of teachers quickly began investigating potential
solutions.
The Summer Stretch committee created a summer homework program that provides
opportunities for ZPS students to participate in organized summer learning by completing
a printed workbook, utilizing a summer learning experience journal, or participating in
online learning. Summer Stretch focuses on reducing summer learning loss in three
primary curricular areas: reading, writing, and math. The summer homework options
created and compiled by the Summer Stretch committee all include reading, writing, and
math review, multiple times each week, for at least 8 weeks of the summer. Some of the
options also include enrichment activities in the areas of science, social studies, and art.
The required summer homework is distributed to all ZPS students entering grades K-5 and
it is offered in multiple options/formats in order to appeal to all learners across the district.
It was officially rolled out in May of 2012 and it has continued, with slight annual revisions
and modifications, since.
My experience:
For the completion of this competency, I worked closely with Julie Paterick, the program
coordinator, and Brandi-Lyn Mendham, the district curriculum director. I compiled and
reviewed the Summer Stretch data that had been collected in previous years, and worked
with our curriculum office to retrieve the participation data from all 6 ZPS elementary
schools for this past summer.
To get a better understanding of the staff and parent response to the program and to
compile some more specific anecdotal evidence regarding its perceived impact, I created
two surveys that were both distributed electronically in early March. These surveys went
out to all parents and teachers of students in grades K-5 and got to the heart of the matter:
is Summer Stretch reducing summer learning loss for elementary students, and do we
believe that it is worth the time, effort, and money that the district is putting into it?

The survey results were compiled in late March, and as weve seen in previous years
there was a much greater response from parents (who have a greater involvement in the
program) than from teachers (who have a greater investment in the program). 206 parents
completed the survey, and only 4 teachers. The parents commented about the type of
homework and the amount of time that is expected of students during the summer months,
while the teachers commented more about the administration of the program and the
expectations that are added to their already full plates. Ms. Paterick, Ms. Mendham, and I
met as soon as the results were available and we began working together to make
modifications so that we can roll-out an updated version of Summer Stretch in May of
2015. Additionally, due to a decreased allocation for Summer Stretch in next years
operating budget, we began working with the ZPS volunteer coordinator/grant writer to
explore potential partnerships that will decrease the financial impact of the program while
also appealing to a greater number of staff, students, and families.
Reflections:
This competency has taught me a great deal about effective leadership and listening to
stakeholders. I began this program evaluation anticipating looking only at raw data and
compiling numbers and facts rather than opinions; however, I quickly learned that [in this
context] perceptions matter just as much as reality. For a mandatory summer homework
program to be effective, it needs to be supported by the primary stakeholders. If teachers,
parents, and especially students do not believe that this program and its goals are
important, the program will undoubtedly fail. The original surveys that I created for this
competency were initially centered on spring and fall test scores and the frequency and
duration of interventions at the beginning of the school year; they did not take perceptions,
feelings, or opinions on the program into consideration. After many meetings with the
Summer Stretch committee, and especially Ms. Mendham (the curriculum director), I
learned that this program will only be effective not to mention sustainable if it is backed
by its most important participants: students and families.
I modified the staff and parent surveys significantly and believe that the questions asked
and the conversations they sparked are more useful than any numbers we could have used

to evaluate the program. We are still pulling raw data from a representative sample of
students across grade levels and ZPS elementary schools; however, because ZPS is
currently without a universal screener to assess all students at the end of one school year
and the very beginning of the next, anecdotal evidence speaks volumes for this program
evaluation. We also have to consider the fact that correlation does not imply causation and
any growth that a student makes over the course of a summer cannot necessarily be
attributed solely to Summer Stretch. Thus, reliable data other than participation data is
more difficult to obtain.
Our team is continuing to work to incorporate parent suggestions and finalize the
modifications for this years summer homework rollout, and we will present our findings to
the administrative council soon. Through this competency, I have learned an incredible
amount about future leadership behaviors and how valuable the voices of the stakeholders
really are when designing and implementing educational programs.

Summer Stretch Staff Survey

Summer Stretch has been happening in ZPS for three years now with positive results. A new team has
been assembled to take at look at the future of the program and we need YOU! What are the positives
that you have seen in the program and what do you think could make it even better? Please take a
moment to complete the following survey:
1. Which building do you work in?
New Groningen
Adams
Lincoln
Quincy
Roosevelt
Woodbridge

2. What is your position?

Kindergarten
1st grade
2nd grade
3rd grade
4th grade
5th grade
Special Education
Specialist
Administrator
Other
3. Of the students who participated in Summer Stretch, did you notice a difference in the
skills/learning maintained from the previous years grade level? If yes, please indicate
which subject areas were impacted (check all that apply).
Yes
Reading
Writing
Math
No
Comments:

4. Which component(s) of Summer Stretch do you think were most beneficial to students?
Completing reading minutes
Math review pages

 Extension Activities
Online Activities
Other: (please explain)

4.

Did Summer Stretch allow you to spend fewer days re-teaching the previous years
content at the beginning of this school year?
Yes
No
Please explain:

6.

When considering the students in your classroom, do you think that the results of
Summer Stretch are worth the time and effort that students/families put into
completing the summer homework?
Yes
No
Please explain:

7.

Do you think that the results of Summer Stretch are worth the time and effort that
you, as a classroom teacher, put into distributing, collecting, and recording the
summer homework?
Yes
No
Please explain:

8. Do you think the incentives offered this summer (ex: frozen yogurt/laser tag coupons
for participants) made a difference for student motivation?
yes
no
What other incentives might you suggest?
9. We are considering organizing activities throughout the summer where students could
touch base with staff to get any help they might need and/or participate in fun learning
activities. Would you be interested in helping?
yes
no
What ideas might you have for such activities?
10. What else do you think could be done to improve Summer Stretch?

Summer Stretch Parent Survey

Summer Stretch has been happening in ZPS for three years now with positive results. A new team has
been assembled to take at look at the future of the program and we need YOU! What are the positives
that you have seen in the program and what do you think could make it even better? Please take a
moment to complete the following survey:

1. Which elementary building does your child attend?

New Groningen
Adams
Lincoln
Quincy
Roosevelt
Woodbridge
2. What grade level(s) did your children begin this fall?
Kindergarten
1st grade
2nd grade
3rd grade
4th grade
5th grade
3. Which Summer Stretch Option(s) have you participated in over the past three
years?
Summer Stretch Reading /Math Booklet
Summer Experience Journal
Book Club
Online Learning (Moby Max, RAZ Kids, ThinkStretch Reading Club)
Thinkstretch purchased workbook
4. Which component(s) of Summer Stretch do you think were most beneficial to
your child?
Completing reading minutes
Math review pages
Extension Activities
Online Activities
Other: (please explain)
5. When did your children complete Summer Stretch?
Quickly at the beginning of the summer

 As designed - a little bit each week for 8 weeks

Quickly at the end of the summer
My children did not complete Summer Stretch
6. In your opinion, did Summer Stretch help your children maintain skills and
knowledge from the previous year, helping them get off to a successful start this
school year? If yes, please indicate which subject areas were impacted (check all that
apply.)
Yes
Reading
Writing
Math
No
Comments
7. Did your family find the incentives offered last summer helpful?
(ex: frozen yogurt, laser tag coupon give-aways)
Yes
No
What other incentives would you suggest to motivate your child?
8. What suggestions can you offer to make Summer Stretch more enjoyable and/or
impactful for your child?

Summer Stretch Parent Survey Results

Summer Stretch Staff Survey Results