The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts received a $26,235 grant to develop and implement the Summer Acceleration Academy from the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, Arkansas State University and the Arkansas Out of School Network.
ASMSA’s Summer Acceleration Academy will provide online learning in STEM disciplines that work to eliminate opportunity gaps that exist for students in districts across the state which limit their pathways to advanced science and math coursework.
Courses will include geometry, trigonometry, economics and computer science and serve about 125 students Students will earn full high school credit for the courses and be better positioned to take advantage of advanced opportunities later in high school such as Advanced Placement courses while also increasing their readiness for college and access to STEM-based careers.
By offering rigorous and meaningful courses over the summer, students not only can accelerate their learning but also participate in intellectual opportunities that stave off learning loss. The grant is potentially renewable for an additional two years based on program outcomes.
“ASMSA is excited to leverage our experience and expertise in digital learning to add the Summer Acceleration Academy to our slate of outreach programs that will benefit young Arkansans throughout the state in 2022,” said ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice. “An overlooked means of addressing learning loss amid the pandemic is goal-setting and acceleration. It’s important to not only address students’ immediate needs but also help propel them forward to future learning.”
The grant is part of American Rescue Plan ESSER III federal relief funding that was allocated to mitigate student learning loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and support social emotional development, according to a release from the Arkansas Out of School Network. (ASON). The initiative awarded $5.2 million to 44 afterschool, summer and extended-year learning programs across the state.
Awardees included school districts and community-based partnership programs such as public libraries, nonprofit organizations, career and technical programs, faith-based organizations and institutions of higher learning. Each awardee submitted grant applications that described how they would utilize grant awards to address the academic impact of lost instructional time on student learning through evidence-based summer programs and comprehensive afterschool programs.
“There is no doubt the pandemic has impacted student learning, but in order to assist students who have been affected the most, unified efforts of support are essential,” Dr. Ivy Pfeffer, DESE deputy commissioner, said. “These federal funds will help us build that support, as key educators, communities, and faith-based organizations will partner to accelerate student learning. Our students deserve the best despite the challenges we have faced, and these programs will reinforce the commitment and dedication to student learning we have seen over the last year-and-a-half. I am excited to see the positive impact of these programs in the future.”
“Even before the pandemic disrupted all aspects of student life, Arkansas struggled to meet the demand for afterschool and summer learning programs,” said Laveta Wills-Hale, network director of the Arkansas Out of School Network. “For every child in an afterschool program in Arkansas, three more are waiting to get in. The same is true for summer learning programs. In 2019, more than 26,000 additional children would have been enrolled in a program if one were available to them. We will continue working tirelessly to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic and to ensure all children have access to quality afterschool and summer learning programs. This funding is a critical resource to communities and programs across our state, and we are grateful to the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for their partnership.”
ASMSA has served as a leader in distance learning since 1999. Currently, the STEM Pathways initiative provides distance learning opportunities in computer science and biology with the development of a statistics program in the future. In addition to offering courses for students, STEM Pathways includes professional development opportunities for educators across the state. The program is serving more than 2,000 students and educators in Arkansas in the 2021-22 academic year.