With these funds I will... accelerate students learning by pre-teaching next year's standards during summer Step Up Academy. This approach to summer school accelerates students in just a few weeks by pre-teaching next year’s Common Core Standards. StepUP Academy® was designed to benefit all students, especially English learners, with effective lesson design and delivery strategies.

Schools benefit too – the training and frequent interactive coaching sessions between teachers and DataWORKS’ consultants during Academies accelerate successful implementation of Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) that carries into the Fall and on through teachers’ careers. 

This academy will be conducted during the 2016 summer to pre-teach next year’s standards to cover pertinent grade-level content during the school year. Teachers are supported through daily classroom coaching and debriefing sessions with a DataWORKS consultant.

Teachers use pre-written READY TO TEACH Explicit Direct Instruction® (EDI®) lessons aligned to standards with proven, research-based instructional practices that consistently engage all students, especially English learners. Research has found that teacher-centered direct instruction is more effective and efficient, especially for struggling students and English learners. DataWORKS built upon this approach, developing and refining its own specific version of direct instruction, called Explicit Direct Instruction. Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) is a strategic collection of instructional practices that have been developed to support teachers with tools to achieve the goal of 90% of students mastering 90% or better on grade-level content. 

• Participating teachers are trained in the foundational Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) to Teach Core Standards Workshop (2 days recommended).
• Following the Workshop, teachers participate in Common Core Lesson Demonstration training with gentle, interactive coaching from a DataWORKS consultant in classrooms with students. Teachers identify and practice the components and strategies that go into the design and delivery of an effective EDI lesson. Some districts/schools opt for additional Common Core Lesson Design training (learning to write effective EDI lessons).
• Shortly before the Academy begins, teachers are taught how to facilitate the Academy; this Academy Training (1 day) also reinforces previous EDI training.
• Students and teachers receive kits with a custom-paced Academy program including READY TO TEACH  Common Core EDI® lessons and other materials.  Student materials provided include a whiteboard, dry-erase marker, eraser cloth, pencil, and student lesson booklet. Students do not have homework.
• After daily lessons, the Academy teachers, site coaches, and DataWORKS consultants debrief and discuss challenges and successes and plan for the next instructional day. Administrators are encouraged to attend as much of the Academy training as possible in order to support long-term implementation and build “local capacity.”

Summer Academies are ideal as 2- to 4-week sessions, with 4 hours of total instruction per day.

Academy instructional content can be a ratio of Math and ELA instruction time or just Math or just ELA.

English Academies

• Address Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary standards focusing on expository text and academic English.
• Have daily oral reading fluency practice.
• Have daily academic vocabulary development. Extensive listening and speaking  so students understand, pronounce, and read new words.

Math Academies

• Focus on high leverage standards.
• Math Academies include daily “math fluency” in math facts and integer rules.

Researcher discussing Data Works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLugHcOskSI 

Back Up Plan