Introduction LitCamp is a summer literacy and enrichment program for students in Grades kindergarten–8. 6 LitCamp combines reading and writing texts and lessons with an engaging summer camp approach. Through reading, writing, listening, and speaking, LitCamp aims to strengthen students’ literacy skills and affinity for books. Additionally, LitCamp builds students’ social-emotional skills around what the program refers to as “the 7 strengths”—belonging, curiosity, friendship, kindness, confidence, courage, and hope—by incorporating these concepts into LitCamp texts and lessons.
Scholastic Research & Validation partnered with RMC Research to conduct a third-party evaluation of Scholastic Presents LitCamp to answer the following research questions:
1. How did students’ reading knowledge change as a result of their exposure to LitCamp?
2. How did students’ reading behaviors and attitudes toward reading change as a result of their exposure to LitCamp?
3. How did teachers perceive LitCamp?
4. What did LitCamp implementation look like in practice?
Additionally, the evaluation examined the effects LitCamp had on a subsample of students and their families. 7
To address these questions, the evaluation team collaborated with Schenectady City School District in New York, which enrolls nearly 10,000 students in 11 elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. 8 The district website reports that the student population is culturally diverse with more than 30 languages represented and that 79% of students come from economically disadvantaged homes. The district first implemented LitCamp in 2017 as part of its Summer Enrichment Program that historically has served up to 1,100 students in Grades kindergarten–6. This 4-week program operates Monday through Friday for 10 hours per day; LitCamp is embedded into each day for approximately two hours, serving as the primary literacy instruction component.
6 Grade corresponds to grade level completed in the spring. 7 See the Case Study titled, "How LitCamp Positively Impacted Students’ Literacy & Social-emotional Learning” at http://scholastic.com/research. 8 Retrieved from: http://www.schenectady.k12.ny.us/about_us/enrollment (October 2018)
LITCAMP EVALUATION IN SCHENECTADY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 5
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