New archdiocesan online learning program helps stave off ‘summer slide’

A new summer learning program in the Archdiocese of Baltimore aims to prevent the educational slide that normally comes during summer vacation, and has been compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.

The at-home learning program focuses on English/language arts and mathematics. Catholic school students, students starting at an archdiocesan school in the fall and a small group of public school students signed up for the pilot program, at no expense. 

Eric Watts, chief academic officer of the Department of Catholic Schools, said the idea was inspired by a conversation among educators. Students across Maryland had been learning from home since March, when school campuses closed to stem the spread of COVID-19. (The Department of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore plans to resume classroom instruction Aug. 31.)

“We acknowledge the learning loss of a typical summer and we’re concerned about the learning loss currently taking place because of COVID-19,” Watts said.

“Summer slide” occurs when students fail to retain information and skills they acquired during the regular school year. Educators are concerned it will be greater due to the pandemic, and Watts said he approached the archdiocese to create the program to lessen that possibility.

Once approval was received, the program came together quickly.

“We put together an almost 800-person school with kids from all over in about a month,” Watts said. “It’s designed to be fun and engaging but also be the bridge into the new academic year.”

Teachers create a lesson on the week’s topic. Students watch a video before completing an independent activity. Teachers and students meet midweek as a class by video conference to discuss the lesson and activity. The next week’s lesson is created and uploaded to the learning platform on Fridays. 

Teachers and students are in the fourth week of the six-week program.

The program’s teachers are drawn from across the archdiocese, Watts said. Many of the program’s instructors have been teacher of the year at their respective schools.

“Kids from all over the place are getting access to these high-quality teachers,” he said. 

Emily Alos is a second-grade teacher at the School of the Incarnation in Gambrills. This summer she is teaching sixth-grade math. Working with students in the program has been exciting, Alos said. She has four sections and about 100 students.

“It’s been good to interact with students from different areas and to see their personalities,” Alos said. “I hope I can give them the push to be more confident for the grade they’re going into.

“School of the Incarnation did a wonderful job from March to June,” Alos said about this spring’s at-home learning. “I wanted something to carry through the summer, to keep me productive.”

Her students, too, want to be involved and continue learning.

“A lot of them are on the Zoom meeting before I get there,” Alos said. “They’re interested and eager to learn. They’re craving that interaction they’re not getting outside of home.”

Siblings Patrick and Sarah Wagner are taking part in the summer learning program. Patrick will be entering seventh grade and Sarah will be in fifth grade at St. Joseph School in Cockeysville.

“I like this program a lot,” Patrick said. “I like there’s not too much work and it helps me retain information.”

Patrick likes how his math teacher breaks down the math problems. Sarah likes the themes each week, the activities based on those themes and how the lessons unfold.

“I can do them at my own pace. I can do them at any time and still do fun summer activities,” said Sarah, who also appreciates the chance for a new perspective on what she’s learning. “It teaches some things you’ve already learned, but with different teachers. I like that.”

Laura Wagner said she enrolled her children as soon as she learned of the summer learning program. She’s been impressed with the first two weeks of education.

“I was honestly worried about what they learned and retained over the three months that they were doing all online learning,” Wagner said. “It would reinforce what they learned during the online school. It’s solidifying what they’ve learned so they’re ready to for the fall.”

If the program is offered again next summer, Wagner said she plans to enroll Patrick and Sarah again.

Watts said the learning program is already showing promise as a summer education program in the future.

“It’s highly likely that we’ll offer it again next year,” he said. “The responses I’ve gotten to this program have been so positive.”

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