The BELL Summer Experience

Fast Facts

The BELL Summer program is a full-day learning experience that combines rigorous academic instruction with fun and hands-on enrichment activities, field trips, and service projects. The program is designed to help scholars gain new academic skills and prepare to enter school in the fall ready to excel. BELL's team works closely with school and district partners to align teaching and learning with local priorities.

A day at BELL Summer starts with a healthy breakfast and community-building events. Scholars then transition into classrooms, where certified teachers and trained teachers' assistants lead small-group instruction in literacy and math. BELL's staff use research-based curricula aligned to Common Core standards, and apply data from standardized diagnostic tests and skills-based quizzes to target instruction on scholars' unique learning needs.

After lunch, scholars rotate through a series of enrichment courses with themes including STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), creative arts, and health & exercise. Examples of courses include robotics, digital music production, creative writing, drama, tennis, character development, and financial literacy.

Fridays in BELL Summer are "Mentor Fridays," which include an array of field trips to a local museum, universities, parks, or other fun destinations, as well as guest speakers and community service projects.

Click here for independent evidence of BELL Summer's impact on scholar performance.

Click here for evaluation results from BELL Summer programs.

Click here to see photos of BELL Summer in action!

6.5 - 8

Days per Week

5

5 - 6

Up to 240

8,756

Grade-equivalent Gains Grade-equivalent gains are an important indicator of student success in the summer because they provide an absolute measure of growth about how much a student has progressed up the proficiency ladder at a time when most children are not engaged in structured learning activities., Reading