CIM Academy Summer School: A Report of the Evaluation of the 2000 Summer School.

The Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) Academy summer school in Portland, Oregon, is a public school program that provides additional support to students in grades 5 through 8 who are not meeting state and district standards in reading and mathematics. Summer 2000 was the second year of this program, and this session benefited from the evaluation of the previous year's program. The CIM Academy was held at 8 sites, with 1,136 students participating regularly in the 24-day program. Reading instruction focused on literal and inferential comprehension, and mathematics instruction focused on calculation/estimation and algebraic relationships. Students in all grades received writing instruction or practice. The program evaluation, which included staff interviews and a survey completed by 112 parents, indicated that the CIM Academy was successful in meeting all its goals for summer 2000. The average daily attendance goal of 90% was surpassed with an average daily attendance of 92.5%. Thirty-one percent to 41% of the students below state standards in reading and mathematics moved to a higher achievement category, surpassing the goal of 30% advancement. The CIM Academy helped students improve their academic achievement even beyond the attainment of the summer school goals, with the largest gains made by students who were not yet meeting state and district standards when they started the program. Other benefits included social contact during the summer, a safe summer activity, and the development of supportive relationships with teachers. Recommendations for program improvement center on administrative processes, better teacher training, and better student record keeping. Eight appendixes contain case studies, information about achievement gains, the parent and teacher interview protocols, and supplemental reports. (Contains 7 tables and 18 figures.) (SLD)