Evaluator: Chaplin, D., Goodyear, L., Huang, D., Little, P., & Miller, B. BELL’s national Evaluation Advisory Board, with representation from five different evaluation organizations.

Evaluation Methods: Student and staff related outcomes were collected using pre- and post-program surveys of students, teachers, and parents. Additionally, the fourth edition of the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (SDRT-IV) and the fourth edition of the Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test (SDMT-IV) were administered to all participants in grades 2-8 at the beginning and end of programming.

Evaluation Type: Non-experimental

Summary of Outcomes: The evaluation found that Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) summer program participants made significant gains in reading and math. Overall, BELL Summer program participants gained an average of 5.8 months of reading skills and 6.7 months of math skills. Elementary school participants gained an average of four months in reading skills and 4.9 months in math skills from the beginning to the end of program.

Greater gains were made by students who performed even further below grade level than their peers in the program. Middle school student participants who were further below grade level than their elementary school peers saw gains that translated into more than seven months of skills gained, where they gained 7.2 months of reading skills, and 7.5 months of math skills. Parents and teachers surveyed also agreed that BELL improved students’ reading and math skills, with more than 5 in 6 parents reporting that the program improved students’ reading (85 percent) and math (85 percent) skills, and roughly 5 in 6 teachers reporting that the program improved students’ reading and math skills (83 percent and 85 percent, respectively).

Teacher and parent surveys also asked about the program’s impact on students’ self-efficacy, engagement, and behavior. Eighty-eight percent of teachers reported BELL improved scholars’ self-confidence, 90 percent indicated scholars improved in their ability to express their ideas, 89 percent indicated scholars improved in their ability to work in groups, and 77 percent reported that scholars were better at self-control. Additionally, 88 percent of parents reported that the program improved their child’s attitude toward learning and 87 percent reported that the program improved their child’s attitude toward school. Ninety-two percent of parents indicated they would enroll their child in BELL again, and 95 percent would recommend it to other parents.

Date Added: November 3, 2016