The Idaho Out-of-School Network (ION) contracted the Utah Education Policy Center to evaluate the Idaho Community Programs for Youth (ICPfY) grant. The grant aimed to enhance out-of-school programs by improving access, quality, and equity, with a focus on academic and social-emotional learning for students most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Idaho Out-of-School Network (ION), Idaho Commission for Libraries, and Idaho STEM Action Center coordinated, developed, and delivered grant programs to expand opportunities for a wide range of OST initiatives. This brief summarizes evaluation findings from the Idaho Commission for Libraries’ OST Programs for the 2022-23 School Year.
Idaho Out-of-School Network (ION), Idaho Commission for Libraries, and Idaho STEM Action Center coordinated, developed, and delivered grant programs to expand opportunities for a wide range of OST initiatives to invest in Idaho's youth.
The Idaho Out-of-School Network (ION), Idaho Commission for Libraries, and Idaho STEM Action Center formed a unique partnership to support out-of-school time (OST) programs aimed at addressing lost school time and unfinished learning for youth in Idaho. With funding from the ESSER III (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) grant under the American Rescue Plan, administered by the Idaho State Board of Education, the three agencies coordinated to create and deliver grant programs for various types of OST initiatives. The work was commissioned to assess the value and impact of these programs.
UEPC identified associations between teachers’ goals for students’ math software use and teachers’ perceptions of the value of software, in partnership with STEM Action Center.
Along with our partners as STEM Action Center, UEPC looked at the associations between student attitudes toward math and math learning software use.
This research brief, prepared in partnership with STEM Action Center, looks at associations between math learning software usage and personalized, competency-based instructional strategies.
In partnership with STEM Action Center, UEPC shares best practices for math blended learning environments based on teacher and student survey data.
UEPC’s study compared the reading achievement of a sample of Utah’s FDK and HDK students who started kindergarten between 2015 and 2017. Results highlight the impact of FDK on reading achievement during kindergarten, and suggest a need to provide continued, targeted support to sustain students’ academic progress through third grade.
This report was prepared for the STEM Action Center in support of the K-12 Math Personalized Learning Software Grant Program. The results of this quasi-experimental study suggest that Utah students who, on average, used IXL for 20 minutes or more per week in 2020-2021 performed better on statewide math assessments than students who did not use IXL. This finding is consistent with IXL’s implementation fidelity and usage recommendations which indicate that, for “optimal usage,” students should reach proficiency in at least two skills per week.