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To: Superintendents, Charter School Leaders, K-12 Public Information Officers
From: Dr. Charlene Williams, Director of the Oregon Department of Education
Date: March 18, 2024
Re: 2024 Summer Learning Update
Dear Education Leaders,
The Oregon Department of Education is immensely grateful to the Governor for her leadership and to the legislature for passing HB 4082, which creates a $30 million investment for summer learning in 2024 and a roadmap for long-term, sustainable funding in the future.
It is this spirit of partnership that has always been the hallmark of our educational community in Oregon and is more important now than ever before.
Maximizing Resources
While the allocated funds for summer learning in 2024 are limited, we must be committed to finding innovative ways to meet the diverse and urgent needs of students in Oregon at this moment. Recognizing this, we are encouraging districts to consider blending and braiding local, state, and federal funding sources to bolster comprehensive summer learning experiences.
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ESSER Funds: Available through September 2024, these federal dollars offer districts the opportunity to allocate resources towards summer learning. Many districts have already incorporated summer learning into their ESSER III District Plans, while others may update plans as needed. Districts have flexibility in how they utilize ESSER III dollars as long as expenditures align with legal requirements. Refer to the ESSER III Eligible Uses of Funds document for a comprehensive list of eligible expenses.
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Title I-A, IC, T-III, IV-B, and other ESEA Funds: These funds can be utilized to support summer learning initiatives, particularly for specific populations and purposes. Additionally, IDEA funds can contribute to IDEA Extended School Year programs.
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SSA Student Investment Account Funds: These funds can also be leveraged to support summer learning initiatives, particularly with extending instructional learning time.
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Summer Learning Best Practice Guide: This guide offers detailed insights into braiding and blending across State and Federal funding streams, along with supplement not supplant (SNS) considerations (p. 29-33).
Additionally, summer learning opportunities can be enhanced through community partnership. We recommend identifying which community partners and tribal governments in your region have trusted relationships with student groups and their families, particularly in pre-kindergarten through third grade and at pivotal points of transition to middle and high school. Collaborating with families, community organizations, tribal governments, local governments including public libraries, and other entities will amplify the impact of this work.
Moreover, employing data-driven strategies to identify assets and needs, monitor progress, and adjust approaches is critical to ensuring our efforts are as effective as possible. We recommend reviewing your local data and identifying the student groups who experience opportunity gaps in early literacy.
HB 4082 Summer Learning Grants
ODE is swiftly mobilizing efforts to establish the 2024 Summer Learning grants made possible through HB 4082. Our objective is to promptly notify eligible districts of their award status by early next week.
For more information about HB 4082, we invite you to join us for an informational webinar where we will delve into the legislation, provide a broad overview of the program, and answer any questions you may have.
Thursday, March 21, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Zoom Link to register.
Please remember to regularly check the HB 4082 Summer Learning Grant webpage for any new information regarding the implementation of this legislation. This page will serve as a hub for updates, guidance documents, and additional resources. Additionally, the ODE Summer Learning Webpage has an abundance of resources to support summer learning planning and implementation.
Summer Counts
It's widely recognized that summer learning is crucial for providing students with vital educational opportunities which help to accelerate learning rates and content retention, in addition to providing opportunities for students to connect with their peers and sustain their enthusiasm for learning. Evidence-based practices and research on summer and after-school learning consistently demonstrate the positive impact of high-quality programs on academic achievement, student engagement, and overall well-being, which has a profound influence on academic success. We hope that you are already taking steps to utilize a variety of resources which will offer students the summer learning opportunities they deserve.
I know that you will not relent in your efforts to address unfinished learning and am deeply grateful for your commitment to serving Oregon communities and families.
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