The Academic Core of Summer Journey

While Summer Journey is designed to up to 168 hours of full-day summer programming, it can be customized to fit a district’s academic and scheduling needs. Each day of our summer school academics emphasizes cooperative, project-based learning, cultivating in a discovery process in which students pursue their curiosity, think critically, and take initiative in their learning.

New & Revised Core Curriculum Offerings

In 2015, Summer Journey’s curriculum team began a revision of the program’s core academic courses. The goal of these revisions is to ensure that the content in our academic courses is both current and relevant to today’s students. This year, the team is updating 12 courses, and by summer 2020, all of the core academic curriculum will be new, revised, and rewritten to align to the Missouri Learning Standards and provide more hands-on learning experiences for all students.

Assessment Gains Graph

Assessment Gains

In 2021, Summer Journey students made 8% gains in math and 13% gains in reading.

Core Curriculum: Grade-by-Grade

Students entering Kindergarten through grade 8 engage in an academically challenging curriculum during the morning session of Summer Journey.

Students getting ready for Kindergarten participate in a theme-based integrated curriculum of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. For those students entering first grade, the Early Learner Language Arts and Investigations programs include interactive lessons focusing on the reading and writing process and curriculum that combines math and science. For students entering grades 2–8, core academic courses are spread over four morning periods and include daily reading, language arts, math, and science or social studies courses. These core courses—developed for Primary, Elementary, and Intermediate levels—are aligned to Missouri Learning Standards and focus on student engagement through interactive, project-based lessons. Instructional Intervention for Struggling Learners.

For high school students, Summer Journey offers high school courses that can be a stand-alone program, or pair with local courses. This unique combination provides a quality summer school without comprising local requirements and preferences.

Instructional Intervention Options

At no extra charge, districts can select math and reading intervention courses to ensure that struggling learners close the achievement gap while increasing students’ self-confidence and motivation to learn. Districts can choose courses designed to support their struggling learners with systematic and explicit instruction that’s tailored to the unique needs of each student. Built on sound research and instructional best practices, our Achieve™ Intervention programs provide students with targeted instruction that reinforces essential math and reading skills while increasing students’ self-confidence and motivation to learn.

Stride Academy, an online learning program component that combines video lessons and skills practice. With Stride Academy, students earn the opportunity to choose from a series of engaging edugames designed to reward progress and reinforce learning.

Summer Journey

At a Glance.

Our Summer Journey program was developed for Missouri students and has been used by Missouri school districts since 2000.

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  • Over 30,500 Students
  • 50+ School Districts
  • State Funded
  • 120 Course Options
  • Up to 168 Program Hours
  • Transportation Provided
  • Reading & Math Interventions Available
  • Blended Learning Available