The Fall NWEA Reading assessment program has announced that 30 children who attended a winter academic camp achieved greater growth in scores when compared to their peers who did not attend the camp.

Wayland Union Schools offered their first academic winter camp during winter break this year for students in grades K-3 who were slightly behind their peers. The camp was offered Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon for two weeks during the winter break.

After getting results back from the NWEA, Director of Instruction Theresa Fulk said, “This growth demonstrates that additional assistance and support provided at the two-week academic camp helped students improve in their reading and catch up to their same grade peers.”

NWEA assessments measure growth in math, reading and language use. The district also is piloting the NWEA science assessment at Wayland Middle School. Wayland Union Schools measures student growth three times a year in grades K-8, which provides immediate feedback to teachers and students and allows teachers to make adjustments to instruction.

A similar camp will be offered again during spring break as well a traditional summer learning program.