America Scores Cleveland

AMERICA SCORES CLEVELAND INSPIRES URBAN YOUTH TO LEAD HEALTHY LIVES, BE ENGAGED STUDENTS, AND HAVE THE CONFIDENCE AND CHARACTER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.

THOUGH COVID CONTINUED TO IMPACT PROGRAMMING THROUGH-OUT FY22, SCORES WAS ABLE TO RESUME PROGRAMMING, IN-PERSON, ON-SITE AT 12 PARTNER SCHOOLS WITHIN THE CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT. UNDERSTANDING THE UNIQUE, UNPRECEDENT SITUATION, SCORES CONTINUED TO REMAINED FLEXIBLE AND DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING OUR POET- ATHLETES WHILE MAINTAINING A SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT TO PROVIDE QUALITY PROGRAMMING. SCORES DELIVERED 22 WEEKS OF PROGRAMMING, 4 DAYS A WEEK, USING OUR TRI-CURRICULAR APPROACH OF POETRY, SOCCER, AND SERVICE- LEARNING. SCORES ALSO PROVIDED LIMITED POETRY LESSONS VIRTUALLY THROUGH ZOOM AND PARTNERED WITH VARIOUS COMMUNITY AGENCIES TO PROVIDE SUMMER PROGRAMMING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. CORE SOCCER PROGRAMMING FOR GRADES 3-5 POET-ATHLETES PARTICIPATED IN PROGRAMMING AT 10 CMSD SCHOOLS DURING THE FALL AND 12 SCHOOLS DURING THE SPRING. PRACTICES RANGED FROM 60-120 MINUTES AND WERE OFFERED TWO DAYS PER WEEK, ON AVERAGE. ALL COACHES UTILIZED THE AMERICA SCORES SOCCER CURRICULUM. THIS CURRICULUM EMPHASIZES CHARACTER- BUILDING SKILLS SUCH AS LEADERSHIP, TEAMWORK AND COMMITMENT, DAILY LESSONS END WITH DISCUSSION PROMOTING HEALTHY BEHAVIORS, SELF-ESTEEM, GOAL SETTING AND SCHOOL STEWARDSHIP. DURING FY22, APPROXIMATELY 328 STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-5 PARTICIPATED PROGRAMMING. 78% OF CORE PARTICIPANTS SURVEYED AGREE THAT BECAUSE THEY PARTICIPATED IN SCORES, THEY ENGAGE IN HEALTHIER BEHAVIORS. 52% SAW IMPROVED AEROBIC PERFORMANCE. 93% OF CAREGIVERS SURVEYED STATED THEIR CHILD SPENDS MORE TIME EXERCISING BECAUSE OF SCORES.

CORE WRITING PROGRAMMING FOR GRADES 3-5 POET-ATHLETES PARTICIPATED IN PROGRAMMING AT 10 CMSD SCHOOLS DURING THE FALL AND 12 SCHOOLS DURING THE SPRING. POET-ATHLETES MET WITH THEIR WRITING COACHES FOR CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS DURING AFTERSCHOOL HOURS TWO DAYS PER WEEK FOR 22 WEEKS OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. IN THE FALL, POET-ATHLETES WERE ENGAGED IN THE "POWER OF POETRY" CURRICULUM. THE FALL SEASON ENDED WITH A VIRTUAL POETRY SLAM IN WHICH POET-ATHLETES WERE FILMED PERFORMING GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL POEMS WHICH WERE COMPILED INTO A VIDEO THAT WAS SHARED ACROSS ALL SCORES' SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS. THE SPRING WRITING CURRICULUM, "WRITING FOR THE COMMUNITY", FOCUSED ON SERVICE-LEARNING, WHERE POET-ATHLETES SELECTED A COMMUNITY ISSUE AND THEN WORKED AS A TEAM TO IMPLEMENT A SERVICE PROJECT. A TOTAL OF 12 SERVICE PROJECTS WERE COMPLETED. DURING FY22 328 STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-5 PARTICIPATED IN AT LEAST ONE WEEK OF PROGRAMMING. 100% OF CLASSROOM TEACHERS AGREED THAT THE SCORES PROGRAM HELPED IMPROVE OVERALL ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. 62% OF PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED ON THE 6+1 TRAIT WRITING ASSESSMENT FROM PRE TO POST TEST. 97% OF PARTICIPANTS STATED THEY FELT MORE SELF-CONFIDENCE. THE WRITING EVALUATOR SAID "IT WAS SO NICE TO READ SO MANY POEMS ABOUT THE IMPORTANT OF FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND LOVED ONES. STUDENTS SEEMED TO FEEL THANKFUL FOR THE LOVE AND SUPPORT THEY HAVE IN THEIR LIVES. IT WAS HEARTWARMING TO READ".

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING INCLUDED JR. SCORES FOR GRADES 1-2 AND MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR GRADES 6-8, WITH BOTH PROGRAMS RUNNING IN A TOTAL OF 12 SCHOOLS. PRACTICES RANGED FROM 60-120 MINUTES AND WERE OFFERED FOUR DAYS PER WEEK (2 DAYS WRITING/LITERACY, 2 DAYS SOCCER). SUMMER PROGRAMMING WAS HOSTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH VARIOUS NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, THE CMSD SUMMER LEARNING EXPERIENCE, AND THE CITY OF CLEVELAND RECREATION CENTERS IN THE CLEVELAND AREA OVER A FIVE TO TEN-WEEK PERIOD. DURING FY22, APPROXIMATELY 221 STUDENTS WERE ENGAGED IN JR. SCORES FOR AT LEAST ONE DAY OF PROGRAMMING. 96% OF JR. SCORES PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED OR MAINTAINED THE NUMBERS RECOGNIZED ON THEIR DOLCH SIGHT WORD PRE- AND POST- ASSESSMENTS. APPROXIMATELY 78 MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE ENGAGED IN AT LEAST ONE DAY OF SOCCER, WRITING AND SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAMMING. 94% OF 6TH-8TH PARTICIPANTS STATED THAT THE SCORES PROGRAM HELPED THEM DEAL WITH FRUSTRATION IN A POSITIVE WAY AND 83% STATED THE PROGRAM HELPED WITH SELF- CONFIDENCE. DURING THE SUMMER SESSION SCORES SERVED 1,190 1ST-8TH YOUTH IN SUMMER CAMPS ACROSS CLEVELAND. AMERICA SCORES SERVED A TOTAL OF 2,068 CLEVELAND YOUTH DURING FY22.