Summer Learning with TouchMath

The final weeks of a school year can be very busy! As we wrap up one school year with end-of-year events and assessments, we are also planning for the extended school year (ESY) and other summer learning opportunities.

TouchMath is prepared to support these plans with evidence-based and high-quality instructional resources.

Summer Learning has been in the spotlight since the summer of 2021 as educators address learning gaps. The Learning Policy Institute published a brief in the spring of 2025 summarizing the continuing need for quality summer learning opportunities.

“When students have access to well-implemented summer learning programs, they have the opportunity to improve academic achievement, socialize with peers and trusted adults, and cultivate their emotional and physical well-being during the summer months. These summer experiences matter for addressing opportunity gaps and achievement gaps that exist between students from families with low incomes and those from families with higher incomes.”²

In early spring of 2025, Gallup surveyed district leaders on their opinions and plans surrounding summer learning experiences. This survey was conducted in conjunction with The School Superintendents Association (AASA) and the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA).

Gallup published major findings emphasizing the importance of providing high-quality summer learning experiences for students, specifically at-risk students.

• Summer Programs are important for achieving their district’s goals.
• Superintendents plan to maintain or increase spending on their 2025 summer programs
• Maintaining or improving students’ academic skills is the primary benefit of summer learning programs.
• Ensuring adequate summer learning program opportunities are available is a major concern of most superintendents. 

TouchMath is your trusted partner in providing high-quality instruction during summer learning! Read on to see how each tool supports your summer learning goals.

TouchMath

Components

Instruction: Targeting Essential Learning Skills (Standards)

• Teacher Facilitated: Modeling, Guided Practice, Individual Practice
• Independent Practice: Intervention aligned to state standards

While each summer learning program adheres to its own schedule, the learning activities included in TouchMath Extend offer a targeted approach that facilitates effective remediation, culminating in a marked improvement in overall math proficiency.

A schedule for the mathematics section of a ½ day (3 hours) program is shown below. This sample includes 60 minutes daily for math.

The TouchMath team identified essential foundational mathematics skills for students to work on during the summer. These skills were identified using the following criteria:

Endurance

• Knowledge and skills of value beyond a single test date.
• Example: Skip Counting – while this concept begins with teacher modeling and physical representations, it continues to be relevant as students build their understanding of number patterns and eventually multiples.

Leverage

• Knowledge and skills of value in multiple disciplines or domains
• Example: Estimating and Rounding Numbers – Extends beyond computation to applications such as place value, measuring or approximating length, and understanding exponents.

Readiness for the next level of learning

• Knowledge and skills necessary for success in the next grade level or the next level of instruction.
• Example: Place Value of Whole Numbers - This skill builds from building sets of 10 in kindergarten and 1st grade, rounding to the nearest ten or hundred in primary grades, and writing multidigit numbers in expanded or word form in upper elementary grades.

TouchMath Extend Structure

• 60 Lessons – Addressing Multiple Domains
• Supports Flexible Grouping by Need

The table below summarizes the essential skills by Mathematical Domain