As CPS elementary students continue to beat national averages for math and reading, Mayor Emanuel and CPS announced that a record low number of elementary school students in need of summer school remediation has dropped by 46 percent in four years. With more students meeting or exceeding key academic benchmarks than ever before, this summer 5,902 students needed summer school, down from 10,986 in 2014 when CPS adopted the current grade promotion policy. Summer Bridge and Summer Acceleration programs are designed to provide students with additional support in reading and math if they are struggling to meet crucial academic benchmarks in grades 3, 6 and 8, as outlined in CPS’ Elementary Promotion Policy. Key indicators such as NWEA scores and grades are used to determine if a student is in a position to succeed in the next grade level, or if they need additional support over the summer. The number of students requiring summer learning opportunities has been on a downward trend for several years, indicating that more CPS students are excelling at reading and math. In the 2016-27 school year, a record 61.4 percent of students met or exceeded the national testing average in reading and 55.9 percent of students met or exceeded the average in math, marking the fifth year in a row that CPS students have met or exceeded national averages. Currently, CPS is also in the process of developing district-curriculum and sequencing aligned to Common Core standards.