Summer Learning Loss...........You CAN Prevent It!!!
Families bristle at the idea of making children study over the
summer, but the research is clear. The loss of learning over the summer
is real and it is significant. Ask any school teacher about Summer
Learning Loss and you will find out the the first four to six weeks of a
new school year is spent bringing students back to where they were at
the end of the previous school year. Imagine how much more progress
children would make if they didn't lose vital skills over the summer.
Here are just a few facts about Summer Learning Loss.
* Students
score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than at the
beginning of summer. This is most relevant to high school students who
will take critical SAT or ACT tests in the fall. Fall PSAT scores are
used as the initial screen for National Merit Scholarships, a big reason
why so many students seek summer tutoring for these tests.
*
Students lost about two months of math skills and one month of spelling
skills over the summer. Kids who don't read over the summer see
similar losses in reading skills. The worst part is, those losses
accumulate and follow the student into college and beyond.
*
Parents play a key role in filling the gaps over the summer - as our
savvy College Nannies & Tutors parents already know. They take
their children to the library, give them reading lists and provide
workbooks in math. This certainly helps, but won't make up for a child
who has fallen behind in science, math or reading.
So,
what can we do about it? Summer is a great time for students who have
struggled in a specific subject to get the help needed to hit the ground
running in the fall. There are fewer distractions in the summer and
some focused attention on specific concepts can go a long way towards
ensuring a student's mastery and confidence. This time of year, College
Tutors actively engages students in our summer tutoring programs
including one-on-one subject specific tutoring, SAT and ACT prep, and
our exclusive Summer Academy programs.
Want to know more about how we can help this summer? Give us a call at 770-237-8535 or send an email to ahendry@collegetutors.com.
Tammy Osier
10:02 am on Friday, June 1, 2012
I am a grandmother of 6 - 4 of which are school age. This will be our second summer holding our "Nannie's Best Book Club Ever!" Each child "hosts" a book club in their home or place of their choosing (one was held at Border Books) and offers food, snacks and door prizes. One granddaughter has a pool in her neighborhood, so had a pool party afterwards, etc... For now, they are giving oral reports. How they do it depends on age. The four year old told everyone what the book was about and why he liked it. Then there's a question and answer session. The oldest talked about the plot and why she likes certain types of books. We can modify as they get older (essays and such). All I know is that all year long they count the days down to the book club!
Kim Roberto
7:16 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
Wow- what a wonderful idea!! As a speech/language pathologist and HUGE reading advocate I commend this idea and will have to tell others about it. I have seen speech skills decrease during the summer since many parents just don't think good verbal skills are a priority, or "baby talk" is cute, or various other reasons why they can't reinforce what the child has learned in speech therapy throughout the school year. It sometimes seems like I am starting from scratch come July when school starts up. Kudos to you!!
Sharon Swanepoel
7:39 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
Tammy, that really is such a cool idea! I seem to remember seeing a photograph of one of those once! I need to find a way to combine ideas like that in a story for people to share. Summer can be long for everyone - the little ones and their parents.
DeNita McGuinn
8:27 pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012
Tammy, I love your idea! We have talked about hosting summer reading sessions in our learning center, right now our learning center manager is compiling the summer reading lists for schools in the area. On a personal level, I am going to read the same books my rising 7th and 9th graders are reading this summer so we can discuss them.
Kim - there are so many little things parents can do to at least keep children on track. Correcting speech patterns, using math in every day situations, etc. I am sure as a professional you are very challenged to reteach skills from previous years.