How to Fight Summer Slide
School’s almost out! As days get longer, children all around the country are eagerly waiting for the summer break to come. But did you know that on average, American children lose one month of their math and reading skills during the summer?
Make sure your children read this summer, or they could lose grade-level equivalency.
LONGER BREAKS MEAN WORSE GRADES
Many educators and parents are too familiar with the phenomenon known as the “Summer Slide”. During long summer holidays, kids break with the formal learning environment and experience learning loss. The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) estimates that children can lose up to 2.5 months of grade-level equivalency in math, and up to 2 months of hard-earned reading skills. According to their research, students score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer break than they do on the same tests in the spring.
Although children generally show progress during the school year, the summer slide and the learning losses threaten academic progression. What’s worse is the cumulative nature of this effect: children lose skills after every school year, and the gap between students widens.
WHO DOESN’T EXPERIENCE SUMMER SLIDE?
Although children from different environments do not show differences in terms of learning capacity at school, the summer loss strongly correlates to social and economical variables. According to the NSLA, students from low-income families lose the most progress. However, middle income students show no learning skills loss after summer! Why is that? A report by the Afterschool Alliance found the gap widens between students who can afford camps or other reading programs and others who cannot. Kids who keep reading and learning in the summer do not experience summer learning loss; on the contrary, higher income students even make reading progress during summer!
Reading during summer break helps kids fight the summer slide. According to First Book, a non-profit dedicated to giving books to children, children who read during summer show tremendous progress and score much higher than kids who don’t on academic tests.
NEWS-O-MATIC KEEPS STUDENTS ENGAGED DURING THE SUMMER
At News-O-Matic, we believe that an engaging and interactive learning experience inspires kids to read on a daily basis. We think reading should be fun!
To help your kids read through the summer, News-O-Matic has engaging stories, wacky reports, and the features we know kids love. There is the Read To Me function, the games, and the News Room, where kids get to communicate with Russ, our Editor-in-Chief!
Stay tuned for more on how to keep your children reading through summer!