Excerpt from LJ Works, February 27, 2020:
You know that practice makes perfect – so what happens when you don’t practice for an extended period of time? Many students view summer vacation as a time to completely separate from academic pursuits. While taking a break is important to avoid burnout, doing so may cause your child to fall victim to summer slide.
What is Summer Slide?
Summer slide (or summer learning loss) is a term used to describe the effects of summer vacation on student learning, specifically the decline of a student’s academic skills and difficulty transitioning back into the classroom environment. Every year, parents find themselves in a struggle between how to combat the summer slide while still giving their children the break they need to return to school feeling refreshed and ready to learn.
A 1996 review of 39 different studies serves as the foundational research on summer slide. The review found that students lose about one month’s worth of education during the summer, as determined by Fall vs. Spring test scores. In addition, the review found that the effects of summer learning loss were more significant on math than reading, and the negative effects of summer break proved more detrimental with increase in student grade level.
More recent analysis points out that summer activities of that research period (the 1970’s and 80’s) were largely different than they are today. This is important because the review found that the impact of summer learning loss was affected by the opportunities students had to practice their academic skills during the summer. Advances in technology mean that students have greater access to information, practice materials, etc. – which is good news for you and your child!
Summer Learning Programs:
A structured summer learning program led by academic professionals is one surefire way to make sure your child doesn’t succumb to summer slide. Mastery Learning Academy is offering affordable Summer Learning Camp! There are three 3-week summer sessions for K-6th graders beginning June 7th. Students will have daily math and language arts practice as well as STEM activities and art projects. Each 3-week session is $350. Parents may also choose a weekly drop-in for $150/week (according to availability).
Here is the session schedule:
Session One: June 7 – June 24th (off June 28 – July 1st)
Session Two: July 5th – July 22nd (off July 26 – 29th)
Session Three: August 2nd – 26th (off August 30th – September 3rd)
To register your child, please visit: https://www.masterylearningacademy.org/book-online
Citation: https://ljlearningworks.com/summer-slide-the-importance-of-learning-during-summer/
