Summer Learning Loss: It’s Real and You Can Stop It!

After the school year has ended, most kids want to play for the summer and forget about the classroom. Ignoring educational opportunities when school is out, however, can have negative consequences resulting in summer learning loss.
Summer Learning
Loss Facts*
All young people experience learning loss when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. On average, children’s test scores are at least one month lower when they return to school in the fall than scores when they left in the spring. Summer learning loss is more pronounced in math. On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months.
The Impact of Summer Learning Loss*
Teachers spend the first 6-8 weeks of a new school year re-teaching material to students that was lost during the summer months. A summer learning loss of 3 months in the elementary grades becomes a gap of 18 months by the end of 6th grade. By middle school, this is a loss of 2 or more years in reading achievement.
5 Action Steps for
Summer Learning
Keep children’s minds sharp throughout the entire year by taking the following steps to prevent summer learning loss from becoming a reality for your child.
Stock up on learning materials: books, games, flash cards, art supplies
Get involved in summer learning: include them in household activities, pay attention to their questions and comments, follow current events
Calculate math into the equation: engage in math related activities, practice making estimations, measuring distance or quantities
Enroll your child in an educational program: find a program that helps students catch up or get ahead while building their confidence
Dive into your community: library, museums, parks, zoos, local events
*(Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J., & Greathouse, S., 1996. The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores. Review of Educational Research.)
If you want your child to avoid summer learning loss, call KnowledgePoints at (508) 231-8787 to learn more about summer enrichment programs.