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The summer slide is a phenomenon that many children experience over the summer months. Most children lose 20-30% of what they learn from the school year during summer – leaving teachers (and parents) to reteach much of that content. Parents need to be aware of ways to prevent this, as it can affect their child’s academic performance in the coming school year.
The summer slide, also known as summer learning loss, is a common phenomenon that has been around since the mid-90s. The concept is based on a comprehensive study that found some children lose significant knowledge in reading and math over the summer break. As a result, this setback would snowball in the subsequent school year, causing a learning gap.
Although learning loss affects all children, some demographics are more vulnerable than others. One study suggests that children in 3rd to 5th grade lose, on average, about 20% of their school-year gains in reading and about 27% in math during the summer break.
Younger children are more susceptible to falling behind because they’re still at a crucial development stage. The reading, math, and comprehension skills they learn at this age are susceptible to decay without practice.
Children with learning differences are also vulnerable to summer slide because they don’t have access to the instructional support they usually receive throughout the school year.
Some studies estimate that summer slide can place students as much as three months behind their peers when school resumes in the fall.
As parents, it’s critical to keep children engaged during the school break and prevent the summer slide. Here are some ideas:
Sometimes, getting a specialized tutor before school starts can help close the learning gap, particularly in students who have learning differences. At The Learning Lab, our FLEX Program is designed to help prevent the summer slide and keep children engaged before the school’s fall session starts.