No more pencils, no more books...

For us in Georgia, it’s the last week of school. While our teachers are trying to get ahead of summer learning loss, only 48% of parents have heard of it. So what is it and should parents honestly worry about it?

Summer learning loss (aka summer slide or summer brain drain) is forgetting key information and/or academic skills previously mastered during the seasonal break. It’s most common in the US and Canada since we have lengthier summer recesses compared to other countries. So, while our kids soak up the sun, sleep in, and go on adventures, their education routine takes a back seat. Studies show that an average student loses 17-34% of their prior year’s academic gains over the summer. Kids who fall behind one summer are likely to widen that gap as more time goes on.

Consequently, the first month or two of the next school year focuses on reteaching than covering new material; but it’s more than that. Students have to relearn and readjust to the expectations of school and the classroom as well (remaining seated, focusing on presented schoolwork, raising their hand in class, etc.). While it may be typical to need a refresher to get back into the academic routine, some kids who suffer from an immense summer learning loss may have lower self-esteem or develop negative feelings towards school. This makes it harder for them to learn and retain information as they move up grades.

Brain Drain

Practice makes perfect. Consistency is key. Use it or lose it… Knowledge and learned skills must be accessed and used regularly or it goes away.  So, when it comes to taking an extended summer break, a learning deficit can result.

Research has found that tasks that tend to be procedural, involve multiple steps, have no performance cues, or time requirements are the first to go if there is an absence of practice/reinforcement. This can explain why students are more likely to forget math concepts over the summer compared to literacy skills. It’s a lot easier to pick up a book and read, than it is to solve for x while on vacay mode, especially when calculations become more complex past the second grade. In fact, a study found that 84% of students experienced a summer slide in math in the summer between 5^th and 6^th grades.

Other factors can also influence the impact of the summer slide, including:

• Parental involvement and availability – the amount of time spent with your kids to carry over and apply academic skills to everyday situations
• Family income and resources – access to books, materials, and educational activities
• Family expectations – continue learning throughout the summer vs. taking a break
• Grade level – students at higher grade levels experience more learning loss than those in younger grades

The Summer Slip-Up

Summer learning loss has been studied and reviewed for decades, generally in support of its existence. However, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin named Paul T. von Hippel countered this notion in 2019.

When reviewing research on summer learning loss conducted in the 1980s, he found serious issues related to how achievement tests were written at the time. His team attempted to replicate the 1982 Beginning School Study which concluded that unequal summer learning loss between low- and middle-income students in elementary school was the reason for more than two thirds of the 8^th grade socioeconomic achievement gap. However, von Hippel was unable to replicate these findings using two modern assessments. He determined that a major limitation of most of the research related to summer learning loss was how the older assessments were scaled across grade levels. For example, students were asked questions about second grade content at the end of second grade. After summer break, these students were then asked about third grade material in the fall without accounting for the more difficult content not yet taught. So, the summer learning loss was calculated by comparing spring and fall answers to two DIFFERENT questionnaires. How fair is that?! His findings raised questions as to the validity of the summer slide: Is it real?

While critiques to previous research is justifiable, new research regarding the summer slide is providing a more accurate portrayal of students’ summer learning using modern assessments (ECLS-K direct cognitive tests, MAP® Growth™, Star, and i-Ready) and large national sample sets. From these studies, three important patterns stand out:

• On average, test scores appear to flatten or drop during the summer. This means that summer learning loss does occur with larger drops typically seen more in math than in reading.
• Differences in test results between assessments suggest there is a large variability across students in test score patterns over the summer.
• There is little evidence to support the prior finding that the summer period contributes to widening test score gaps across poverty levels.

Even though there’s confirmation that the summer slide does exist, there’s still much to uncover regarding the topic.

Summer Gains

So how do we curb this summer regression?

• Drop everything and read anything. Children reading independently and discussing what they’re reading has a great influence on their academic growth. In fact, kids who read during the summer gain an average of one month of proficiency over kids who don’t. Summer is a great time to start a new book series. Also, quick reminder to stay on top of the summer reading list if you have one, so you don’t have to cram all the books in the last week before school.
  
  
• Get hands-on. Activities that stimulate exploration, imagination, and creativity keep your child’s brain engaged and learning during the summer months.
  
  
• Maintain some structure. We know that routines change in the summer, but scheduling about 30 minutes of structured, educational activities 3-5x a week can help kids maintain what they learned. Think workbooks, flashcards, or online learning programs.
  
  
• Find learning opportunities. Sneak in learning where and when you can. Family game night? Play games with an educational component. Going on vacation? Plan a trip to historical landmarks and local museums. Kids are bored? Let them play outside, with toys, or enroll them in camp.
  
  
• Keep it kid-led. Incorporate learning into your child’s interests. If they like cooking, let them measure out ingredients to get used to fractions and conversions. If they like to build, ask them to design and build their dream house to spark creativity and problem solve with geometry. If they enjoy reading stories, ask them how they would envision a sequel to their fave book.
  
  
• Keep your days consistent. This is a little easier for working parents since wake-up times probably won’t change, but the sun sets much later in the summer. Keep wake-up and bedtimes relatively consistent. You don’t want kids staying up super late, then having a completely lopsided sleep cycle.

Growing up, we just spent a ton of time in front of the tv. Definitely don’t go this route. If you have an older student or even a college-bound student, also consider summer school courses. From our personal experience, summer school is a good option if your kid needs to tackle a harder subject without the stress of juggling multiple classes.

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