Did you know that studies show that students lose an average of two months’ worth of learning during the summer? It takes almost 6 weeks when they go back to school to recatch them up. Reading is often the skill that is most impacted by this loss and for the younger students, that could be a huge hurdle to overcome. Unfortunately, only about 9% of students participate in some form of a summer learning program.
Now we couple Summer Slide with COVID Slide and our students may really be in trouble. At the end of the 2020-2021 school year, it was estimated that COVID has accounted for almost four months’ worth of learning loss. For our younger students (1st and 2nd graders) where the reading foundation begins, some students can be 2 or more grade levels behind expectation.
Learning loss can also lead to the following:
· By the time a student hits middle school, a student can be behind two years.
· If a student is experiencing a high level of learning loss, they may be more apt to drop out of high school.
· It can also have a negative impact on mental health – especially coupled with everything students have been through the last few years.
· It also negatively impacts the skills, behaviors, and mindsets that a student may have to be successful in college or in the workforce.
What to do… get your student into some form of summer learning program. Club Z! In Home Tutoring of Pittsburgh has some great programs to help combat the Summer and COVID Slide. If tutoring isn’t for you, visit your library, ask your school, or talk to community centers to find out what types of programs are out there. Consistent learning – along with summer play – will help your student.
For more information on Club Z! and our programs, visit our website at www.clubztutoring.com/pittsburgh or call us at 412.348.8599.
