How to Balance Summer Vacation with Summer Learning Loss

Key points:

As classrooms close until next fall, rumors are mounting about the dreaded summer slump, particularly as students still struggle to make up ground lost during the pandemic.

Student academic performance and test scores remain stable or tend to decline during summer vacation, with greater losses in math than reading, according to investigation by Meghan Kuhfeld, PhD, research scientist for the Collaborative for Student Growth at NWEA and Andrew McEachin, PhD, director of the Collaborative for Student Growth at NWEA.

Their analysis highlights the ongoing debate about how deeply summer learning loss is felt, whether different groups of students experience more learning loss than others, and what districts and caregivers can do to keep students' brains active. and learning in a fun way during the long school holidays.

Only in the last two decades have educators and researchers had the tools to measure performance in the spring and fall, allowing them to isolate summer in particular.

“The research is a little conflicting, but the consensus is that students stay the same or lose ground in the summer. “Different studies have shown different amounts of learning loss: some say it's a considerable percentage and others say it's more of a pause in learning than an actual drop,” she added.

The other important aspect of learning loss has to do with who is affected: do students from low socioeconomic backgrounds experience more severe learning loss during the summer? More recent research has not shown losses to a severe degree, Kuhfeld said, but the research is still conflicting.

Concerns about summer learning loss can be addressed in two main areas, Kuhfeld said.

Parents and caregivers: Make sure children receive summer learning opportunities, such as reading books or visiting museums. Incorporating math into the summer can be a little more challenging, but it can be done if children help with activities like measuring ingredients while cooking or calculating how far they walk or bike. Integrating learning opportunities into grade-appropriate topics makes learning more fun and engaging.

District level: Many districts offer summer programs, ranging in intensity from mandatory summer school to more voluntary programs aimed at boosting the learning of students who fell furthest behind during the academic year. But districts can't provide all summer learning opportunities alone, and that's why school-community partnerships for camps, internships and other programs are critical, especially in communities where students lack access to enrichment and learning opportunities during the summer.

One part of what schools offer children that is often overlooked is free meals, Kuhfeld added. Combining summer learning programs with free meals is another way students can keep their brains sharp during the school holidays, such as free lunches combined with storytime and activities at local libraries.

And while summer learning loss is a valid concern, summer helps students develop essential skills, lasting skills that students need to be successful beyond school, such as creativity, collaboration, and empathy. .

“Summer is an opportunity to grow in areas that are not academic,” Kuhfeld said. “It's valuable to talk about how children can continue reading and math over the summer, but it's also a time to develop independence and other life skills. “Summer shouldn’t just look like school.”

Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. She graduated from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

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