June 2018
Greetings Parents/Guardians,
This letter is to inform you of the importance of combating what is widely known as the “summer slide”-- the tendency for students to lose, over the summer months, some of the achievement gains they made during the previous school year. Studied extensively by Johns Hopkins University researchers, “summer slide” indicates that when children do not engage in learning over the summer months, they actually lose learning; over time, this loss becomes cumulative and results in substantial achievement gaps for many students. Essentially, too many children can lose too much ground over summer vacation. The good news is that “summer slide” can be minimized-- or even reversed-- when students engage in learning over the summer. We would like to provide you with ways to make sure your child does not lose ground during July and August, with particular focus paid to their reading and math skills.
Reading books during the summer is a strong predictor of academic gain for students. In fact, reading just four to five books during the summer may potentially prevent a child from experiencing a reading lapse and help perform at higher levels next school year. By encouraging reading, whether it is at home or at the public library, you can help increase the odds that your child will choose to read over the summer. Here are some links to boost your child’s reading this summer:
· Summer Reading: Need some ideas for the end of the school year, or for ways to boost students’ reading over the summer? This link, from ReadWriteThink, gives you some ideas.
· Summer Reading at NYS Libraries: Check out all the wonderful opportunities your local public libraries offer for your students this summer.
· International Children's Digital Library: The International Children's Digital Library has a website with books from all over the world available for use. The books are written in many languages and can even be projected on a screen.
· Find the Right Book for You!: Your student has taken three Lexiles (grades 5-12) this year alone. This site allows them to type in their most recent Lexile score and find books that align with that score.
· Proximity to Books and Adult Support Enhance Children's Learning Opportunities: Find more literacy research supporting the idea that children need access to quality books and support from adults with some innovative ways to solve the problem.
· Your Brain on Reading: As if we needed more proof of the benefits of reading – check out additional benefits you probably have not heard of. Through the years, many parents/guardians have asked what can be done over the summer to maintain math skills and develop mathematical thinking. In order for your child to continue their numeracy skills throughout the summer, here are some links that give you options:
· Summer Math Challenge: Keep math skills sharp with the Quantile Summer Math Challenge, a free math skills maintenance program that helps kids retain math skills learned during the previous school year.
· Math@Home: This is a free website full of tools and family-friendly activities to support your child’s mathematics learning.
· The Khan Academy: This free website offers interactive challenges and assessments, as well as thousands of practice questions for students to complete. Students earn badges along the way and can use them in a game form fashion. It is appropriate for all age groups and provides performance summaries for all work completed.
Sincerely,
Dr. Barbara M. Surash
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction
Hilton Central School District
