By Elaine Zarzana , Marshall Independent
Editor's note: This is the first of two stories concerning summer learning and addressing the achievement gap that can occur during the summer.
Kids love summer, but sometimes they can go from "School's out" to "I'm bored" in a matter of minutes. Keeping kids' minds active during the summer can be a challenge, but there are some compelling reasons for parents to think in terms of learning when it comes to summer fun.
According to InvestMN, a collaboration of school principals and administrators, learning loss during the summer can be academically devastating.
InvestMN found that most kids score lower on standardized tests in the fall than they did the previous spring. Learning loss is highest in math and spelling. Middle income students lose about one month of learning during the summer. But for lower income students the loss can be much greater. During the school year, lower income kids' skills improve at close to the same rate. A family's socioeconomic status affects children's achievement scores almost only when school is close, InvestMN?said.
Marshall Schools Superintendent Klint Willert is aware of the issues.
"Marshall has experienced an achievement gap over the years," said Willert.
The gap between the highest achieving students and the lowest, many of whom are students of color, low income or special needs students, is a problem throughout the state, Willert said.
Willert is proud of the efforts made through Marshall's successful summer programs.
"We offer ELL (English Language Learners) summer school for students that have limited English skills to keep the language acquisition sharp," he said.
That program is open for students in grades K-9. There are currently more than 130 students participating. Marshall's second program of the summer is Jump Start, open to all students kindergarten through ninth grade. It runs from July 11 to July 28. There are nearly 200 students signed up for this program and enrollments are still coming in. Parents can contact the school district for more information or to enroll their students.
MECLA, Marshall's alternative high school, also has summer programs for grades 9-12.
"It's intended to give them a jumpstart before they head into the year," said Willert.
Other area schools are also making strides to close the gap.
Shalayna Knapper is the Title One reading teacher at Tracy Area Public Schools, which means she works with students who are behind in reading.
"Learning loss can happen for anyone," said Knapper, "but I definitely notice it more in students who are already struggling."
She uses an assesment called the Aims Web to track students' reading levels.
"We would score the kids in May, and next year they would not hit that same score until October or November," Knapper said. "They don't have much time left in the year to make progress, and what they do learn, they'll have to relearn. That's part of why they're behind in the first place."
Tracy Schools have a high percentage of students receiving free and reduced meals. Last spring when they decided to implement a summer breakfast and lunch program, teachers realized they had a great opportunity to build in learning, and Camp Discover S'More was born.
"We've never called it summer school," Knapper said. "And kids don't feel like they're in school."
"Because it's a camp theme, we do a lot of nature and science activities, but with reading and math wrapped around them," Knapper said.
Last year's camp also included field trips to Swift Lake Park outside of Tracy and Garvin Park.
"With the Aims Web, we took what the kids had as a score in May, and tested them at the beginning of camp in July. Already the loss was huge. That fast," said Knapper.
Teachers tested the students' reading scores again when camp ended several weeks later. They found that kids who didn't have much loss to start with showed improvement. Those who had loss were already back where they started in May.
This will be the second year of Camp Discover S'More.
"It's successful because the kids think it's fun and because we really did reduce that loss over the summer," said Knapper.
Already more than one quarter of Tracy Elementary's student body is signed up for camp.
"It just shows that parents do realize that keeping kids active over the summer is important," said Knapper.
Camp runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
"We're done by the time the pool opens," said Knapper, "They still get all the bike riding or going to pool or the lake that they need in their summer, too."
Knapper said the No. 1 thing that research shows parents should be doing is reading with their kids. If families read about 20 minutes a day, they'll reduce that loss.
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