Educational researchers have long studied the issue of summer vacation and whether your child’s progress is slowed during the extended time away from the classroom. A common finding is that students lose ground, scoring lower on standardized tests at summer’s end than at its start. Typically, the loss is greatest for those students who also struggle most during the school year.
Considering many parents and school districts consider high scores on standardized tests a priority, summer has become thought of as an extension of the traditional school year.
In 2004, more than a quarter of the nation’s school districts required students who did not meet standards to enroll in summer school with many of these districts placing students in specialized tutoring programs. In the nation’s 53 largest urban districts, one in five students received additional education during the summer of 2004, with some districts keeping more than 40 percent of students in class or tutoring programs during the vacation period.
But how well do summer tutoring programs work? And what kinds of programs work best? The research offers some clues. It suggests, for example, that:
• Middle class students see more positive effects on their achievement than do students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Summer tutoring programs that provide small group or individual instruction produce the largest impact on student outcomes.
• Summer acceleration programs appear to have the same positive impact as remediation programs.
• Remedial summer programs may have just as large an effect on math achievement as on reading achievement.
Increasing academic achievement is only one goal of summer tutoring programs. Many parents seek summer opportunities that are designed to work with learning-disabled students who require teachers with special skills. Summer is viewed as the time when parents can help their child close the academic gap that may exist between their child and the general school population.
Parents who want to continue their child’s learning are encouraged to find a qualified teacher who has experience both as a private tutor and as a classroom teacher.
No longer is summer a time to forget one’s studies. Academics are serious, standards are quite high and it’s critical that no child gets left behind.
Valencia Tutors is a group of professional educators dedicated to helping your child. They are teachers, counselors, school psychologists and occupational therapists that work in the schools during the day.
For more information, please call 661-210-8500.