Educators have long worried about the summer slide, a term which describes school children losing gains made during the school year over summer break. It’s particularly problematic for children in kindergarten, first grade and second grade because these children are at a crucial stage of development. Some research has shown that elementary age children can lose up to 20 percent of their school year gains in reading and 27 percent in math over the summer.
But what happens if you add another two months onto summer vacation? It’s called the COVID-slide and it’s a term that even a year ago parents likely never thought they would be using.
Recent modeling from NWEA and the education software company Achieve3000 found that missing school for such prolonged periods of time could have impacts on student achievement. According to the report, “The COVID-19 crisis is a call to action for practitioners and policy makers alike. Once schools are back in session, we must be prepared to support students, many of whom will likely be behind academically.”
Homeschooling is no easy venture and that’s if you had enough time between work and life responsibilities to do it in the first place. Parents are left to wonder and worry whether their children will fall behind next year. And for the students that weren’t engaged in academics at all, next year could be all about catching up.
Dr. Joe Williams, executive director of the Middle School Learning Community for Charleston County Public Schools is most concerned about the kids that haven’t been doing any academic work since school has been out.
“Despite our best attempts, there are kids that got nothing over the break because these were extremely extenuating circumstances for many families,” says Williams.
Williams says that once children return to school there will be some sort of assessment testing to see where kids are and what needs to be done to catch them up to grade level.
Valerie White is the founder of Capabilities, a tutoring service that provides support for high achieving students and those that need a little extra help. She says that the pandemic has been hard for all levels of learners.
“No matter where you fall academically, trying to learn under these conditions can be difficult because kids may not be getting the support they need,” says White.
Students have a designated requirement of seat time, or days that they are required to be in school in order to move onto the next grade. This is so that kids gain the mastery of the concepts that they’re supposed to be learning and cover the material that’s required in the allotted time. But says White, a loss of two months of materials and mastery is a lot in the eyes of a student.
“A week is a long time in the lives of a student, but imagine two months,” says White.
White is particularly concerned for the high schoolers that are getting ready to take the SAT and the ACT and need to master certain skills before taking the tests. Not to mention that even for the kids that have been trying to keep up, learning from parents can come with some emotional weight. Parents have a much different relationship with their children than their teachers.
But at the same time, says White, kids are resilient and these few months without academic instruction will not make or break them. Over the summer, White says that parents can take their foot off the gas and take some of the pressure off of both themselves and their children.
“Keep it light and fun because fun learning is powerful learning,” says White. “Try and apply real world situations to learning.”
For the younger children, counting the number of ice cubes in a glass of lemonade or learning about the birds on a walk to the beach can make a big difference. And most of all, says White, read to your kids. For older kids, starting a summer book club could be a great idea. Registration is open for this year’s Charleston County Public Library summer reading program. Kids of all ages can earn prizes for reading or listening to stories. Prizes include the S.C. Reading Medal, a summer reading T-shirt, a brand-new K-fifth grade book, vouchers for local attractions and more. Twenty teens system-wide will win the grand prize, a $50 gift card and Kindle Fire 7 tablet.
Additionally, over the summer, Charleston County Public Schools is offering Achieve3000 and other digital content that kids can sign onto anytime they want.
“It provides kids some learning time that parents don’t have to monitor and every time that kids sign back on they can pick up where they left off,” says Williams.
But academics aside, Williams’ biggest concern is social.
“The social piece is critical and it’s something we’ll have to address once the kids return to school,” says Williams.
According to David Kalergis, a licensed therapist and parenting counselor with Lowcountry Family & Children in Mount Pleasant, social isolation is something that we as parents our watching our children deal with daily.
“Listen and acknowledge your child’s feelings. A reflection or validation can go a long way in helping them feel safe and heard,” says Kalergis. “The social changes brought on by COVID-19 are especially hard and confusing for them. Often times, children the really good observers but poor interpreters.”
Additionally, Kalergis says that there are also a number of ways to keep your child’s friends and peers in their lives while following socially distant guidelines.
“Many state parks, museums and foreign countries offer virtual online tours. Setup an online field trip with some friends. Schedule FaceTime dinner parties with friends and family. You can host a virtual show-and-tell or talent show. Connect with another parent and setup a virtual crafts project for your kids. Be creative, keep a positive attitude and have fun,” says Kalergis. But no matter how busy you are or how bored they are, make sure you’re constantly reviewing and monitoring your child’s online activity.
Kalergis also reminds parents that a gentle reminder can go a long way. For example ‘I know this must be so hard for you,’ or, ‘It’s not fair that you can’t see your friends,’ can help your children feel like their parents understand why they are struggling. Most importantly, says Kalergis, “remind your children that this will not last forever.”