It is well known that the achievement gap exists, particularly among young children’s reading skills. Summer reading loss occurs when students return to school after summer vacation at a lower reading level than when they left for break. Research has shown that poor children’s reading skills are often negatively affected during the summer months, whereas these skills in children of a higher socioeconomic status (SES) tend to remain the same, or even increase slightly. The video below provides a simple explanation of this achievement gap that is widened through summer reading loss. The idea is that children enter kindergarten at different skill levels, and although they progress at the same rate during the school year, this gap grows during the summer, and it accumulates every summer. During three months of vacation, poor students’ reading skills will decrease by about two months, while those of students from a higher SES can increase by as much as one month. As a result of the accumulative nature of the gap, in the five summers between the end of kindergarten and the end of fifth grade, this reading gap increases to at least a year and a half difference.
As reports of the severity of this gap are arising, it is clear that something has to be done, and there appear to be several options. One option is to implement a summer program, as has been done in some places, including Indianapolis. This program, called Horizons, is a free program for students entering kindergarten through ninth grade that is open to all students that qualify for free or reduced-priced lunches. The program is funded by local companies and takes a hands-on approach to learning, producing incredible outcomes. Test results have shown that students at Horizons “show two- to three-month average gains in reading and math skills. That puts them four- to six-months ahead of where they would otherwise have been at the beginning of the next school year.” With these stunning results, it is no surprise that Horizons has a retention rate of about 90% each year. This, however, is just one program helping kids in one area. In order for a substantial national decrease in the reading achievement gap, more programs like this one need to be created and supported.
The second, and perhaps most obvious, choice is to provide young children with books to take home over the summer in order to increase the reading that occurs during vacation. A 2011 article in The Washington Post outlines a few ways to provide schools with these books to distribute to the students. The article suggests “keeping the school library open during the summer months, taking a class trip to the local library during the last month of school to ensure that every student has a library card, and working with local businesses to sponsor the purchase of books to each student to take home on the last day of class.” Simple solutions like these have the possibility of making a lifetime of difference for underperforming children and need to be thoroughly considered.
Post by: Maya Grant