We get that all kids (and families!) need a break from this “school year like no other.” But taking a complete break from academics this summer won’t help the fall go any better, especially if you saw your child struggling with at-home or hybrid learning.
If you saw hybrid and remote learning schedules hinder your child from really engaging in learning, a summer learning program can help! With summer learning, your child can catch up in the academic areas where he or she might have fallen behind this school year.
Here are 4 reasons why adding supplemental learning to your summer schedule will make all the difference in the fall!
(Psst … we offer in-person and online tutoring options, so you can choose what’s best for your family!)
1. Help Your Child Make up for COVID Learning Loss.
In a normal school year, most kids can lose about 2+ months of learning over the summer. But this year, the COVID slide AND summer learning loss combined will make back-to-school time really difficult this fall.
(And you know what that sounds like at home: More stress. More arguments. More unnecessary struggle.)
The “COVID slide” is the much-written-about phenomenon that sees children making slow or no progress in their education while school buildings remain closed. For many students, school closures, hybrid learning and online learning has led to an increase in skill gaps and stalled development.
Research shows children are now three months behind schedule in school. While that may not seem like much given the long-term disruption COVID has brought, at the pace of regular schooling, it would take 2-3 years to make up that time. The longer this backwards slide remains unaddressed, the longer it will take students to catch up.
“We’re asking a lot of teachers—they are human, and it's hard. It’s been a tough year for everyone, but we’re getting better about it," Sylvan’s VP of Education Emily Levitt said. "The more support services teachers have alongside them, the better.”
What does that mean for you?
If your child was struggling with school before COVID, then odds are they will have fared worse than the average student during COVID. And that means the gaps in their education have only grown, especially if your child was learning English or has special learning needs.*
If your child was doing well before COVID but struggled to keep up with distance learning, there will likely be extra catch-up time needed in the fall when school reopens.
When you team up with Sylvan this summer, your child will keep up learning habits AND strengthen skills and confidence. It will be a MUCH smoother transition back into (hopefully) a more normal school year.
2. Fill In Skill Gaps While Moving at Your Child’s Pace.
During the school year, teachers need to move quickly, whether your child fully understands a topic or not. Your child is constantly chasing a moving target.
Over the summer, though, your child can move at his or her own pace. There’s no chasing other students. You don’t have to worry about the class getting way ahead.
3. Head into Big Transition Years With Confidence.
This summer your child can spend the time needed to fill in gaps in learning from the school year and build a strong foundation for the next grade level—or better yet, get ahead!
Throughout your child’s academic journey, there are certain grade transitions that represent BIG jumps in responsibility and independence.
These big transitions include going from:
-2nd grade into 3rd grade
-Elementary to middle school
-Middle school to high school
-High school to college/university
Why 2nd to 3rd grade, you wonder? Third grade is the year that the training wheels come off. Your child will go from learning to read, to starting to read to learn. If your child isn’t ready for that transition, he or she will have trouble making that jump with the rest of the class.
We’ve seen that virtual or hybrid school hit young students the hardest, so getting your kindergartner, 1st or 2nd grader ready for the new challenges and harder concepts will be critical.
For older kids, the transition to high school and college/university academics can be a shock, particularly the rigors of advanced-level reading and writing assignments.
With a tutor, your son or daughter will be well prepared and eliminate the risk of stumbling.
4. Raise SAT® or ACT® Scores With Summer Help
Yes, we are still encouraging students to take the SAT or ACT, and summer is the most popular time to get a tutor for SAT or ACT preparation!
While many schools are at least temporarily test optional, it’s important to note that test optional does not mean test blind.
Test optional means students can decide if they want to send SAT/ACT scores or not, while test blind means the school won’t consider the tests at all.
Most test-optional schools will utilize the scores in their decision-making process if they are sent, or they’ll provide an alternative option if a student is not sending scores. It’s important to have a clear understanding of what the alternative is before deciding whether to include test scores. If your teen’s score can help set him or her apart—send it!
There are good reasons to prep for the test this summer!
- Over the summer, your teen can focus on test-taking strategies and fine-tuning skills without all the stresses and distractions of school.
- If you have a soon-to-be senior, your teen has likely taken the exam already. Your tutor will be able to look at the results and know exactly where focus to help your teen improve results on the next exam.
- One of the subjects that we see teens struggle with on the ACT and SAT is algebra. Why? Their skills get rusty. (Use it or lose it, right?) Your tutor can make sure your teen gets an awesome refresher before the big test in the late summer or early fall.
Not sure where your child really stands after this school year? We can help.
Our Sylvan Insight™ assessment will give you deep insights into your child’s strengths and skill gaps. Then, our team of experts will create a personalized plan that for your child’s exact needs.
- If your child is on pace with school, he or she will get awesome skill practice to make sure skills stay sharp over the summer.
- If your child is ahead, he or she will get enrichment activities, so he or she can move further and faster in the upcoming grade level.
- If your child is behind, your child will get the instruction and practice to get up-to-speed.
And it’s even easier to schedule learning over the summer. We will work around your plans!
And it’s even easier to schedule our tutors over the summer (many of them are teachers who are off from school), so you can easily work around your summer plans.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if your child headed back to school with the same enthusiasm he or she had for the start of summer?
Extraordinary futures begin with Sylvan Learning of Stafford
Your child can do anything with the right support. You’ll love watching your child:
- Thrive with personal attention
- Learn from expert, local tutors in sessions tailored to your child
- Make a direct improvement in the classroom (and in life!)
Sylvan Learning of Stafford, Fredericksburg & King George
We'd love to talk with you about how we can help your child reach his or her individual goals!
540-466-2689 or center@sylvanstafford.com
