My Child is Still Below Grade Level and Now It's Summer!

So what do you do when it’s time for summer break and your child never did get “caught up?” Learning is a process, and children learn at their own speed. Just because your child is behind grade level does not mean that he will always be struggling. He needs you as his best advocate to provide those moments of growth, practice, and confidence-building. Months matter in the very early grades, so it can be expected that your child may need a few more months to get to where his peers are. Many students will have a summer regression from never having read during the summer nor picked up a pencil. Why not use that time for your child to catch up and close the gap? Here are some ideas that can get you on the right path to maximizing the time away from school.

Help, I don’t know where to begin!

The best place to start is to touch base with the teacher before summer begins.

Ask specifically for 2-3 skills in which your child is weak. Sometimes it isn’t always so clear on a report card which skills are in need. For example, a “D” in math; What does that mean? Is that because he didn’t “get fractions?” Is it because he never really learned his facts?

Whereas a basic subject grade might be too general/vague, a skills-based report card can be too overwhelming.

My child scored low ratings in 20 different skills. How can I possibly know where to begin?

Send the teacher an email (a personal conference is even better) asking for the top 2-3 skills of where your child needs practice, along with an explanation of how she arrived at those. Teachers may be able to refer you to free resources online that will help you close the gap. Check out readworks.org, as an example of what is offered online for parents.

**If you are reading this article after you've lost contact with the teacher for the summer, be sure to reread any notes or emails from her that you've saved from the school year.

How Do I Know What My Child Doesn’t Know?

Make a copy of the report card and any failed graded papers. Even if it’s not report card time, you may request to borrow the report card again or see if the teacher will make you a copy. If graded papers are sent home, copy the work that your child struggled on. Even a cell phone snapshot can be effective. The report card and graded papers can be a great reference for you to find practice material for a particular skill online or at least show it to a tutor, if you plan to use one for the summer.    

My Child Doesn’t Want to Read

This is a comment complaint from struggling readers especially.  You want your child to find some books easy and successful to read with good flow (fluency), but you also want just enough struggling so he learns how to tackle an unknown word when he sees it. The summer goes so quickly, so I recommend visiting the library at least once in May to make sure your child has a proper card and understand where to look for grade-appropriate children’s books.

Do you remember your first library card? I do! I was only in elementary school, but I felt so big! Allow your child to pick some books for fun, in addition to some that are on his level that will help him develop better fluency and comprehension. A good rule of thumb is to check out half fiction and half non-fiction. In Reading or Literature classes, he will need practice reading stories. However, in science and social studies textbooks, he will need that nonfiction reading practice. Many libraries have drive-thru drop offs for easy book return, two week check out times, and online renewal.

My child struggles in math. How can I build confidence for next year?

Any child, whether advanced in academics or not, can get rusty on math skills over the summer. In fact, so much of the beginning of the school year is built in for review. What better way to build your child’s confidence when he returns to school, than to make sure he is fresh on his math facts and computation?

With so many math fact apps, online fact games, it has gotten more convenient to allow your child to practice using technology. Computation involves skills such as adding and subtracting with regrouping, multiplying large numbers, or even long division. Just like a teacher looks for fluency in reading, she also looks for fluency in math. Your child might be able to pass with "ok" grades while in elementary school, but having the solid foundation of math fluency in computation will pay off in middle school and high school.

My child does well in school. Does he need to do academic work over the summer?

If you have not found a particular struggle your child has, you can still use the summer to keep him sharp on his skills. You can't go wrong creating opportunities to read or enjoy some field trips to museums and such. Another effective way to keep him in the habit of focusing quietly on some learning is to provide a grade level workbook (easily found at office stores, book stores, or online). Create some motivation by rewarding him when he’s focused and completed some work (sticker sheet, reward after so many times). Even without a skills workbook, a simple notebook can serve as a journal.  Having him write his thoughts (story or daily events or retelling of a book) is very good practice. You’ll get to know him as a writer and where his strengths and weaknesses are. You’ll be creating a keepsake that he is proud to share with you.

As you plan and make goals for your child’s learning, develop a doable schedule and stick to it. Keep in mind that it is summer, and your child does need mental breaks. Unless your child is enrolled in a summer school program, however, remember that if he isn’t reading while in your care, he is likely not reading at all. You must provide the time, space, opportunities, and resources for some focused learning. For an average child, 2-3 days a week for 20 to 60 minutes (depending on the age of the child), will make a world of difference when school begins again in the fall.