This year, as in the past, many teachers will slip a summer reading list into their students’ backpacks as they send them off for vacation. The notion is admirable. Keep kids reading over the long break so their brains don’t turn to mush.

But what teachers and parents really should be doing this summer is encouraging students to practice their math skills. Educators have long known that the summer break wreaks havoc on learning. Dozens of studies have found that students score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than just before the summer break.

But less well known is that these summer losses are heavily concentrated in math. According to a study published in the Review of Educational Research, students lose about 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency in math skills over the summer. This setback was similar among lower- and middle-income students.

In contrast, summer’s effect on reading skills is less dramatic. On average, middle-income students actually made slight gains in reading performance over the summer break. Lower-income students tend to lose ground, but not as much as they typically lose in math skills.

Kids need encouragement

That’s not to say that kids don’t need to work on reading over the summer. But as the Center for Summer Learning put it, “students are less likely to practice math skills outside the formal classroom setting.” Which means they need active encouragement from teachers and parents to stay up on math…

Source: USA TODAY
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