Summer is on its way, but that shouldn’t mean
books are left on the shelf. When students don’t read during the summer months,
they lose educational ground – a phenomenon that lowers achievement potential
and widens the achievement gap.
“No student should have to start the school
year having fallen behind,” State School Superintendent John Barge said.
“That’s what we know, and that’s what we’re committed to preventing – because
that loss is preventable. When students read over the summer, they can actually
make gains in achievement. All of Georgia’s students deserve that.”
To ensure that Georgia’s students don’t fall
behind while school is out of session, the Georgia Department of Education is
working alongside the Get Georgia Reading campaign, the Governor’s Office of
Student Achievement, and the Council of Chief State School Officers to encourage
summer reading. Representatives of those organizations announced Georgia’s 2014
Summer Reading Challenge today at Timber Ridge Elementary School in Cobb
County.
All students are challenged to read every day
this summer, for at least 15 to 30 minutes. Parents and students are encouraged
to visit the Find a Book, Georgia website and make a
Summer Reading Pledge. Then they can use the site to find book recommendations
throughout the summer, all tailored to a student’s interests and Lexile score.
(If the child’s Lexile score is not known, the site can estimate reading level
based on answers to a few simple questions.)
Suggested summer reading goals for students
based on grade levels are:
- K-2 students: 10 books
- 3-5 students: 8 chapter books
- 6-12 students: 5 fiction books and 5
non-fiction books
Students need strong
reading skills in order to be successful at school and, later, in the
workplace. Research shows that students who read proficiently by the end of third
grade are more likely to be successful later in life. Students who fail to meet
this milestone falter in the later grades.
“Georgia’s Summer
Reading Challenge will provide access to the language nutrition that all
children need, year round, to succeed in school," said Arianne Weldon,
director of Get Georgia Reading – Campaign for Grade Level Reading. "Use
of summer reading resources supports a climate of learning in the home and
community during the summer months, and assists as a bridge to the next school
year."
Research has found
that when children leave the structured environment of the classroom for summer
break, many stop reading – and their reading abilities start to slip. Strong
readers plateau. Struggling readers fall even farther behind.
Research also shows
that summer loss has an greater impact on low-income children, and can widen
the achievement gap. Low-income students lose more than two months in reading
achievement during the summer months, despite the fact that their middle-class
peers make slight gains. More than half of the achievement gap between lower-
and higher-income students can be explained by unequal access to summer
learning opportunities.
Summer reading also
provides a solution to a problem parents encounter during the summer months. It
is the most difficult time to keep children engaged and involved in productive
activities, many parents report.
“Reading year round
is absolutely essential to the academic advancement of students,” said Rita
Erves, President of the Georgia PTA. “Aristotle once made a profound statement
when he said: ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but
a habit.’ A regular reading schedule actually serves to enhance a child’s
learning potential. It also provides a wide window of opportunity for students
to connect with the world. To that end, Georgia PTA is pleased to participate
in the promotion of summer reading.”
A simple solution to
that problem is finding books in which students are genuinely engaged – books
that are centered around their interests.
Lynn O’Hara, Account
Representative for Scholastic, stated the importance of reading very
simply: “Read every day, lead a better life.”
More Information
2014 Summer Reading Challenge Website
Information on summer
reading loss: here or here
