MEDIA CONTACT: Matt
Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, mcardoza@gadoe.org,
404-651-7358
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May 14, 2015 – When students don’t read during the summer
months, they lose educational ground – a phenomenon that lowers achievement
potential and widens the achievement gap. Research shows that students can lose
up to three months of reading ability over the summer.
Fortunately, this
summer reading loss is preventable. Research shows that children who read
during the summer do not have to suffer reading loss, and may even show some
growth in their reading ability. 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 other partners to encourage summer reading.
All students are
challenged to read every day this summer, for a minimum of 15 to 30 minutes,
and the GaDOE and partners are offering a variety of free resources to make
that easier:
“Literacy and reading
ability are absolutely essential – they’re the building blocks on which all
other educational attainment is built,” State School Superintendent Richard
Woods said. “Escaping to other worlds through books is a fun, positive way to
spend the summer hours, and it keeps students on track academically at the same
time. I hope all of Georgia’s students will fall in love with reading this
summer, and I encourage students and parents to take advantage of these
excellent, free resources to help achieve that goal.”
Suggested summer
reading goals for students based on grade levels are:
Research shows that
reading loss occurs for most children when they are not in a formal learning
environment or engaged in any form of educational activities. But that loss is
preventable – Harvard University Professor Dr. James S. Kim, for example, has
demonstrated that when students read a minimum of eight high-interest,
ability-appropriate books over the summer, their reading skills grow as much as
students who attend summer school.
Learn more about
summer reading loss at the Lexile Summer Reading
webpage and the National
Summer Learning Association webpage.