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​Georgia announces 2015 Summer Reading Challenge and free reading resources

 

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: 

·       Find a Book Georgia generates a personalized reading list tailored to a student’s interests and reading level

·       myON Reader provides free access to a library of more than 8,000 enhanced digital books with multimedia supports. Visit http://thefutureinreading.myon.com/GetGAREADING; enter school name: Get Georgia Reading and username and password: read

·       The Georgia Public Library Service offers a searchable catalog of books for kids by specific subject: http://gapines.org/eg/kpac/home

“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:

·       K-2 students: 10 books

·       3-5 students: 8 chapter books

·       6-12 students: 5 fiction books and 5 non-fiction books

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.​ 

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