DURHAM, N.C., June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Call it "summer slide," "summer learning loss" or "summer brain drain," the research supports that student achievement declines over summer break by at least one month's worth of school-year learning, with sharper declines for math than for reading. To help keep kids on track for success in school over the summer months, MetaMetrics® today announced it is partnering with 34 state departments of education to promote summer learning. In collaboration with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), MetaMetrics supports the national, state-led summer learning initiative, the "Chief's Summer Learning Challenge." Under this national umbrella, each state developed its own program, such as the "Summer Learning Challenge" in Alabama, with the goal of raising awareness of summer loss and providing access to free resources to support reading and math learning.
"Summer learning loss is a critical issue in education. It widens the achievement gap, particularly for low-income students and students of color. CCSSO is pleased to work with MetaMetrics to help states tackle summer learning and help all students sharpen student reading and math skills during the summer months," said Carissa Moffat Miller, Ph.D., executive director, CCSSO.
Fighting summer learning loss has long been a focus for MetaMetrics. The company's co-founder, CEO and president Malbert Smith serves on the board of the National Summer Learning Association.
"Research shows that students who fall behind during the summer are less likely to graduate from high school and the impact is even greater on students from high poverty areas. By fifth grade, summer learning loss can leave low-income students two-and-a-half to three years behind their peers," said Smith. "At MetaMetrics, we are committed to providing states, parents and students with access to tools and resources that will keep students learning during the summer and on track to graduate from high school and be successful in college and careers."
In support of summer learning challenges around the country, MetaMetrics offers free resources to enhance states' summer learning initiatives. Lexile® Find a Book and the Quantile® Summer Math Challenge are made available free to state departments of education, parents and students.
Find a Book provides a way to match readers with texts. Students, educators and parents can build custom reading lists based on the student's Lexile measure and favorite interests. Students, educators and parents can also check the availability of books at the local library through the popular book search tool. Find a Book includes more than 335,000 fiction and nonfiction works, and new titles are added every day.
The Summer Math Challenge is a free, email-based math program offered to states to encourage their students to continue math practice and prevent the loss of math skills over the summer. The program is targeted at students who have just completed grades one through eight and is designed to help students retain math skills learned during the previous school year. Parents who enroll their child receive daily emails with fun activities and links to free educational resources.
To access these summer learning tools, visit fab.lexile.com and quantiles.com/summer-math.
About MetaMetrics
MetaMetrics® is an award-winning education technology organization that offers the only scientifically valid, universal scales for measuring reading and listening (Lexile®) as well as math (Quantile®). The Lexile and Quantile Frameworks measure student ability and the complexity of the content they encounter. Lexile and Quantile measures and related technologies link assessment to instruction and provide next steps for students of all ages and abilities. The measures also provide valuable insights about students' potential for growth. MetaMetrics' measures, products and services are licensed to dozens of education product companies to help achieve that growth. For 35 years, MetaMetrics' work has been increasingly recognized for its research-based approach to improving learning. For more information, visit metametricsinc.com.
SOURCE MetaMetrics
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