The following blog post presents important information from the online magazine WMTW8 by Miles Hood and published June 23, 2023.
Data shows math and reading grades in Maine have slipped for the second year in a row.
School districts prioritizing summer programs to prevent learning loss
Data shows math and reading grades in Maine have slipped for the second year in a row.
A national report found that national reading scores were down four points from 2020 and math scores down nine points among 13-year-old students.
That trend is born out within Maine schools as well. Reading scores for eighth-grade students were down eight points from those in 2019, with math scores down by nine points. It’s the second time since 2012 that school grades have declined.
With some parents worried about the alarming trend, the Bonny Eagle School District says they are committed to supporting those students who need extra attention through the summer.
Clay Gleason is the superintendent of the Bonny Eagle School District.
“We really are trying to pour a lot of our energy into those early reading skills and strategies to set kids up for success later,” Gleason said.
Gleason has more than 20 years in education as a teacher, principal and now superintendent. He knows the summer programs in schools across Maine can help reduce some of the learning loss over July and August, also termed “the summer slide.”
“We have extended school year services, which are for students who are identified with IEPs,” Gleason said, noting that those programs have been set up with individual families for several months this school year.
The district also offers summer programs to those heading into kindergarten and first grade.
But they’re not the only ones. On top of the set special education programs, Biddeford schools are also working to support multilingual learners.
In Portland on Tuesday, the city’s public school board unanimously approved a requirement for all educators to “acquire some form of an ESOL credential to better serve the district’s growing number of multilingual students.”
Portland’s new school superintendent will develop the program and scale it up into place over the next four years.
While challenges like good weather and transportation come with educating kids outside of the normal school year. Gleason said the benefits outweigh the challenges.
“Teachers can see the kids who participated in those programs. They can see that they are ready to hit the ground running when school starts,” Gleason said.