Teachers and parents alike agree on a marked regression in students’ learning after the long summer break. Reading ability drops as well as math skills. It’s no wonder. Imagine you’ve just learned something completely new, for example the steps to making a complex recipe, and then someone asks you to recall that two months later. If you’re anything like me, that would be a complete and utter fail. This regression is especially true for children who have learning challenges or struggle in their academics. Research has shown while top-achieving, above average students make slow, minimal growth over the summer, average and below average students lose a significant amount of their reading skills. This means that the gap between successful

Finding a “just right” book for your child can be daunting. You may find a book that seems like it’s at your child’s grade level, based on content and interest level, but the book may be challenging for your child. The first thing to do is talk to your child’s teacher and ask the following questions: When was your child last benchmarked? Benchmarking is when the teacher assesses your child’s reading fluency and comprehension and comes up with a level that tells the teacher which books your child will be able to decode and understand. Typically, students are benchmarked three times a year. So, if it’s March and the last time your child was benchmarked was October, the teacher needs

1. Read independently Sitting and reading with your child is a good way to build strong habits of accountability. However, if you want your child to get into the habit of picking up a book and reading on their own, they need the opportunity to practice that. Have your child pick a comfy spot and a “just right” book that they are either familiar with or you know they can easily read. Continue with your day to day business, whether that’s cooking in the next room, doing your own work, cleaning, etc. Your child should be reading out loud, which builds fluency, and you should be within earshot. This keeps your child accountable and helps to build independency. 2.

Many parents and educators are under the false impression that good reading is about comprehension, or what you understand from the text. However, a person can understand what they read, but still be a poor reader. Sally Shaywitz, M.D. is the codirector of the Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention. In her book Overcoming Dyslexia, Dr. Shaywitz states "Fluency, the ability to read a text quickly, accurately, and with good understanding, is the hallmark of a skilled reader. Children who are fluent readers love to read." A child who reads with little expression, haltingly, or with hesitancy is not a fluent reader. Reading is challenging and slow for this child. As with anything that feel especially difficult