Stopping the Summer Slide

What’s the perfect summer break length?

This summer, many Arizona students will reap 10 weeks off of school. While some may go to educational camps or take classes to get ahead, many will lose (at least a little of) their learning gains.

The “summer slide” is nothing new. It’s been shown time and time again that kids come back to school in the fall at lower levels than in the spring.

A meta-analysis review of 39 studies found achievement test scores dropped approximately one month (on a grade-level equivalent scale) over summer break. What was most hurt? Math computation and spelling. However, students gained on reading skills. The reasoning: Students can practice reading more easily without a school or teacher.

Additionally, this learning gap is furthered for low-income students — of which there are more than 800,000 in Arizona.

And that’s why some districts in Arizona have cut summer vacations in recent years, ranging from five to seven weeks long. These shortened breaks, educators argue, mean students retain more and schools spend less time reviewing the previous year’s material.

What do you think is the ideal summer vacation length?