At this point in the school year, parents and teachers have done all they can do for each individual child to prepare him or her for the SC Ready Assessments. We know what to do the night before, how to prepare children for the day of, and what these tests measure. But…when scores are received, what do they mean for your child?
“The SC READY assessment must be administered during the last twenty school days as determined by each district’s instructional calendar. Districts and schools will schedule specific testing dates and post these dates to their websites.” ELA and Math SC READY assessments are given to all third through eighth grade students and Science is given to fourth and sixth grade. (SC Department of Instruction) Thus, your child will take these tests SOON!!!
If your child meets expectations, enjoy the summer, but do some fun learning to keep reading and math skills sharp for the next grade level!!
If your child does not meet expectations, you SHOULD do something. Not only is he or she behind at the end of the current grade level, but the expectation is that the student will be ready for the next grade level when the 2023-2024 school year begins. This does not even take the summer months into consideration. The distasteful phrase, “Summer Slide” is very real. For example, if a child does not meet grade level expectations in reading on the SC READY at the end of fourth grade, he or she is not on grade level for fourth grade. Then we have several weeks of summer without instruction, yet, come August, this child will need to enter fifth-grade reading on grade level in order to not fall further behind.
This is especially important based on the results of the third-grade reading assessment. “The South Carolina Read to Succeed Act states that a student must be retained in third grade if the student fails to demonstrate reading proficiency at the end of third grade. The law specifies six good cause exemptions from mandatory retention; one of these exemptions is student attendance at a Summer Reading Camp.” (SC Department of Instruction)
If your child is invited to the reading camp, please strongly consider this as an option. Many school districts offer this. I recently read a thread on a Facebook mom’s page asking specifically about the Summer Reading Camp. This mom was torn because her daughter scored very low on a recent assessment and was invited to the camp; however, she did not want her daughter to spend three weeks of her summer at school. There were more than 50 comments, as you can imagine, from “you must send her to the camp” or “find a tutor” to “summer is for fun, she will catch up.” Summer is for fun, but learning can be fun. Summer learning is not a full school day and is better than a child struggling through the remaining school years.
Yes, yep, I did, I said YEARS!!! As I mentioned above, if a child ends the school year below grade level, they will begin the next grade level with significant struggles, beyond what you may have already seen. Math concerns and difficulties with reading comprehension or the basic foundations of phonemic awareness do not just go away. What is a problem now, in third or fourth grade, will be an even greater problem in seventh or eighth grade, which will be an even larger problem when a child enters rigorous high school curriculum and determines next steps after high school.
Summer learning opportunities offered through our school systems are great ways to help your child fill the gaps and be prepared for the following school year. As a parent, the decision is up to you. If you do not feel this is the right choice for your child, here are some other great ways to improve your child’s skills:
- READ. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY
- If your child is a nonreader, read TO him or her.
- If your child is a struggling reader, read WITH him or her and point out words you know he or she knows.
- If your child is a reader, but does not like to read, choose a series to read ALONG with him or her.
- For older students, find a magazine subscription that interests them to encourage reading.
- Most importantly, children should read and learn on a level that is independent, not frustrating.
- Take advantage of your local library. They have multiple programs and resources many families do not know exist.
- Listen and read audio books on car trips during summer vacations.
- Spend time cooking together, read directions to your child or have them read to you, and help them with the steps and measuring.
- Take field trips to local places. Bonus points for researching and reading about these places prior to the field trip.
- We talk much about too much screen time. Yes, video games, TV, social media can be too much! Fortunately, those screens can be used for learning. Here is a list of apps for all ages, both free and paid. (The top two are my family’s favorites.)
- RAZKids
- Dreambox
- Reading Eggs
- ABCMouse
- iReady
- Khan Academy
- Kahoot!
- If the above options do not work, seek out an outside resource. We prefer Huntington Learning Centers, but there are many different options. Please do your research!
To learn more about how Huntington-Fort Mill can evaluate your child beyond the SC READY assessment, please call or email us! 803-548-8070/fortmillsc@hlcmail.com
