Combatting the ‘summer slide’ before the first day of school

CHILTON COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - Students are heading back to school and after two months out of the classroom, some may need a refresher on what they learned last school year.

Chilton County students will be back in the classroom on August 10, which gives a few days for families to prepare.

Superintendent Jason Griffin says for the past few years, they’ve held reading camps to try and curb the learning loss caused by the pandemic and the summer slide. He says this can be one of the difficult parts about starting a new year for students and teachers.

While students are working to remember what they learned months prior, teachers are gauging where their new classroom is academically.

How quickly it takes to bounce back, Griffin says, depends on the student.

“I’m a firm believer in the environment that the student is in,” he said. “Some students are in an academic-rich environment where the parent or guardian -- the culture they provide at home is just one where learning takes place naturally. Then there are other students who that’s not so much the case. Then there are those that don’t have that opportunity.”

Griffin says every student is different and learns different, so anything a parent can do at home, like reading before bed or using flash cards, can help with the summer slide.

The school board also approved a free after school program for Pre-K-sixth grade students that is expected to improve student learning as well. The superintendent says the program will be held at eight district schools Monday through Friday until 6 p.m.

The sign-up is easy too. A post on the Chilton County Schools Facebook page said, “Contact your child’s school for information.”

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