CISD School-Home Connection
A century-old challenge with unequal impacts.
Numerous studies have confirmed that prolonged periods away from school come at a cost to academic achievement. With COVID-19-related disruptions intensifying learning loss, there’s an even greater focus on understanding the impact of time out of school on students.
Some key research findings include:
On average, student achievement scores decline by the equivalent of a month spent in school over summer vacation. Experts predict it can take as much as four to six weeks to rebuild lost knowledge.
First to eighth grade students lose 17% to 28% of their previous year’s English language arts (ELA) gains and 25% to 34% of their math achievement gains over the summer. Additionally, the learning losses compound over time.
Summer learning loss is not equal across all grade levels or subjects. Students lose more math than reading skills, with greater loss among elementary students than middle or high school students.
Learning loss disproportionately affects students from historically disadvantaged groups (e.g., low-income) since these students are less likely to have access to summer learning opportunities that support year-round learning than students from non-historically disadvantaged groups.
Combat the Summer Slide
Summer 2024
To view this presentation in Spanish, click here.
Below is some tips for minimizing the impact of the summer slide, the original article can be found here.
Encourage children to read between four and six books over the summer to mitigate reading and literacy loss. Clifton ISD has books available to send home. Also don't forget to check out the little read boxes around town and in Laguna Park, or visit the Nellie Pederson Civic Library to fill your home library up this summer. Digitally, students can still access their campuses online library.
Join in with the following school-based opportunities:
Emergent Bilingual Summer School by invite only
Attendance & STAAR Remediation Summer School
FREE Summer Breakfast Program
Speed & Power Camp for incoming Grade 7 students and above
Login to Clever to access iXL's summer learning boost or Varsity Tutor's online mini courses that fit your family's schedule
Join in with the following community-based opportunities:
Nellie Pederson Civic Library - Reading Adventures will be held every Monday in June beginning at 10AM.
219 Artisan Market will be hosting Kids Art Camps with a variety of projects - cost associated with enrollment. Check out their schedule here.
The Bosque Arts Center will be hosting a variety of summer events with scholarships available. Check out their schedule here.
Don't forget every moment is an opportunity to learn, stay active, and stay engaged.
Write letters to family members - keep your child writing all summer long by sending letters (or emails) to family members. Share pictures and stories of your summer activities. Students begin learning cursive in grade 2 and letter writing components at grade 3. Here are some free resources to use for those just learning to write.
Play charades, card games or start a weekly/monthly family game night. Beyond the laughs and fun, a family game night can build communication skills and emphasize crucial social skills including: competition, disappointment, collaboration and excitement!
Go on a nature walk, exercise with pets, or visit Olson Pool. The NFL Play 60 app has several quick and easy ideas for students to keep moving all summer long. During the heat of summer Tuesday-Sunday Olson Pool is open from 1:00 - 6:00pm.
Stargaze - this summer is a great time to view not only the big and little dipper (the Big Bear), but also Scorpius in the night sky. The Perseid meteor shower will be active mid-July to late August with the peak right around the time school starts back in the fall. The Meyer Observatory is located between Clifton and Turnersville. Check out their website here. The third Saturday of every month they have an open house.
Encourage your child to help out around the house. They have been responsible for keeping their work areas tidy, keeping up with their supplies and working with their peers collaboratively all school year.
For the most up-to-date information, please go to Parents>Response to Coronavirus on our district's main webpage.
Always available for our students
Get a library card from the City Library and gain access to their online library to check out books for FREE. Contact the Nellie Pederson Civic Library for more information.
Use the link above to add translation capabilities to your webpages and documents to support your student and family during remote learning.
Links to helpful things
Tech Support for Clifton Parents
What books are in the CISD Libraries?
MS/HS Sora Library is available within Clever.