Spring semester's parent/teacher conferences are here, and depending on the feedback they've received, many families are not sure what to do next. Plenty of students have fallen more than a year behind since the COVID-19 pandemic, and their academics continue to deteriorate. This deterioration has become so widespread that researchers have even given it a name -- the COVID Slide [Read more here].
In the last year, the most common things educators have noticed about students and their impact with the COVID slide are:
1. Deteriorated Skills:
Students of all levels have lost academic skills they once knew how to do, whether or not they were already struggling pre-pandemic. Unfortunately, no one was prepared for schools to close and the transition to remote learning could only happen as fast as schools were able to prepare this new learning medium. During this time, students waited patiently at home as their skills quickly began to decline.
The 2020-2021 school year has been mostly remote -- a model that is far from ideal for most students. Some are unable to focus and have shut down from the lack of engagement and interaction. Lack of consistent repetition has proven to take a toll on pre-existing skills.
2. Decreased Confidence:
Since students have noticed their math skills dwindling, many have lost confidence in themselves and their academic abilities. It is hard for students to stay motivated when their confidence has been impacted.
At our center, we very commonly hear "I knew how to do this but I forgot." Students are frustrated they can no longer charge through problems that used to be easy for them. Students have to relearn these skills while being taught new concepts, which only compounds the problem.
3. Stressful Homework Time:
Since foundations have been impacted, many students are filling gaps while trying to learn new concepts. Due to these gaps, homework time has become a chore for students. Some families have told us that they spend upward of two hours on math homework alone!
4. Low Test Scores:
Foundational gaps are unfortunately also impacting testing scores and grades. In order for a student to be able to score well on a test or quiz, they need to be at mastery with a concept. Students achieve mastery after practicing the particular concept and its pre-requisite skills over a consistent period of time. Many families are finding it difficult to work on the 2+ hours of homework and still have enough time set aside to study for an upcoming test or quiz so mastery is not being achieved.
Since San Diego Unified School District and Sweetwater Union High School District have experienced an interruption to their math learning, our mission to serve the Chula Vista and Bonita communities has only heightened! We are open and offering both in-person and online tutoring so that your child can learn via an instructional delivery that best supports their learning style and engagement level.
We are in this together and regardless of the stress you may be feeling; we will tackle the rest of the school year and begin preparing to have an amazing fall semester by optimizing the summer break!
Call, email or click this LINK to schedule a free trial!
Phone: (619) 946-5686
Email: [email protected]
(619) 946-5686
