The "Covid Slide" and Math Learning

What is the “Covid Slide”?

When the world was still normal, parents worried about the “summer slide”, in which students can lose up to 3 months of learning during their summer break. With Covid forcing students online for the last term of the 2019-2020 school year, that “slide” has been augmented - and no subject has been hit harder than math. A recent study predicted that students will likely suffer up to nine months of learning loss in math by the time the 2020-2021 school year ends.

Why Was Math Learning Hit So Hard?

There are a few reasons why math learning in particular is such a huge concern among researchers and educators this school year according to an article in Education Week. First, teachers have been forced to rely more heavily on parents to instruct from home. Generally, parents are not able to provide sufficient instruction for their student when it comes to math, whether because they can’t remember the concepts, they don’t know the latest teaching methods, or because they simply don’t have the time. This has left many students struggling through pre-recorded instruction videos or take-home math packets, often trying to unsuccessfully teach themselves the concepts. Additionally, math anxiety, an issue that 67% of teachers report as a challenge for their students, is predicted to be greatly exacerbated by the additional stressors caused by Covid-19.

What Can I Do About Math Learning Loss?

Many parents resort to hiring private tutors or using after-school services for their students, only to realize years down the road that their student is still dependent on those services. The student may get help to understand that one assignment, but then they need help with the next one, and the next one, and so on. The problem with these methods is that students who have experienced learning loss don’t just need help on their homework assignments - they have gaps in their learning that need to be fixed before they can move on and understand the next concept. Math builds on itself every year, so not understanding concepts in one grade level means the next year will be that much more difficult. Until those gaps are filled, students will continue to struggle because they do not have a solid math foundation upon which they can build.

Enter the Mathnasium Method.

The Mathnasium Method means meeting your student exactly where they are in their math learning, regardless of grade level. If your student didn’t learn what they needed to at the end of the 2019-2020 school year due to online learning, they are not alone, and they can still catch up. We can meet them at the exact place in the curriculum that they started to struggle through use of our detailed assessments. From there, we assign them a personalized learning plan that targets exactly what they still need to learn. Our method is not a crutch or a band-aid, it’s an actual fix. We give your student a deep understanding of concepts that allows them to move forward independently in their learning and build on a solid, foundational understanding of math.

See if Mathnasium is Right for Your Child