Each year, students leave school at the peak of their math skills, only to let those skills wither over the summer as they enjoy camps, vacations, and video games. Research into this long-known phenomenon, called summer learning loss, shows that students lose more than two months of education during the summer, leaving schools to spend as much as a quarter of the academic year playing catch-up before moving math education forward.
To combat this, TenMarks Education yesterday released its summer math programs designed to give parents and students the tools they need to not only keep their math skills sharp, but to help students move ahead. The program also enables parents to set motivational rewards to help students keep moving forward, even without prompting.
(A video introduction to TenMarks can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzO8i6kENvs.)
TenMarks Students Advanced During the Summer
During a pilot program last summer at the Loma Verde Elementary School in Novato, CA, a group of students worked with TenMarks while others were left to their traditional activities. When comparing assessments given in October to the one from May of the previous academic year, 82 percent of the students who used TenMarks during the summer improved their math skills.
"Summer learning loss is a real problem for teachers. It means spending weeks rehashing what students have already learned, rather than helping them master new concepts," said Laurel Golden of the Loma Verde Schools. "We found that when students took part in the TenMarks Summer Program, not only did they maintain what they learned, but in some cases they actually moved forward."
"American students rank 31st in math and we are falling farther behind. Our long summer break is a major factor in this," said TenMarks co-founder Andrew Joseph. "If you look at the more than two month loss in math and extrapolate that out over time, you can see the cumulative affects us as a nation. Our math skills lead directly to innovation, so if we continue to fall behind, we'll feel the economic effects long into the future."
12-Week Path to Math Success
TenMarks' three-month online summer math program is designed to help students in grades 3 through high school keep their skills sharp through regular work on three to four topics a week. If a student has trouble with a particular concept, online hints and videos, mapped directly to state standards, help students truly "get" the math concept, thereby reinforcing and strengthening their math skills.
"We designed TenMarks to help move students toward success, rather than simply showing them their areas of weakness," said TenMarks co-founder Rohit Agarwal. "With students, a sense of achievement and success goes a long way in building math skills and confidence. Our goal is provide students with the tools they need to understand math concepts and build a strong foundation, so they can then move forward and excel."
Pricing and Availability
TenMarks offers more than 30 different summer math programs, mapped to students' individual needs. There are "step-up" programs that help review concepts from the past grade and preview the next; "foundation" programs to help strengthen core math concepts like math facts, fractions, algebra, geometry, and data and statistics. Students can also take a quick assessment and get a summer program mapped to the results. The programs costs $39 and can be paused during breaks, such as when a student is away at sleep-away camp or during a family vacation.
The program is available immediately and can be purchased through www.tenmarks.com.
Also see: Best Summer Reads for Kids
