Hault the Summer Slide (for all ECC areas)

Welcome back to A Step Forward, Episode 65! Today, we're focusing on something that affects all educators, but especially those working with students with special needs: the dreaded "summer slide." It's not just about the summer vacation; it’s about the academic skills that are lost during those 10-12 weeks off. As educators, we know this loss can be detrimental, particularly for students with impairments or from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. But don’t worry—there’s a way to help prevent that slide, and I’m here to share how you can take action this summer.

What is the Summer Slide?

For those who may not be familiar with the term, the summer slide refers to the loss of skills and knowledge that occurs over the summer months when students are away from school. Studies have shown that this loss can be equivalent to one month of learning. That's a lot of ground to lose! For students with impairments, the impact can be even greater.

After the challenges of the pandemic, we’ve already been battling the COVID slide, and the last thing we need is for our students to slide further back over the summer. So, what can we do about it?

Step 1: Understanding the Importance of Summer Support

Whether you’re an O&M (Orientation and Mobility) specialist or a special education teacher, we all need to be proactive in combating this learning loss. If your students qualify for extended year services or summer camps, that’s a great start. However, not all students will have that opportunity. So, let’s talk about what you can do to help all of your students make progress, even while they’re out of school.

Step 2: Building a Strategic Plan

Now, let's create a plan. I’m going to walk you through a five-step strategy, combining relationship-building, data tracking, and a focus on reinforcing essential skills. The idea here is simple: break it down into manageable steps. You don’t need to do everything—just take it one step at a time.

Step 3: Create a Skill Quadrant

Start by drawing a quadrant on a piece of paper. Label each of the four boxes with these categories:

1. Easy skills, high independence – Skills that are easy to teach and significantly increase independence.
2. Easy skills, low independence – Skills that are easy to teach but don’t contribute as much to independence.
3. Difficult skills, high independence – Skills that are harder to teach but lead to a higher level of independence.
4. Difficult skills, low independence – Skills that are difficult to teach and don’t significantly increase independence.

List out the skills under each category based on the needs of your students. For example, cane skills might fall under easy skills, high independence, while learning to shop independently might fall under difficult skills, low independence.

Step 4: Celebrating Successes

Once you’ve identified the skills to target, start collecting data on those skills. Whether it’s through videos, photos, or progress notes, celebrate the success of your students. Send these celebrations to caregivers, either through postcards, videos, or a Google slide deck. Make sure to highlight the student’s achievements and how they’re progressing.

By sending these updates to caregivers, you’re not only providing valuable feedback, but you’re also building a positive relationship. And remember, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. This step will help you establish trust with caregivers, which is vital for the summer months.

Step 5: Preparing Summer Materials and Resources

Now that you've built relationships and gathered data, it's time to prepare the materials for the summer. Whether it’s a set of activities, games, or a simple chart of skills to practice, be sure to make these resources easy and fun. You want caregivers to feel empowered to continue working with their child without feeling overwhelmed.

Consider using resources like ParentMobility’s monthly calendars or ECC subscription boxes, which are tailored for students with visual impairments and provide ideas for fun, engaging activities that reinforce independence.

Step 6: Making Your Ask

Once you've built that relationship and provided valuable resources, it's time to make your ask. Reach out to caregivers with clear instructions on how they can support the student. Whether it’s guiding their child to retrieve the mail or practicing cane skills, make sure to provide clear, actionable steps. And don’t forget to check in periodically throughout the summer—gentle reminders can go a long way in ensuring continued progress.

In Conclusion

Remember, this is about taking small steps. It doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. Just focus on one skill at a time, build those relationships with caregivers, and send them home with resources that will help them support their child’s independence over the summer.

Useful Resources:

• Explore the IOMOS Priority List to stay ahead in your O&M practice.
• Join the Clarity Workshop for in-depth training and actionable strategies.
• Register for the TVI Symposium  to connect with fellow educators and learn from experts in the field.