While school years end, learning is a twelve month activity

While school years end, learning is an ongoing activity, so don’t allow the end of an academic year to deter the pursuit of meaningful educational progress. Many times students and their parents are made to feel defeated by school staff with responses that reflect there is not sufficient time to pursue new interventions before the end of the school year. Neither sound educational practice, nor school code requirements would support a dismissive approach to the need for student support services.

Begin by reviewing the educational data accumulated throughout the school year. Report cards, progress updates, and student work samples are meaningful data sources to support any educational concerns that may be uncovered. Parent teacher conferences and teacher communication can also reveal underlying performance issues.

Don’t hesitate to share your concerns with the school team. The time of year should not play any role in seeking assistance to support student learning. If student performance is a concern, an assessment can be requested at any time throughout the school year. Student learning can be incremental, so if data reflects educational progress, continuing student interventions may be the appropriate course of action. When goals have been achieved, an end of year reintegration back into the classroom provides time to assess whether sufficient progress has been made before the end of the school year.

Plan for the summer to ensure that learning is supported while away from school. Seek assistance from teachers to develop summer learning opportunities that carry over the work completed throughout the school year. Summer can also be an opportunity to prepare for the year ahead and preview concepts that will be introduced in the future.

Thinking about learning as a twelve month process helps kids to see their growth as an ongoing activity.