Many students look forward to sun-filled summers free from books and homework, but this extended break from learning sets many students back. 

The average summer learning loss in math and reading for American students amounts to one month per year, according to a report by the RAND Corporation. The negative effects of summer learning loss show up as early as first grade in some students, and it takes up to two months after school starts for students' brain development to get back on track.

Summer learning loss can have long-term implications, as well. By the end of sixth grade, students who experience summer learning loss are, on average, two years behind their peers.

This learning and achievement gap is daunting. The good news, however, is that summer learning loss is easy to avoid. 

While summer provides a break from learning in a traditional school environment, it offers countless opportunities for students to grow academically outside the classroom. From pursuing their particular interests to exploring brand new subjects, summer gives students time to build knowledge in fun, stimulating ways.

Looking for strategies to combat learning loss while keeping your child's summer fun? Here are five easy ways to weave some learning into those carefree summer days:

1. Add the Library to Your Weekly Routine

Reading is the best way for students to keep their brains sharp during summer break. Reading promotes brain development, teaches vocabulary and comprehension, builds empathy and opens students' minds to worlds outside their own.

Visit the library each week so your student can pick out a new book. If she's a reluctant reader, try creating a simple incentive program to get her started: When she finishes five books, she gets a small prize. If she can finish 20, she earns an ice cream date with the whole family. Sometimes, her own library card is all the incentive a student needs!

2. Learn from Household Projects

Learning doesn't have to involve writing assignments and problem sets. Much of learning is simply developing the ability to think critically and solve problems. What better practice than to complete a project as a family?

This could be as simple as baking a cake, assembling a bicycle or building a birdhouse. Walk through the directions together, and let your student guess what step comes next -- or write out all the steps beforehand and let him guess the correct order.

This list of 15 kid-friendly household projects can get you started.

3. Visit a Cultural or Historical Site

A visit to a local cultural or historical site presents many opportunities to learn. Together, read any signage providing background about the site, and talk about what it might have been like to live during that time period. What would be different? What would be the same? Talk to your child about why cities, states and nations choose to preserve historical sites, and ask for their opinions.

There is a huge collection of excellent historical fiction for children and teens. Do a quick search to find any books related to the site or area you're visiting, then read the book together before or after your trip. The same goes for age-appropriate movies and TV shows.

4. Take a Hike

Nature is a boundless source for summer learning. Students can study types of plants, animal behavior and ecology simply by spending time outdoors. Take some time to learn about the parks and walking trails in your town. Some parks districts even offer guided hikes for children and families.

Here's a list of fun, educational outdoor activities to spark students' curiosity about nature.

5. Invest in a Tutor

Summer tutoring keeps your child's academic skills sharp and her mind engaged. Even one hour weekly with a tutor sets students up for success during the year. One-on-one and small-group tutoring not only boosts grades, it builds confidence and helps students feel comfortable confronting new academic challenges. In short, tutoring can affect a student's attitude toward learning for the rest of his or her life.

Get the most from your investment by finding a tutoring center with certified teachers, personalized lesson plans and a results-focused approach.

With these simple steps, your student will be ready to start the school year strong.

iLearn Academy offers a three-week, end-of-summer Catch-Up Program to help students get up to speed before the start of the school year. Visit the program page to learn more or enroll. 

2. Read Actively: It’s best not to take notes while reading, because that can interrupt the flow of the message. It can also decrease the reader’s comprehension. Sometimes, the main point of a paragraph is not recognized until the entire paragraph is read, so taking notes at the end helps the reader include all of the main elements. Highlight a phrase, or dates, that stand out. A few words are not enough, and entire sentences are too much.

3. Review: When finished reading the ten-page chunk, consider what the section was about. In your own words, write a summary of it. Write down broad connections of the material to things you already knew, or previous readings.  

Other tips include reading aloud when something doesn’t seem logical upon the first read. The extra step of speaking the words can sometimes engage thought processes and help clarify the language.  Writing notes in your own words encourages additional thought about the reading, which also adds to memory retention. The idea of highlighting and handwriting notes is to include enough material to provide a summary of the entire passage, and the through process of doing that is what increases retention.

For more suggestions on note taking, ask your iLearn Academy instructors today.

  
For more information on the debate on learning in the digital age read more at:
 
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/
 
If you would like to learn more about your students learning style, please contact iLearn Academy today at 847-834-0791.

Helping your children pay for the cost of college does not have to be a daunting experience. If you get started early and consider the various sources of financial aid then you can help your student start their career debt free.
Here's how:

1. Think Long-Term College Savings. The earlier you start saving, the better off you'll be. One of the best methods is to combine tax benefits and savings by investing in a 529 Plan. There are two types of plans: Prepaid Tuition Plans and College Savings Plans. You can choose any state sponsored plan, however, if you choose an Illinois plan, you receive an added tax break by deducting part of your contribution from state tax. The primary benefits of a 529 plan are earnings will grow tax free when used for college, ability to transfer funds from one family member to another, and ability to choose your investment in attempts to outpace college inflation. Other savings plans include a Coverdell (Educational IRA) with lower annual contribution limits of $2,000, Custodial Accounts with less tax benefits, and Personal Savings. No matter how you save, careful planning for the long haul is the best way to prepare for the cost of college. 

2. Free College Money. If you're looking for someone else to pay for college then knowing the options and understanding the filing deadlines in this highly competitive marketplace will be the keys to your success. Available options include: 1. Federal and State Grants, 2. Scholarships, 3. Service and Work Study Awards, and 4. Tuition Waivers and Allowances. The first step is to consider if you qualify for "needs-based" or "non-needs based" aid. Start by visiting FASFA (Free Application for Student Aid) at fasfa.ed.gov to determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), or what the government thinks you can pay for college. Next, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) to be given to the financial aid center at your prospective college.  The main source of free money is the needs-based "Pell Grant" followed by the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG). Next, learn more about Illinois' state grants at www.isbe.net. Scholarships are the next best free source and are usually based on merit or competition. Check with your college and visit sites that do not charge a fee such as fastweb.com, studentaid.ed.gov, fastaid.com, and collegenet.com. There are a lot of scholarship scams on the internet so be careful with the "too good to be true" offers.  

3. Alternatives to Loans. Consider alternatives such as deciding which school to attend will  keep your costs down. The reality is, unless you are graduating from an Ivy League school, most employers are more interested in your skill sets and less on where you graduated. Consider attending a school close to home to save money on room and board. Also, think about picking a lower cost school and research which classes will transfer to a school of choice then transfer to your ideal school in your senior year. These strategies can save you thousands of dollars. If borrowing is your only option, understand the interest rates and payback options. The best choice for loans is the subsidized needs-based "Perkins" or "Stafford" Loan with lower interest rates than institutional loans.
Learn more about how iLearn Academy can help you save and prepare for college by contacting Mr. Anderson at 847-834-0791. Please  be sure and attend our free "Paying for College" workshop at our learning center on March XX, 2018 or call for more information.

*College Board, Trends in Student Aid 2017, read more at: https://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/2017-trends-student-aid_0.pdf
https://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/08/the-long-term-consequences-of-student-loans.html
​

Hello iLearn Academy followers,

This is a friendly reminder that ACT Test Preparation Courses for the April ACT Test are set to begin January 20th. If you are interested in attending this program be sure to register for iLearn Academy's free Mock ACT Test so we know where to begin.

To schedule the Mock Exam or inquire for more details regarding our ACT program call 847 834 0791.

Thanks,

iLearn Academy

-A pitfall for some parents is to dismiss their child's education to the responsibility of the public or private school teacher. In reality, your attitude and involvement towards your child's academics has a major impact on their overall development and grades. Studies show 90% of all children experience some form of anxiety or depression. By building a strong emotional foundation at home, your son or daughter will be more focused and less anxious on preparing for and taking tests. Consider for a moment your own experience as a child--did one or both of your parents take a personal interest in your education? What was their attitude toward your getting an A or D--were you rewarded or reprimanded? If your child knows they have your full support, no matter the result, their level of stress will be manageable. This guide will identify some effective ways to help your student build confidence, stay focused, and reduce anxiety.  

Here is a great story about a middle school student that stood up to bullies. Talk to your parents or teachers if you are being bullied. Never suffer silently. Click the picture below to read the article. 

Hi iLearn Academy followers,
Here is a great article about what colleges look for from the applicants. 
https://www.nytimes.com/section/education

At iLearn Academy, we know the impact a tutor can have on a student's academics and future opportunities. Study after study confirm the benefits of tutors and we see these benefits every day in iLearn Academy classrooms. Since our inception, iLearn Academy has sought to bring our small class, and progress based personal approach to tutoring to as many students as possible at as low a cost as possible.  Though we strive to make our type of tutoring accessible we are often limited by the practicalities of having to keep the doors open all the while compensating our highly qualified teachers. A new education policy proposal may change that for charitable tutoring centers like ours, by making it conceivable to bring iLearn Academy type tutoring sessions into public schools across the nation at no extra cost to school districts.

The Hamilton Project
We were pleased but not surprised to hear about a recent national education policy proposal made by the Hamilton Project (an economic policy initiative at the Brookings Institute) which calls for public schools to adopt an approach to teaching that is foundational to how iLearn Academy operates. The new policy calls to dramatically ramp up the use of in-school math tutors in addition to regular classes to help students perform at higher levels with existing school funds. This policy was announced by the Hamilton Project following a two year study in the Chicago Public Schools which showed dramatic increases in math understanding through multiple means of assessment on ninth and tenth grade underperforming students. The proposal brought forth in the Hamilton Project, "Improving Academic Outcomes for Disadvantaged Students: Scaling Up Individualized Tutorials" (Ander, Guryan, and Ludwig) calls for public schools to provide its underperforming students with targeted sessions multiple times per week in a small group setting by a tutor well-versed in secondary mathematics with frequent assessments to monitor growth. This approach has long worked for iLearn Academy students and it has now been proven to work for students in the Chicago Public Schools as well.

The Hamilton Project Results: Improved Grades
The Hamilton Project uses the data gathered from a 2013-14 study they conducted to support to their claims that individualized tutoring for math leads to big results. During the study Chicago Public Schools welcomed Match/SAGA (non-profit tutoring organizations) tutors into 12 high schools for one year. The results were impressive: after one year of being tutored in a two to one student to tutor ratio for 50 minutes a day, ninth and tenth grade CPS students who participated in the tutorials saw an average "increase of 0.58" to their math GPA on a 4 point scale, moved from the "34th percentile to the 42nd percentile" in  math standardized tests (Plan/Pre-ACT), and "learned one to two extra years of math, over and above what the typical American high school student learns in one year", (p 11. Ander, Guryan, and Ludwig). These results, however, are nothing new. We've long known that tutoring in a small group setting helps students immensely. You'd be hard pressed to find any studies since the 70s that don't reaffirm that.  What's new here is being able to provide personalized tutoring to students with no additional expenses to school districts.

Results Show Benefits of Tutoring Go Beyond Education: 
​     1. Reduced Crime Rates
The Hamilton Project lists in "Improving Academic Outcomes for Disadvantaged Students" many future economic benefits, from individual earnings to reductions in crime for having a tutoring safety-net in place for students at risk of failing out of school. The proposal found that the benefits could be "1.3 to 2.9 times as large as the cost" (Ander, 11). The possible social and monetary benefits are wild especially considering that we can get them through funds already available. Due to the reauthorization of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December 2015 school districts can now allocate Title 1 funding to reputable non-profit tutoring services. Chicago Public Schools was able to pay for all Match/SAGA tutorials for '14/'15 and 15'/16' school years all with government stipends through Title 1. Title 1 paid all totaled $2.9 million to provide these tutoring services for 12 high schools one year and 20 high schools the next year.
     2. Lower Educational Costs
The Hamilton Project states that the average cost per student to CPS for a year of tutoring was $3,800. If this system was scaled up nationally they predict costs could be cut down to $2,500/yr about 2/3 of the original cost. There were $14 billion (Ander, 12) of Title 1 funding made available to districts nationwide in 2014, and hundreds of millions of dollars each year to large districts like CPS.  These cost for tutoring would be 3-4% of Title 1 funds already allocated to schools.
     3. Personalized Student Attention
The Hamilton Project has prescribed for the nation essentially what we prescribe for every student who comes through our doors: devoted, personalized, attention in a very small group setting by a tutor who is highly knowledgeable in math. The Match/SAGA Tutorial Experiment done in Chicago Public School proves once again that regular sessions with a small student to tutor ratio are undeniably helpful for students who are behind. They further provide a way schools can get these services at no extra cost to themselves. This would be a practical way to get tutors into public schools where they can have the most impact. iLearn Academy strongly believes in the power of personalized tutoring. We would love to see services like these and ours reach a wider audience and will be covering the progress of this proposal closely. 
​
To read more about the proposal please follow the links below.

http://www.hamiltonproject.org/papers/improving_academic_outcomes_for_disadvantaged_students_scaling_up_individua

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2016/03/researchers-intensive-tutoring-should-be-expanded-nationally


https://news.uchicago.edu/article/2015/02/02/findings-reinforce-use-targeted-tutoring-benefit-disadvantaged-cps-students

https://www.povertyactionlab.org/sites/default/files/2016.03.26-Guryan-EN_0.pdf

There’s no substitute for a comprehensive review of Standard Written English, but as I’ve taught English over the past several years I have found that there are a handful of skills that nearly all of my students require help relearning. I present here my attempt to hash some of these skills out, and I’ve happily narrowed it down to five. But, before getting to the good stuff, why not a quick skills check? Answers are listed right afterwards; no peeking!

1.       Despite bankruptcy rumors the staff at the marketing firm continued showing up for work.
A.     NO CHANGE
B.     bankruptcy rumors; the staff
C.     bankruptcy rumors – the staff
D.     bankruptcy rumors, the staff
 
2.      Joselyn unexpectedly decided to see the new horror film. Everyone knows they hate scary movies!
A.     NO CHANGE
B.     they all hate
C.     she hates
D.     I hate
 
3.      Not one of the many colorful machines with flashing lights were a pinball machine.
A.     NO CHANGE
B.     were an actual
C.     would have been an actual
D.     was a
 
4.      As a six year-old girl, Jane would sit by the window for hours, wishing and hoping for the rain to stop
A.     NO CHANGE
B.     Wishing
C.     Wishing and yearning
D.     Wishing and hoping without end
 
5.      After moving to Colorado, Zack decided to hike, go fishing, and skis.
A.     NO CHANGE
B.     to hike, fish, and ski.
C.     to go hiking, fish, and ski.
D.     hiking, fishing, and skiing.​

​Answer Key: 1. D, 2. C, 3. D, 4. B, 5. B

How well did you score? Each of these problems highlight a specific English language skill, and it’s absolutely worth discussing each of these skills more in depth.
​
Punctuation
In Standard Written English there are dozens of rules governing punctuation marks. Sometimes the only difference between two answer choices is the placement of a single apostrophe; while it can be tricky, mastery of these straightforward rules means you will always get these questions correct and inevitably improve your score!
Let’s look at the example from before:
Despite bankruptcy rumors the staff at the marketing firm continued showing up for work.
The underlined portion screams of a punctuation error! Standard Written English tells us that a comma should always be placed after the introductory element of a sentence, in this case “Despite bankruptcy rumors...” Consider our answer choices again:
A.     NO CHANGE
B.     bankruptcy rumors; the staff
C.     bankruptcy rumors – the staff
D.    bankruptcy rumors, the staff
A student well-versed in punctuation rules would arrive at choice D. Even if this student were not entirely confident in their answer, they would easily be able to eliminate the other answer choices. Choice A leaves the sentence without a needed break, choice B incorrectly uses a semicolon, and choice C incorrectly uses a dash.

Parts of Speech: Pronouns
Understanding the role of different elements of English speech – verbs, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, interjections – is crucial! Oftentimes, students with experience writing are able to compose sentences and paragraphs without serious consideration of their parts of speech. That is because as students mature as English-speakers, they develop a natural “flow” and work quickly to put their thoughts together. Here is our example from above:
Joselyn unexpectedly decided to see the new horror film. Everyone knows they hate scary movies!
The pronoun “they” and the verb “hate” are underlined. Many students might read this sentence and think no error exists here, but the rules governing pronoun cases are very clear. “They” is a plural pronoun, but what is “they” intended to replace? It is intended to replace to proper noun Joselyn, but Joselyn is a singular feminine noun, and so the singular feminine pronoun “she” is the only acceptable pronoun to use here…
A.     NO CHANGE
B.     they all hate
C.     she hates
D.    I hate
… so we know that C would be the only acceptable answer. (Note too that the verb “hate” must be changed to accommodate the newly singular pronoun.)

Parts of Speech: Verbs
Verb forms require a similar level of meticulousness. The key to successfully addressing both pronoun and verb errors is to identify the subject of the sentence. Here’s the example again:
Not one of the many colorful machines with flashing lights were a pinball machine.
A.     NO CHANGE
B.     were an actual
C.     would have been an actual
D.    was a
This shows perfectly why you should always identify the true subject! The verb “were” (past-tense of the verb “to be”) is in plural form, and here lies the error. The descriptors “many colorful machines” and “flashing lights” mislead us towards the plural verb, but we actually need to go further back to identify the true subject, “Not one,” which is a singular subject.
Because our subject is singular, we need to verb form to be singular. This is why we should arrive at answer choice D.  Notice, if we took out all of our extra descriptors, our subject-predicate would read “Not one was a pinball machine.” which is perfectly acceptable. Answer choice C uses the correct verb form but is needlessly wordy. Speaking of wordiness…

Wordiness and Redundancy
Less is more! Standard Written English is clear and concise, meaning ideas are presented as clearly as possible and in as few words as possible. Good writing always includes appropriate details and imagery, but filling a text with unnecessary words results in clunky and awkward-sounding sentences where the main point becomes lost. Even if an answer choice is technically  correct, it can still be an incorrect answer choice on the grounds of wordiness or redundancy.
As a six year-old girl, Jane would sit by the window for hours, wishing and hoping for the rain to stop
A.     NO CHANGE
B.     Wishing
C.     Wishing and yearning
D.    Wishing and hoping without end
​Underlined here is an example of a redundancy error. “Wishing” and “hoping” have nearly identical meanings in this context, and so to use both words makes the sentence needlessly wordier.
Ideally you would arrive at answer choice B. Not only is it the clearest and most concise answer choice, but all of the other answer choices here add unnecessary words, answer choice D being the worst culprit.
It’s okay to let your eyes gravitate towards the answer choices with the fewest words; as long as no crucial or unique details are being left out, these often turn out to be the correct choice!

Parallelism
Elements in a series, or list, must match in tense/form. Not sure what that means? See if you can spot the parallelism error here, in our example from above:
After moving to Colorado, Zack decided to hike, go fishing, and skis.
This sentence has a series with three elements: “to hike,” “go fishing,” and “skis.” There are three verbs, but they are all in different forms.
To hike: infinite verb form
Go fishing: present-perfect verb tense
Skis: basic present tense
Standard Written English dictates these three elements must match, and so we would choose an answer choice that provides three matching elements.
A.     NO CHANGE
B.     to hike, fish, and ski.
C.     to go hiking, fish, and ski.
D.    hiking, fishing, and skiing.
Answer choice B provides us with three verbs, in infinite form, that match. It’s important to note that articles (a/an/the) and elements such as “to” must match a certain way as well. Either they must be placed before each specific element, or listed only before the first one. So, our correct answer choice also could have been written as “to hike, to fish, and to ski.”
Also, while answer choice D provides us with three verbs in present-perfect tense, but that tense does not match the way the rest of the preceding sentence is written.
 
In conclusion…
Self-teaching is easier than ever before, but there is no replacement for an experienced teacher who is driven to help you achieve your goals. I would highly recommend enrolling in a tutoring program today to help prepare you for your next standardized test. As you plan for your future, keep in mind that that universities continue to use standardized test scores to quickly differentiate between thousands of applicants. If you hope to be a competitive college applicant, it is never too early to begin preparing yourself!
​
Alex,
​iLearn Academy ACT Instructor