The first few weeks of a new school year move fast. For a lot of parents, that's when the worry creeps in. Did my child forget everything over the summer? Are they ready for this grade? Are they falling behind?
That worry is understandable. Research on the summer slide shows that most students lose some math skills over the break. But with Learner’s Next Level Math, summer can be a chance to do more than hold steady.
For the students in the program, this fall looks different. They spent the summer working one-on-one with a Learner tutor on the exact skills they needed for the year ahead. Some were closing gaps from last year. Some were racing ahead. Some were working on their test anxiety. All of them walked into the new school year better prepared than they were in June.
Here are a few of their stories. Student names have been changed to protect their privacy.
How Next Level Math works
No two students learn the same way, so no two Next Level Math summers looked the same. But every one of them started in the same place: finding out exactly where the student stands.
Each student began with a diagnostic assessment. Learner tutors use IXL, an online learning platform, to see how a student is doing in each area of math and which specific skills need attention. The results show a student's level in grade terms. A tutor can see, for example, that a student heading into 6th grade has mastered most of 5th-grade math but still has a few important skills to shore up.
From there, the tutor builds a plan around that student. Sessions go straight to the skills that matter most for the year ahead, whether that means filling in earlier material or moving on to something new. Between sessions, students practice what they worked on together.
At the end of the summer, students take the assessment again. Families get a clear picture of how far their child has come, and students have a head start on the school year.
Owen: Walking into 6th grade ready
Every new grade builds on the one before it. That's why a few unfinished skills from last year can turn into a problem. Owen, who just started 6th grade, began the summer with a handful of those 5th-grade gaps.
Instead of reviewing everything, Owen and his tutor, Ruth Birney, went straight to the skills his assessment showed he hadn't mastered yet. Once a week, for an hour, they worked through his plan lesson by lesson.
When summer started, Owen had mastered about 70% of 5th-grade math. By the end of the summer, he had mastered all of it, plus 30% of 6th-grade math. He started the new school year a step ahead instead of a step behind.
Marcus: Always ready for the next challenge
Marcus, who just started 7th grade, began the summer already prepared for 8th-grade math. For a student like Marcus, the risk isn't falling behind. It's getting bored.
Marcus tore through his recommended skills, often three topics in a single session, and handled most of them on his own. His tutor, Jonathan Peralta, noticed that Marcus was all in when the work stretched him and checked out when it didn't. So once Marcus finished his plan, Jonathan kept raising the bar, assigning topics one and even two grade levels ahead.
In under four months, Marcus covered more than a full grade level of math, mastering all of 8th-grade math and 20% of 9th. After a summer of twice-weekly sessions, Marcus started 7th grade engaged, and well ahead of the curve.
Ethan: Learning that a test doesn't have to be scary
Ethan just started 5th grade, and is working ahead of his grade level. But halfway through the summer, something surprising happened. His results on his weekly check-ins suddenly dropped by more than a full grade level.
Ethan hadn't forgotten the math. He was experiencing test anxiety. Even a short check-in with nothing riding on it made him so nervous that he couldn't show what he knew.
Plenty of kids feel this way, and it rarely shows up on a report card. His tutor, Colleen Sanders, caught it and made it part of the plan. Instead of skipping the weekly check-ins, they kept them going as practice in staying calm, until taking a test started to feel routine.
By the end of the summer, Ethan was far more relaxed. He's starting 5th grade with half of 6th-grade math already under his belt. But the most valuable thing Ethan learned this summer might not be math at all.
Maya: Finding her motivation
Any parent who has battled over homework knows that getting a child to practice on their own can be the hardest part. Maya, who is starting Algebra 1 this year, had always found it tough to keep up with work outside her sessions.
This summer, something clicked. Maya and her tutor, Colleen, met weekly and worked on the foundational skills her assessment flagged, the ones Algebra 1 is built on. As Maya watched her progress climb, she wanted to keep it climbing. She started practicing between sessions about half the time, which Colleen calls a big step for her.
Maya grew more than half a grade level on those core skills before her first day of algebra. Just as important, she's heading into the year with something that's hard to teach: she wants to get better.
Clara: Still growing at the top
Clara just started 6th grade, and she's already well into 8th-grade math. Parents of advanced students sometimes wonder whether tutoring still makes a difference once their child is ahead. Clara's summer says it does.
At her level, every new skill is harder won, so big jumps are rare. Her tutor, Abby Ciccarone, split each weekly hour in two: 30 minutes of instruction on the skills her assessment recommended, then 30 minutes practicing those same skills through math games to keep things fun.
Even with a school year that ran late into the summer, Clara mastered 10% more of the 8th-grade material by fall. Abby calls that progress impressive for a student working so far ahead.
What made the difference
Owen, Marcus, Ethan, Maya, and Clara started the summer in very different places. But their summers had a few important things in common.
- A plan built for them. The diagnostic took the guesswork out. Every session went to the skills each student actually needed, not a one-size-fits-all review.
- A tutor paying close attention. Jonathan kept Marcus challenged the moment the work got easy. Colleen spotted Ethan's test anxiety, which a score alone would have hidden. Abby found a way to keep an advanced student having fun. That kind of attention is why Learner tutors go through a rigorous selection process.
- Steady, consistent work. A weekly session and a little practice in between added up to real results over one summer.
- Confidence, not just skills. For Ethan and Maya especially, the biggest change was how they feel about math.
Give your child their own head start
Every one of these stories began with a parent who wanted their child to feel ready. Maybe your child is a step behind and you're not sure how to help. Maybe they're ahead and losing interest. Maybe they know the material but freeze when it counts. Whatever the reason, you don't have to figure it out alone.
Next Level Math now runs year-round, for both math and English language arts. Your child's tutor starts by finding exactly where they are, builds a plan around what they need, and shows you the progress along the way. It's not too late to make this the year math stops being a struggle.
Ready to stop the struggle with math? Find your tutor today.
Already a Learner family? Ask your Learner representative about adding IXL access to your child's tutoring plan.
