Using Lexia at home in the summer

There are several considerations to keep in mind when using Lexia with students at home during their summer time off from school. One of Lexia’s strengths in helping students progress in their literacy skills is in teachers monitoring student progress, intervening when students struggle with online content, and celebrating when students show progress. This needs to be planned for in advance of students using Lexia at home over the summer break.

The first step in this setup process is to determine who will be monitoring students from school by logging in to myLexia.com. This cannot be a parent/guardian as they do not have access to myLexia. This should be school-based personnel.

Next, instructions should be sent home to parents using the Parent Overview Letters and Home Use Letters. These letters can be found on myLexia.com by clicking on RESOURCES on the left, RESOURCE MATERIALS and then scrolling down to the School to Home section. Letters will need to be edited to include any instructions that the school wants parents to follow.

Lexia Lessons
Identify someone at school with myLexia access to monitor students weekly to determine when they need intervention and then contacting the parents to provide the Lexia Lesson.  It is important that students are not struggling without assistance. The Lexia Lesson could be picked up at the school or emailed home.

Skill Builders
It will also be important to set up a system for administering the Skill Builders for each student. Here are some ideas:

• Consider creating a folder for each student with the Skill Builders to do after completing a level. 
• Initially provide Skill Builders from 2 levels below the students level at the beginning of summer.
• Another option is to print Skill Builders from previous level (usually about 25 pages) to be worked on in tandem with on-line program, perhaps on alternate days.  Could also send home current level SB, but would want parents to wait to give them to students to work on until they have completed current level.

Monitoring minutes
Parents check on the weekly minute progress by observing the student dashboard when they log in to Core5.

Certificates
Email or mail the certificates home when they are earned!

Consider setting up a weekly checking.

NOTE:

• Be sure licenses are not up for renewal in the summer months, which could cause a lapse in availability to students.
• Consider doing the End of Year myLexia tasks before or after summer use. This might depend on whether students’ progress should be considered part of the previous school year or part of the new school year.
• May want to set up a class of summer users, all grade levels combined.
• Some schools use Lexia as a summer reading program as opposed to tracking books read.  Incentives sometimes have to be put in place for this and clear expectations set for students and parents.