StarSpark AI Featured on KFDX: Beating the Summer Slide

StarSpark AI CEO & co-founder, Ashish Bansal, recently joined KFDX news channel to talk about the "summer slide," what the latest scores in Wichita Falls are telling us, and the small daily habits that keep kids ready for the next grade.

You can watch the full segment and read the original story here: Summer learning can help students avoid 'summer slide' (KFDX/Texoma).

The scores tell a clear story

This year's STAAR results in the Wichita Falls Independent School District showed gains in some grades, but they also flagged a real problem. 61% of seventh graders did not meet grade-level standards in math, and reading scores slipped for third, fourth, and sixth graders.

Those numbers matter most right now, because summer is when a lot of that hard-won progress quietly disappears. Research shows students can lose about a month of reading and writing progress over the break, around a month and a half of STEM learning, and roughly two and a half months of math skills if they stop practicing.

Math takes the biggest hit, with an average of 2.6 months of math learning lost over the summer. And it's the subject that's hardest to rebuild in the fall.

Why math is like a muscle

Ashish put it simply on air:

"If you don't work out, you're going to lose the muscle. So just like that, we need to make sure kids spend a little bit of time over the summer recharging their math batteries so that when the school year comes around, they are prepared to enter into the new grade."

That's the whole idea behind StarSpark. Math isn't something you cram and forget. It's a skill you keep warm with regular reps, the same way you'd keep up any other kind of strength.

He also talked about why math is worth the effort in the first place:

"I think of math as a life skill. It teaches you how to face seemingly uncertain integral problems, break them down into smaller, manageable pieces, solve them, and put them back together. That's a skill that's useful throughout life."

The habit beats the marathon

The advice from the segment wasn't to sign your kid up for hours of summer drills. It was the opposite. Educators recommend just 10 to 20 minutes a day of reading or math to hold the line on learning loss.

Ashish's tip for parents was about consistency, not intensity:

"A quick piece of advice for parents: habits are great. If you make a small habit, you can make spending 30 minutes on math every day at the same time; those are great life skills."

At the same time, every day, small enough that it actually sticks. That's the part most families can win at.

What 15 minutes a day looks like

Most families don't struggle with the math itself. The hard part is building a routine and keeping it going once July rolls around. Keep the session short and run it at the same time each day, and it gets much easier to stick with.

Here's a version that works well. Start with two or three minutes of something your child already knows, just to build a little momentum before the harder material. Spend the next eight to ten minutes on a single skill instead of jumping around. Then finish with a quick win or a chance for them to show what they picked up, so the session ends on a good note.

Pick a time that fits your day. Right after breakfast works for a lot of families, before screens come on. Then guard it. What matters is that it gets done, not how long it runs.

Grade-by-grade tips for summer math

The right kind of practice shifts as kids get older. A few starting points by age:

Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Keep it hands-on and tied to everyday life. Count the steps to the car, divide a snack evenly, look for numbers and shapes on signs around town. At this age you're mostly keeping numbers familiar and low-pressure. Five to ten minutes is plenty.

3rd through 5th grade. Fact fluency matters most here. Multiplication, division, and fractions are the foundation for what comes next, and they're the skills most likely to slip over the break. A few minutes of daily practice pays off all year. Mix in the occasional word problem so the math connects to real situations.

6th through 8th grade. The move into pre-algebra and ratios is a common stumbling point, and it lines up with the math gaps the WFISD STAAR results flagged. Use the summer to firm up the basics so the fall doesn't open with a struggle. Focus on why a step works rather than memorizing the steps.

9th through 12th grade. Keep skills sharp for algebra, geometry, and the courses ahead. Tying practice to a goal helps, whether that's the SAT, the ACT, or just staying confident going into a harder year. Older students tend to do well when they can work at their own pace toward something specific.

The approach holds at every age: short, regular sessions pitched to where your child actually is. That last part is where home practice usually breaks down, because a worksheet can't tell the difference between a bored child and one who's stuck.

Where StarSpark fits in

We built StarSpark to give every student access to high-quality teaching and math practice at home, especially families who don't have access to a summer program or a tutor. Your child works with an AI Teacher that meets them where they are, adjusts to what they need, and keeps the daily session short enough to become a real habit.

And while the summer slide is the headline this time of year, the work doesn't stop in August. StarSpark is a year-round platform for K-12, AP math, built to keep kids steady through the school year and ahead going into the next one.

Try StarSpark free

You don't have to figure out the right routine, the right level, or the right skill for the day on your own. That's what your child's AI Teacher is for. It meets them where they are, adjusts in real time, and keeps each session short enough to actually become a habit, in the summer and all year long.

Start a free trial today and give your child 15 minutes a day that adds up. Start your free 14-day trial and see the difference a steady routine makes for your child's math skills and confidence.

FAQs

• What is the summer slide? The learning loss students experience over summer break when they stop practicing. Research shows losses of about one month in reading and writing, 1.5 months in STEM, and 2.5 months in math.
• Why is math hit hardest? Math skills fade fastest without regular practice and are the hardest to rebuild in the fall.
• How much practice prevents it? Educators recommend just 10 to 20 minutes a day of reading or math.
• What is StarSpark AI? A year-round K-12 math platform where students practice at home with an AI Teacher in short, daily sessions.