March 2021 | Article, Policy brief, Working paper, Video
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative effect on the oral reading fluency (ORF) of US students in grades 2-3 in over 100 school districts, with students falling 30% behind expectations. While there was some recovery in the fall, it was insufficient to make up for the spring losses. The impact is particularly inequitable, with lower achieving schools being hit harder, and 10% of students not being assessed. Addressing accumulated learning losses and supporting struggling students is necessary.
Identifying the Structural and Instructional Changes in K–12
March 2021 | Report
This report fills a knowledge gap by reviewing the impact of school closures in California during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research indicates that younger students, low-income students, and English learners experienced disproportionate learning loss due to closures. Little is known about the specific changes made to operations early in the pandemic and their long-term effects on student learning and well-being. This report provides the first systematic review of California school practices after closures in spring 2020.
Mar
19
2021
Assessing Student Learning and Social-Emotional Well-Being
Topic
The pandemic has introduced a great deal of hardship into many students’ lives, which may make it difficult for them to learn. Disruptions to students’ mental and emotional health, social systems of support, and learning environments require a new focus on social and emotional well-being. At the same time, pandemic-related school disruptions have put a heightened focus on the need to understand student learning. Measurement now is more critical than ever but requires new methods of assessing students and new approaches for analyzing and acting upon the data.