Achievement gains continue to fall short of
pre-pandemic trends, particularly for middle schoolers
PORTLAND, Ore., July 23,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NWEA, a K-12
assessment and research organization, announced today the latest
report in its research series examining the impacts of the
pandemic's disruptions to learning and the status of academic
recovery. This new report features data from the 2023-24 academic
year and underscores that unfinished learning continues to be a
challenge due to lower achievement gains compared to pre-pandemic
trends.
The analysis examined test scores from approximately 7.7 million
U.S. students currently in grades 3 - 8 in 22,400 public schools
who took the MAP® Growth™ assessment in 2023-24. This
sample compared scores to a similar group of 10 million students
who tested in grades 3-8 in the pre-COVID school years between 2016
and 2019. Key findings highlight persistent achievement gaps and
the long road ahead, especially for older students:
- Achievement gains during 2023-24 fell short of pre-pandemic
trends in nearly all grades. This continues the trend of stalled
progress observed in the previous school year and indicates that
pandemic recovery remains elusive.
- The gap between pre-COVID and COVID test score averages widened
in 2023-24 in nearly all grades, by an average of 36% in reading
and 18% in math.
- The average student will need the equivalent of 4.8 additional
months of schooling to catch up in reading and 4.4 months in
math.
- Comparing across race/ethnicity groups, achievement gains for
all students lagged pre-pandemic trends in
2023-24. Marginalized students remain the furthest from
recovery.
"Achievement disparities that predate the pandemic have been
starkly exacerbated over the last four years, and marginalized
students are still the furthest from recovery," said Dr.
Karyn Lewis, Director of
Research and Policy Partnerships at NWEA and one of the authors of
the report. "Pandemic fatigue is real, but accepting a new normal
of lower achievement and widened inequities is not an option. We
must remain committed to using data-driven strategies, providing
our schools with the right scale of support, and integrating
sustained recovery efforts into our educational framework so we can
make lasting change."
One insight from the report focused on the continued challenges
of current middle schoolers who were in their early years of
schooling when the pandemic hit. This group shows the most
significant achievement gaps, needing an estimated six to nine
months of additional schooling to catch up to pre-pandemic levels.
This also highlights the compounding impact of those learning
disruptions and the continued need to provide interventions and
recovery support to those students who need it most and may need it
for years to come.
"As millions of students continue to fall behind academically,
schools across the country are grappling with an impending ESSER
financial cliff as federal COVID relief funds run out this
September," said Lindsay
Dworkin, SVP of Policy & Government Affairs at NWEA.
"Even as resources dwindle, districts must try to continue
investing in evidence-based strategies that have been proven to
improve student outcomes: keeping kids in school, providing
high-dosage tutoring, and offering expanded instructional time over
the summer or after school. State and federal policymakers also
need to recognize the continued urgency and step up with more
funding. We must collectively rise to the challenge of supporting
this generation of students to reach their full potential."
Read the full report:
https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/recovery-still-elusive-2023-24-student-achievement-highlights-persistent-achievement-gaps-and-a-long-road-ahead/
About NWEA
NWEA® (a division of HMH) is a
mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in
more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions,
policy and advocacy, and professional learning that support our
diverse educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more
about how we're partnering with educators to help all kids
learn.
Contact: Simona Beattie,
Communications Director, simona.beattie@nwea.org or
971.361.9526
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SOURCE NWEA