Student Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Student Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

December 5, 2022
Student Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, elementary and
The COVID-19 pandemic substantially altered operational
secondary schools across the nation closed their doors and
implementation of Title I-A assessment and accountability
pivoted to alternative methods of providing instruction and
requirements. Given the timing of the onset of the pandemic
other services, such as school meals. According to
and widespread school building closures, the U.S.
Education Week, by the end of March 2020, all U.S. public
Department of Education (ED) waived the requirement for
school buildings had closed. By May 2020, 48 states
states to administer the assessments required by Title I-A
(Montana and Wyoming were the exceptions), the District
for the 2019-2020 school year. During the 2020-2021
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the outlying areas, and the
school year, nearly all states administered the assessments
Department of Defense Education Activity ordered or
but may have done so in a modified way (e.g., using shorter
recommended that school buildings be closed for the
assessments). Regular state assessments did not resume
remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year, affecting at
until the 2021-2022 school year. Thus, annual state
least 50.8 million students. For many schools, shifts to
assessments were not fully administered by all states for
alternative forms of instruction, including remote learning,
two years, reducing data available on student performance
extended into some portion of the 2021-2022 school year.
and hindering the use of state accountability systems.
The cumulative and ongoing effects of the pandemic appear
The waivers of assessment requirements were accompanied
to have affected student learning. This In Focus provides a
by waivers of accountability requirements. For example,
brief examination of declines in student learning that have
states were not required to identify new schools for support
been observed since the start of the pandemic as measured
and improvement during the 2020-2021 or 2021-2022
by standardized test scores. It also examines federal
school years. Similarly, states could not remove schools
requirements for assessments and accountability and federal
from support and improvement requirements except under
resources that have been provided to help address learning
limited circumstances. States were once again required to
loss.
identify schools for support and improvement for the 2022-
Student Learning During the Pandemic
2023 school year. Thus, additional schools that may have
benefitted from extra support may not have been identified
While not a holistic measurement of student achievement,
for support and improvement for two years.
much of the research on learning loss during the pandemic
has relied on standardized testing data, including annual
NAEP
state assessments administered as a condition of receiving
The NAEP consists of two assessment programs—the long-
funds under Title I-A of the Elementary and Secondary
term trends (LTT) NAEP, and a group of assessments
Education Act (ESEA), the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP), and NWEA’s
referred to as the main NAEP assessments. All states that
Measures of
accept funding under Title I-A of the ESEA are required to
Academic Progress (MAP). The results of the state
participate in the main NAEP biennial assessments of 4th
assessments administered in accordance with ESEA Title I-
and 8th grade reading and mathematics. Student
A are also used, in part, to identify schools in need of
participation in all NAEP assessments is voluntary.
support and improvement.
Both the LTT and main NAEP have been administered
Federal Assessment and Accountability
since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, LTT
Requirements
reading and mathematics assessments for age 9 students
As a condition of receiving ESEA Title I-A funds, each
were administered. Average scores for students declined by
state (and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) must
five points in reading and seven points in mathematics
administer annual academic assessments in
compared with results from the 2020 assessments. This was
reading/language arts (RLA) and mathematics in 3rd- 8th
the largest average score decline in reading since 1990, and
grade and once in high school, and in science once in each
the first time scores had ever declined in mathematics.
of three grade spans (3rd-5th, 6th-8th, and 10th-12th). Each
While scores decreased across the board for students at all
state is also required to have an educational accountability
performance levels, the decline in scores compared to 2020
system that is based on several indicators, including student
levels was higher for lower-performing students than for
performance on RLA and mathematics assessments for all
higher-performing students. When examined by
students and for student subgroups (e.g., students from
race/ethnicity, Black, Hispanic, and White students scoring
major ethnic/racial groups and children with disabilities).
at the 25th percentile had larger score declines than students
States must establish a system of meaningfully
from those groups scoring at the 75th percentile. In addition,
differentiating among all public schools in the state based
while Black, Hispanic, and White students all had a six
on these established indicators to determine which public
point decrease in reading, differences in mathematics score
schools should be identified for additional support and
declines between Black and White students widened the
improvement efforts.
score gap.
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Student Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Similar declines in test scores were found on 4th and 8th
schools remained open for in-person learning, but the
grade reading and mathematics assessments administered in
existing gaps between low-poverty and high-poverty
2022. The average 4th grade mathematics score declined by
schools were not increased to the same extent as in areas
five points, the average 8th grade score declined by eight
with remote or hybrid learning.
points, and average 4th and 8th grade reading scores declined
Federal Response
by three points compared to 2019.
The federal government provided support for elementary
Surveys conducted in 2022 as part of the NAEP
and secondary education during the pandemic primarily
assessments found that the majority of students recalled
through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency
participating in remote learning during the last school year.
Relief (ESSER) Fund. Overall, the ESSER Fund received
It also found that higher-performing students were more
$190.3 billion, with $122.8 billion provided through the
likely than lower-performing students to have greater
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA; P.L. 117-2).
access to an electronic device for learning all the time, a
ESSER funds were allocated to states by formula and
quiet place to work some of the time, and greater access to
subsequently suballocated to LEAs by formula. Under
teacher help with schoolwork. However, the data did not
ARPA ESSER, states and LEAs are required to reserve at
establish a causal relationship between the extent of remote
least 5% and 20%, respectively, of their ESSER funds to
learning and student achievement levels.
address learning loss. Both of the aforementioned studies
noted that recovering from learning loss may require LEAs
Learning Loss, Remote Learning, and Income
to use a higher percentage of funds for this purpose.
One of the most comprehensive studies to date on changes
in student achievement during the pandemic was conducted
Limited data exist on how states and LEAs are using
by researchers at Stanford University and Harvard
ESSER funds for learning recovery or other purposes.
University. Using NAEP 2022 data and 2021-2022 state
However, both states and LEAs were required to describe
assessment data from 29 states and thousands of local
how they planned to use their ARPA ESSER funds.
educational agencies (LEAs), researchers found that the
FutureEd at Georgetown University has analyzed the
declines in learning between 2019 and 2022 varied by LEA,
ARPA ESSER plans of about 5,000 LEAs, serving 74% of
with students in some LEAs falling behind by a grade level
public school students and receiving 83% of the ARPA
or more and students in other LEAs not seeing a decline in
ESSER funds. FutureEd found that staffing (27.0% of
performance. On average, the researchers found that public
spending), academic recovery (25.0%; e.g., summer
school students in 3rd- 8th grade lost the equivalent of half a
learning, extended day programs, tutoring), and facilities
year of learning in mathematics and a quarter of a year of
and operations (23.3%) were the areas with the highest
learning in reading.
anticipated levels of spending.
Their analysis found that the pandemic exacerbated existing
Possible Policy Issues
educational inequalities based on school-level income
While Congress has appropriated billions of dollars that
measures. The quarter of schools with the most students
could be used to assist in learning recovery efforts, it could
receiving free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL) lost two-
consider several additional issues, including the following:
thirds of a year of mathematics, while the quarter of schools
 Could more timely data be collected on how states and
with the lowest number of students receiving FRPL lost
LEAs are using their ESSER funds, especially to
two-fifths of a year of mathematics. The same pattern held
address learning loss?
for reading, but the losses were smaller for both groups.
 Could the federal government support comprehensive
Researchers also found that average test scores declined
studies of learning recovery strategies and the
more in LEAs where students were learning remotely
dissemination of promising practices?
compared to LEAs where students were in school, but their
descriptive analysis was unable to separate the effects of
 Could the quality of remote learning models employed
remote learning from the effects of other correlated factors,
during the pandemic be evaluated and best practices
such as socioeconomic factors. They also found that
disseminated?
learning losses varied among LEAs that had the same share

of remote learning during the 2021-2022 school year and
As more data become available on learning loss and the
some LEAs that were fully in-person during the 2021-2022
estimated costs of recovery, are federal funds targeted
school year experienced substantial declines in math and
specifically for learning recovery needed even if states
reading scores, leading them to conclude that “school
and LEAs continue to have unused ESSER funds? Is
closures do not appear to be the primary factor driving
there a need for a sustained learning loss recovery
achievement losses.”
program to be created at the federal level?

Other researchers using NWEA data for about 3,000 LEAs
Should any additional federal funds for learning
in 49 states and the District of Columbia found that remote
recovery be targeted fully or partially on certain groups
and hybrid instruction exacerbated gaps in student
of students (e.g., students with disabilities) who may
achievement by race and poverty. They determined that
have been particularly affected by pandemic-related
achievement growth was lower for all subgroups of students
disruptions to educational supports and services?
in LEAs that employed remote or hybrid learning but
especially for students in high-poverty schools. The
Rebecca R. Skinner, Specialist in Education Policy
researchers also found achievement declines in areas where
IF12264
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Student Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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