Teaching & Learning

Pandemic Learning Loss Heavier in Math Than Reading This Fall, But Questions Remain

By Sarah D. Sparks — December 01, 2020 2 min read
Images shows a data trend line climbing high and going low.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Early test results this fall confirm that the pandemic has taken a toll on students’ academic growth, particularly in math. But a new study from the Northwest Evaluation Association suggests we still lack a clear picture of the most vulnerable students.

In a new study released today, NWEA researchers found more than 4.4 million students in grades 3-8 who participated in NWEA’s MAP Growth test this fall performed about on par in reading, but 5 to 10 percentile points lower in math, compared to their peers in fall 2019. That means a student who performed at the average in 2019, or the 50th percentile, could have performed a year later at the level of someone ranked only at the 40th percentile in 2019.

Students in upper elementary school and those transitioning into middle school struggled the most. When researchers broke the students into five levels based on prior achievement, more than a third of students in grades 4-6 fell by at least one quintile in math. Upper elementary students also lost ground in reading, but to a much lesser degree.

See Also

Image of a puzzle and brain illustration.
Getty
Student Well-Being Opinion Students Respond to Adults' Fixation on 'Learning Loss'
Larry Ferlazzo, February 2, 2021
9 min read

Those findings are in line with other early test results this fall. Curriculum Associates, a company that offers testing, curriculum, and professional development services, found more students in grades 1-5 scored two or more grade levels behind in math than in reading on its formative test.

Missing Students, Cloudy Picture

The NWEA study also found lower reading gains for Black and Hispanic students this fall, but author Megan Kuhfeld noted that it’s not clear what’s really going on for students from various racial and ethnic groups, or for students in poverty, because many of them never got tested at all.

Of the students in grades K-7 who were tested in 2019, Kuhfeld and her colleagues found 1 in 4 did not get tested this fall, across grades in reading and in math. Likewise, schools with higher poverty were less likely to participate in the test, which could skew the overall results.

Image is data showing Fall 2020 learning loss in Math

“I would say that the policy implications are massive,” said Chris Minnich, the CEO of NWEA, in a briefing on the results. “If a big district loses a quarter of its students, they would theoretically lose a quarter of their revenue from whichever states they’re in,” he said, adding, “I would also just say when those students do come back ... what’s going to be the arc of their education? We’re used to being able to put the kids in the next grade. Are we going to be able to do that, or is this a moment to think differently about what a previous grade level’s skills look like? ... Obviously, parents care deeply about moving their kids along on the grade level that matches their age, but is this a moment to think differently about how do we catch kids up, and how do we think about unfinished learning? I think those are two big policy areas where the recognition that we’re just missing some students will be really important as we end the pandemic.”

For a deep dive into the research behind the causes of learning loss in math during the pandemic, as well as how teachers and principals can ensure students keep growing and learning online and in socially distant classroom settings, check out our special report “Math Now: Problem-Solving in a Pandemic.”

A version of this news article first appeared in the Inside School Research blog.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM’s Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2025 Survey Results: The Outlook for Recruitment and Retention
See exclusive findings from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of K-12 job seekers and district HR professionals on recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction. 
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Reading & Literacy Researchers Created a Phonics Program With ‘Dramatic’ Results. How It Works
Consistent implementation of the 30-minute-a-day program fueled the results.
4 min read
Teacher holding up a card with the letters "sh" and a young elementary student writing with pencil on paper. The desk shows other cards with letters and a tablet device.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Public Trust in Elementary School Teachers Declines—But Still Tops Most Other Professions
Elementary school teachers second only to nurses in a poll of most-trusted professions.
3 min read
Photograph of diverse kindergarten children with a young white teacher sitting on the floor for a lesson in their classroom.
iStock/Getty
Mathematics Opinion One Thing We Get Wrong About Teaching Math (and How to Fix It)
A simple change to how you structure math class will stop students from turning their ‘math brains’ off.
Sara Delano Moore
5 min read
Math manipulatives on a graph paper notebook.
Nataliia Tymofieieva/Getty + Education Week
Teaching Spotlight Spotlight on PreK-12 Problem-Based Learning
This Spotlight will help you learn how to prepare students for the workforce, partner with students on sustainability initiatives, and more.