Disappointing testing data shows the U.S. has a "long road ahead" in bringing students back to pre-pandemic learning progress levels in math and reading, according to a study released Tuesday by assessment provider NWEA.
The average student will need about 4.8 additional months of schooling in reading and 4.3 months in math to catch up to pre-pandemic achievement levels. And although there have been hopeful signs of learning progress in some state test results, NWEA found the gap in reading and math progress to actually be widening in grades 4-8. Grade 3 was the only grade examined that showed progress in shrinking the achievement gap.
In other words, hopeful signs of an initial rebound in 2021-22 after about a year of pandemic-era school building closures has "largely been undone" by below-average growth during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, according to NWEA, which in 2023 became part of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a learning technology company.
"We were a little quick to raise the celebratory flag at the end of 21-22, when we were hoping that, OK, growth has returned to normal," said Karyn Lewis, director of research and policy partnerships at NWEA and a co-author of the report.
"Clearly, the data from 2023, and now 2024 as well, does not support that conclusion that recovery is well underway, and in fact, we're seeing the opposite in our data," Lewis said. "Because growth is lagging behind pre-pandemic trends instead of shrinking those gaps, they're actually continuing to widen in some grades and now have surpassed what we previously deemed as the low point."
The new assessment results and analysis come as schools are providing students with high-dosage tutoring but also dealing with high rates of chronic absenteeism and persistent staff shortages. Additionally, the impending end to federal COVID-19 emergency funding for schools is worrisome for educators who relied on the historic cash infusion to aid academic recovery.
COVID academic recovery progress has stalled
3rd grade gap decreased
The NWEA analysis includes MAP Growth test scores from about 7.7 million students in grades 3-8 from about 22,400 public schools. NWEA administers the MAP Growth reading and math assessments.
Researchers compared the 2023-24 assessment data to that of 11 million similar students in grades 3-8 in the pre-COVID years between 2016 and 2019.
Math and reading growth lagged behind pre-pandemic trends in all but 3rd grade. Lewis said this trend is encouraging — but also baffling — because the same pattern emerged last year in the 2022-23 testing data. Given that those 3rd graders would have largely advanced to 4th grade for the 2023-24 school year, researchers would have expected the 4th grade achievement gap to shrink, Lewis said. Yet that wasn't the case.
In fact, 4th graders showed a 19% achievement gap between pre-COVID and COVID reading progress and a 24% gap in math compared to learning gains in 2023-24. For all grades, on average, the pre-COVID and COVID test scores — when compared to 2023-24 — reveal an achievement gap of 36% in reading and 18% in math. COVID testing data, in these examples, are from fall 2021 through spring 2023.
Across race and ethnicity, the 2023-24 test results also lag behind pre-COVID national growth trends. Black and Hispanic middle school students had some of the largest gaps in reading and math achievement gains. The data, NWEA said, points to a need for substantial resources and support for marginalized students so educators can address "the cumulative impacts of the pandemic and rectify the harm these students have experienced."
Lewis said she wished she had better news to share, but by knowing where the gaps are, there is opportunity to help make improvements.
"Unless we know and can take stock of how kids have been harmed — and what level of effort is going to be required to get them caught up — then we aren't well positioned to do something about it," Lewis said. "I think my No. 1 message is we cannot look away. That's just not an option."
