The COVID-19 impact on reading achievement growth of Grade 3-5 students in a U.S. urban school district: variation across student characteristics and instructional modalities.

The current study aimed to explore the COVID-19 impact on reading achievement growth by Grade 3-5 students in a large urban school district in the U.S. and whether the impact differed by students' demographic characteristics and instructional modality. Specifically, using administrative data from the school district, we investigated to what extent students made gains in reading during the 2020-2021 school year relative to the pre-COVID-19 typical school year in 2018-2019. We further examined whether the effects of students' instructional modality on reading growth varied by demographic characteristics. Overall, students had lower average reading achievement gains over the 9-month 2020-2021 school year than the 2018-2019 school year with a learning loss effect size of 0.54, 0.27, and 0.28 standard deviation unit for Grade 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Substantially reduced reading gains were observed from Grade 3 students, students from high-poverty backgrounds, English learners, and students with disabilities. Additionally, findings indicate that among students with similar demographic characteristics, higher-achieving students tended to choose the fully remote instruction option, while lower-achieving students appeared to opt for in-person instruction at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. However, students who received in-person instruction most likely demonstrated continuous growth in reading over the school year, whereas initially higher-achieving students who received remote instruction showed stagnation or decline, particularly in the spring 2021 semester. Our findings support the notion that in-person schooling during the pandemic may serve as an equalizer for lower-achieving students, particularly from historically marginalized or vulnerable student populations.

The relationship between formative assessment and reading achievement: A multilevel analysis of students in 19 countries/regions

Despite the general consensus on the positive impact of formative assessment on student learning, researchers have not shown the underlying mechanisms between specific formative assessment strategies and academic performance on an international sample. This study examines the link between student and teacher reports of teachers' formative assessment strategies (i.e. clarifying goals and monitoring progress, providing feedback, and instructional adjustments) and students' reading achievement, based on data from 151,969 fifteen‐year‐olds in 5,225 schools in 19 countries/regions in PISA 2018 via multilevel analysis of plausible values. The results show that clarifying goals and monitoring progress, and instruction adjustments are positively linked to reading achievement, but providing feedback alone has no significant impact. These findings highlight the complexity of formative assessment as a multifaceted concept and the different impacts of formative assessment strategies on student learning. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed. [ FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 Disruptions: Attainment Gaps and Primary School Responses. Research Report

The study uses data from five assessment points for reading and maths. It focuses on a constant sample of students, all of whom completed a Rising Stars assessment in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also administered three teacher surveys: the first focused on the initial period of lockdown, the second focused on the autumn 2020 term when students returned to face-to-face instruction, the third focused on the second period of school closures from January to March 2021. This descriptive, longitudinal study focuses on primary schools in England. It has three aims: (1) to quantify changes in attainment gaps since the onset of COVID-19: the focus is on gaps between economically disadvantaged pupils and their peers in Years 2 to 6, (2) to describe how teachers and schools responded to the challenges of COVID-19, and (3) to explore associations between school responses to COVID and changes in attainment gaps. [The report was published with FFT and Teacher Tapp.]

Detecting Possible Learning Losses Due to COVID-19 Pandemic: An Application of Curriculum-Based Assessment

When the pandemic COVID -19 led to school closures, many of us had no idea that this disruption would last months and perhaps more than a year. Curriculum-based assessment (CBA) is an assessment process that uses academic knowledge picked directly from the material taught in the classroom. This form of criterion-referenced assessment connects evaluation with instructional programs by informing teachers of student progress and learning challenges. In this study a nationwide exam called Transition to Secondary School Exam TEOG Exam was used as a curriculum based tool since TEOG Exam is also second or third exam for semester. The data showed a one and a half year learning loss in both Turkish and mathematics based on Woesmann's (2016) criteria. The difference in the scores for math exam between 2016 and 2020 was 10.32 points which accounts for half of exam standard deviation. Also, the difference in the scores for Turkish exam 2016 and 2020 was 10.91 points which is also around half of the standard deviation. Additionally, based on gender there was a statistically significant decrease of 12.04 points in the mathematics scores of girls and 8.43 points for boys showing a 15-month learning loss for girls. and a year of learning loss for boys. These results showed that girls had more learning losses due to COVID-19 pandemic. According to the mother's education level, the decrease for mathematics scores were between 9.73 (elementary school degree) and 22.02 points (associate degree). This finding shows that the learning loss in math based on mother educational level is between 15-months and 2.5 years. Similar findings showed up for Turkish scores as well. Turkish scores decreased between 10.43 (elementary school degree) and 22.24 points (associate degree). This finding shows that the learning loss in Turkish based on mother educational level is between 15-months and 2.5 years. These results show that some students did not learn new material after the outbreak and even slipped backwards. Ministry of National Education should take important steps to prevent the effects of COVID-19 pandemic and minimize and resolve the learning losses emphasized in this study.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Learning: A Review of the Evidence

Schools in England have experienced unprecedented disruptions due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. There were two periods during which in-person learning was restricted for the majority of pupils: first for 14 weeks in spring 2020, and then for eight weeks in winter 2021. During these periods of partial closure, many pupils experienced some form of remote learning. Even when schools re-opened fully, significant challenges remained due to high levels of staff and pupil absence. Research shows that COVID-19-related disruptions have worsened educational inequalities: the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has grown since the onset of the pandemic. This report provides a summary of the findings from a range of studies that looked at the impact on learning during this period.

Gender differences in early literacy in a virtual learning environment

Past studies have found that in the elementary grades, females perform better in literacy achievement than their male counterparts when instruction is provided in an in-person learning environment. With the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, schools in the United States switched to a virtual instructional model. This study sought to determine if a transition from in-class to virtual instruction would impact the literacy achievement of primary grade students and if there would be gender differences when students transitioned from in-person learning to virtual learning. The study was conducted with first and second grade students attending a charter school in a large city in the northeastern region of the United States.This causal-comparative, ex-post facto quantitative study analyzed 404 reading level equivalencies scores of first and second grade students who participated in the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) using the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 BAS reading level equivalencies.The BAS was used to determine students' grade level reading equivalencies twice during each academic year, once in September and again in January, to find the levels of growth when learning in-person and virtually.Through statistical analysis of the 404 pieces of non-normal, ranked data using a series of Mann-Whitney tests to report significance and by comparing the medians of the data, it was determined that there was no effect on grade level reading equivalencies of first and second grade students by instructional model and there was no difference in the literacy achievement of males versus females in this group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

COVID-19 Pandemic and Student Reading Achievement: Findings From a School Panel Study.

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on education worldwide. There is increased discussion of possible negative effects on students' learning outcomes and the need for targeted support. We examined fourth graders' reading achievement based on a school panel study, representative on the student level, with N = 111 elementary schools in Germany (total: N = 4,290 students, age: 9-10 years). The students were tested with the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study instruments in 2016 and 2021. The analysis focused on (1) total average differences in reading achievement between 2016 and 2021, (2) average differences controlling for student composition, and (3) changes in achievement gaps between student subgroups (i.e., immigration background, socio-cultural capital, and gender). The methodological approach met international standards for the analysis of large-scale assessments (i.e., multiple multi-level imputation, plausible values, and clustered mixed-effect regression). The results showed a substantial decline in mean reading achievement. The decline corresponds to one-third of a year of learning, even after controlling for changes in student composition. We found no statistically significant changes of achievement gaps between student subgroups, despite numerical tendencies toward a widening of achievement gaps between students with and without immigration background. It is likely that this sharp achievement decline was related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings are discussed in terms of further research needs, practical implications for educating current student cohorts, and educational policy decisions regarding actions in crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The relationship between summer experiences and family involvement and fourth-graders' reading achievement: A secondary data analysis

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many students had their educational experiences disrupted as schools became shuttered and for some students virtual schooling began. When school facilities closed and online began, families had increased responsibilities for their children's education. Subsequently, there is an increase in attention to understanding how families support the academic development of their school-aged children.Informed by Bronfenbrenner's ecological and bioecological models, as well as, cultural capital theory, I used the READS for Summer Learning longitudinal dataset and conducted various statistical analyses-univariate, bivariate, and regression (logistic, ordinal, and multiple)-to explain the nature of family involvement in promoting learning during the summer for rising fourth graders, and examine the relationship between family involvement and learning experiences of rising fourth-graders during the summer and later reading achievement. I also examined to what extent summer activities varied by gender, race/ethnicity, free and reduced lunch status, and previous reading abilities.The findings showed that gender, previous reading achievement, and FRL status explain variations in fall reading achievement scores. Of particular importance was the lack of difference in summer activities across different racial/ethnic groups. Drawing on the findings, I make recommendations related to teaching phonics, scaffolding summertime learning experiences based on children's needs for family involvement to support reading achievement, and using better measures to predict reading achievement were outlined. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A comparison between virtual school versus in-school achievement growth among third-graders in reading and math

While numerous authors have studied the comparison of achievement growth scores between charter, private, home, virtual, and in-person schools, there has been very little research regarding a comparison of growth scores during a time of a global pandemic. This study revealed that school choice for parents who desire for their children to attend a virtual school during times of distress and challenges to their home situation is a viable option for them. Additionally, this study analyzed the comparison of growth scores between a virtual school and in-person schools in a mid-size district. The researcher presented evidence that the virtual school with professional development and research-based practices can be a viable option for parents to choose for their child as an additional public-school option. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Estimating Changes to Student Learning in Illinois Following Extended School Building Closures Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. REL 2022-131

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the education of students in Illinois and around the nation. Leaders at the Illinois State Board of Education and in Illinois public school districts want to better understand how student learning changed during the pandemic. This study examines data from 17 Illinois districts over five years, including four years prior to the pandemic, to measure how student learning changed in fall 2020 relative to fall terms prior to the pandemic. The study demonstrates how learning changed in both mathematics and reading for students in grades 3-8, as well as how these changes varied across student characteristics and district size. The study found that students in grades 4-8 scored lower than expected in mathematics following the onset of the pandemic, after adjusting for other factors. The magnitude varied by grade level. Larger estimated changes in learning occurred in grades 6-8 than in grades 4 and 5. Students in grades 3-8 did not experience any statistically significant changes in learning in reading. A further analysis of learning in mathematics showed that changes in learning varied across students with different characteristics but were unrelated to district size. The study findings should be interpreted with caution, especially when generalizing to the population of Illinois districts and students. The study includes a small number of districts, and the students in these districts differ from the statewide population of students.