Latest NWEA Research Shows COVID Academic Recovery Still Elusive

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, [email protected] or 971.361.9526

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SOURCE NWEA