Fewer elementary and middle school students started the 2021 school year on grade level for reading and mathematics, according to a new report released by Curriculum Associates. The report, Understanding Student Learning: Insights from Fall 2021, analyzes data gathered from the edtech company’s i-Ready Assessment tool on reading and mathematics learning from three million Grades 1–8 students over the last two years. The report provides new insights on student learning trends, quantifies the impact of extended school disruptions on unfinished learning, and highlights the disproportionate impact on the nation’s most vulnerable students. Curriculum Associates’ data examines students in relation to grade-level learning benchmarks, rather than in comparison to other students, so it provides a unique view of learning rather than rank.
KEY FINDINGS
- Fewer elementary and middle school students are starting the 2021 school year reading and doing math on grade level than in the three years before the pandemic.
- Compared to historical averages, fewer second and third graders were at grade level in reading (six and five percentage points lower, respectively), and many more students performed below grade level (nine and seven percentage points higher, respectively).
- Compared to historical averages, fewer second and third graders were at grade level in reading (six and five percentage points lower, respectively), and many more students performed below grade level (nine and seven percentage points higher, respectively).
- The majority of students experienced some academic setbacks, but the pandemic is not affecting all students in the same way.
- The students already behind in reading and math before the pandemic experienced the most unfinished learning.
- The percentage of older students (i.e., Grades 4–8) who are on grade level is close to pre-pandemic levels.
- Fewer students are prepared to learn sophisticated mathematics skills, with more unfinished learning in Grades 4–6.
- Fewer students in fifth grade were performing at grade level in the fall of 2021 (10 percentage points lower), with more students below grade level (10 percentage points higher).
- Fewer students in fifth grade were performing at grade level in the fall of 2021 (10 percentage points lower), with more students below grade level (10 percentage points higher).
- Unfinished learning is greater for Black and Latino students in both reading and mathematics than for White students.
- Schools serving majority Black and Latino students saw almost double the amount of unfinished learning in third grade reading and math as schools serving majority White students. The percentage of third grade students who are not on grade level in schools serving majority Black students grew by 17 percentage points, compared to six points in schools serving majority White students. In schools serving majority Latino students, the percentage of students who are behind grew by 14 percentage points.
- Third grade is a critical year for literacy, as children at this age are still learning to read, whereas from fourth grade on students are reading to learn. This amount of unfinished learning for students of color is an urgent call for intervention.
- Other grade levels experienced unfinished learning that matched these trends, though not at the same scale as the early grades.
- Unfinished learning is greater for students in lower-income communities than for students in higher-income communities.
- Unfinished learning in third grade reading increased by six percentage points in lower-income schools, compared to four percentage points in higher-income schools. Declines in third grade mathematics were even across all income groups.
The news isn’t all bad: the report shows some positive change since last fall, with performance in some subjects and grade levels beginning to climb back toward pre-pandemic levels. Of note, the percentage of students on grade level in reading across Grades 4–8 is only one percentage point below pre-pandemic levels.
For more, see: https://www.curriculumassociates.com/about/press-releases/2021/11/fall-results-2021
