Summer learning loss patterns are used to project the potential impact of COVID-19 school closures on student academic achievement¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r? · q1
Currency · newest study 2020 · checked against its sources 2026-10-09 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q1 i? The article's projections of the potential impact of COVID-19 school closures on student academic achievement are derived from summer learning loss patterns. → Megan Kuhfeld 2020

Evidence¶

Megan Kuhfeld 2020¶

Megan Kuhfeld, Beth Tarasawa. (2020). Technical appendix for The COVID-19 slide: What summer learning loss can tell us about the potential impact of school closures on student academic achievement. NWEA Research. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/technical-appendix-for-the-covid-19-slide-what-summer-learning-loss-can-tell-us-about-the-potential-impact-of-school-closures-on-student-academic-achievement/

q1 · i? · associational · r?

The page describes a technical appendix documenting the "methodology behind the projections" in the white paper, which uses summer learning loss to model potential impacts of school closures on achievement. No projection figures or effect sizes are printed on this page.

"This technical appendix outlines the methodology behind the projections in the NWEA research white paper, The COVID-19 slide: What summer learning loss can tell us about the potential impact of school closures on student academic achievement."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Projected COVID-19 learning loss was not universal, with the top third of students potentially making gains in reading — related
• COVID-19 school closures will likely impact student academic achievement — a broader claim this one bears on
• Projections indicate students may return in fall 2020 with approximately 63-68% of typical reading learning gains — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Projections indicate students may return in fall 2020 with 37-50% of typical math learning gains — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Existing research on missing school from summer breaks, weather closures, and absenteeism can inform projections of pandemic learning loss — related
• Research on seasonal learning and summer learning loss offers insights into the potential achievement impacts of COVID-19 school closures — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Thirty-seven percent of the Elevate Math program effect is attributable to avoidance of summer learning loss through the first half of the summer — related
• Learning loss varied considerably by school, with some schools seeing slides of 10 percentile points or more and others recording no losses or small gains — related