COVID-19 closures & learning loss webinar (NWEA Research, April 2020)¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 4 studies (2 review, 2 associational), q1–q2 · 0 of 4 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A NWEA Research presentation and webinar, dated April 2020 and authored by Beth Tarasawa and Megan Kuhfeld, addressing the implications of COVID-19 school closures for student achievement. It draws on "research on seasonal learning and summer learning loss" and convenes a panel with Dr. Beth Tarasawa, Sal Khan, Dr. Jesus Jara, and Kimberly Cockrell to discuss "insights for action to help educators, policymakers, and families address and plan for the impacts" of the extended pause in classroom instruction.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Intended for educators, policymakers, and families planning for the impacts of extended school closures

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students affected by COVID-19 school closures

Target Learning Goals¶

• Understanding potential achievement impacts of extended school closures

Claims¶

• COVID-19 closures left schools and districts serving 55.1 million students in an unprecedented time [+W]
• Research on seasonal learning and summer learning loss offers insights into the potential achievement impacts of COVID-19 school closures [+W]
• COVID-19 school closures will likely impact student academic achievement [+W]
• Summer learning loss patterns are used to project the potential impact of COVID-19 school closures on student academic achievement [+W]
• Projected COVID-19 learning loss was not universal, with the top third of students potentially making gains in reading [+W]

Related Elements¶

• The COVID-19 slide research brief and technical appendix on summer learning loss and school closures
• NWEA research brief 'The COVID-19 slide' with associated working paper, presentation, and technical appendix
• NWEA COVID-19 learning-loss research series on seasonal learning patterns and equity
• NWEA webinar on growth patterns and distance learning for DHH students

Examples¶

• Convene educators, policymakers, and families to plan for the impacts of extended pauses in classroom instruction
• Use summer learning loss research to help educators, policy makers, and families plan for and address impacts of extended school closures

Key Sources¶

• Beth Tarasawa, Megan Kuhfeld. (2020). COVID-19 closures & learning loss. NWEA Research presentation. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/covid-19-closures-learning-loss/