Educational leaders should weigh the demographic shift in tested students and other contextual data when planning student growth and recovery support¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (2 associational), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The brief recommends that decisions about supporting students' academic growth and recovery after COVID-19 school shutdowns should not rely on fall 2020 test results alone. Because "Systematic demographic differences in available assessment data" mean the most vulnerable students may be underrepresented among those tested, leaders should "carefully consider the demographic shift in the students tested as well as other contextual data" when interpreting results and planning support.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Access to demographic information about which students were and were not assessed in fall 2020

Constraints¶

• Grounded in grades 3-8 MAP Growth data from fall 2020; the brief does not quantify how large the demographic shift was

Target Learners¶

• Students in grades 3-8 returning to school after COVID-19 closures

Target Learning Goals¶

• Academic recovery of reading and math achievement and growth after pandemic-related school shutdowns

Claims¶

• Approximately one in four students who tested the prior year were missing from fall 2020 data, disproportionately Black or Latinx students in higher-poverty schools, so prior estimates likely understated pandemic impacts [+W]
• Systematic demographic differences in available fall 2020 assessment data suggest COVID-19 impacts on the most vulnerable students may be underestimated [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Use federal ESSER and IDEA funding to provide early intervention, extended school year support in the summer, and other evidence-based supports for students with disabilities
• When planning for the school year during COVID-19, schools and districts should weigh public health factors alongside educational factors such as potential learning loss
• Use school-level recovery patterns to target support and long-term improvement investments where they are needed most
• Use summer learning loss research to help educators, policy makers, and families plan for and address impacts of extended school closures
• Use NAEP 2024 results, available January 2025, for better estimates of academic recovery
• Use multiple evidence sources alongside benchmark scores when identifying students for intensive intervention
• Educational leaders should examine demographic shifts in the tested student population before making growth and recovery support decisions
• Include a district leader's perspective on supporting returning students in recovery planning

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Megan Kuhfeld, Beth Tarasawa, Angela Johnson, Erik Ruzek, Karyn Lewis. (2020). Learning during COVID-19: Initial findings on students' reading and math achievement and growth. NWEA Research brief. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/learning-during-covid-19-initial-findings-on-students-reading-and-math-achievement-and-growth/