Pace of Learning (POL): the slope of a student's achievement growth as an organizing construct for recovery policy¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The brief defines pace of learning as the rate at which a student improves, calculated from prior test records: "This rate is referred to as the student's pace of learning (POL)" and "Mathematically, this is calculated by measuring the slope of the line drawn between two achievement points." Students with different POLs gain different amounts from the same 180 days of instruction, so programs "will only result in learning that is on par with a student’s POL." The construct is used to project twelve-year recovery horizons under different loss scenarios.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Two or more scores from standardized tests from prior student records are needed to calculate an estimated POL

Constraints¶

• The brief presents a simplified picture that ignores that students start at different points depending on prior learning

Target Learners¶

• K-12 public education students

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Recovery of COVID learning losses toward 12th-grade achievement benchmarks

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• The Student Momentum Indicator (M): a lesson-by-lesson completion trajectory metric for online courses

Examples¶

• Relax the time base of instruction: let students progress at their own pace toward mastery benchmarks

Key Sources¶

• Margaret “Macke” Raymond, Ph.D. (2022). The Pace of Recovery after COVID. Center for Research on Education Outcomes, Hoover Institution. https://www.eduref.org/