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Data shows students remain behind a 2nd year after COVID pandemic

Feb 09, 2023

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Children’s education will go down as one of the greatest costs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Newly released federal data shows that for a second year now, school children are falling behind at historically high rates.

The commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) said that public school leaders estimated that about half of their students began the school year behind a grade level in at least one academic subject.

“Both this school year and last school year, public school leaders estimated that about half of their students began the school year behind a grade level in at least one academic subject. These data suggest that academic recovery will take time,” said NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr.

Before the pandemic, roughly one in every three children were behind a grade level. After school closures and struggles of remote learning, one out of every two students fell behind. It remained that way for the second consecutive school year since the pandemic.

The new data echos the findings of the first set of data post-pandemic: children continue to remain behind, and catch-up isn’t coming at a fast enough rate to make up for the learning losses during COVID-19.

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KARAH RUCKER: OUR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE GREATEST COSTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. NEWLY RELEASED FEDERAL DATA SHOWS FOR A SECOND YEAR NOW, SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE FALLING BEHIND AT HISTORICALLY HIGH RATES.

A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS SAYS QUOTE “BOTH THIS SCHOOL YEAR AND LAST SCHOOL YEAR, PUBLIC SCHOOL LEADERS ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT HALF OF THEIR STUDENTS BEGAN THE SCHOOL YEAR BEHIND A GRADE LEVEL IN AT LEAST ONE ACADEMIC SUBJECT. THESE DATA SUGGEST THAT ACADEMIC RECOVERY WILL TAKE TIME.”

BEFORE THE PANDEMIC…ROUGHLY ONE IN EVERY THREE CHILDREN WERE BEHIND A GRADE LEVEL.

BUT AFTER SCHOOL CLOSURES AND STRUGGLES OF REMOTE LEARNING, ONE OUT OF EVERY TWO STUDENTS FELL BEHIND AND REMAIN THIS WAY FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE SCHOOL-CALENDAR YEAR SINCE THE PANDEMIC.

THE NEW DATA REITERATES WHAT THE FIRST SET OF DATA POST-PANDEMIC TOLD US.CHILDREN CONTINUE TO REMAIN BEHIND…AND CATCH-UP ISN’T COMING AT A FAST ENOUGH RATE TO MAKE UP FOR THE LEARNING LOSSES DURING COVID-19.