
Description
This study examines the academic growth of 35,000 elementary and middle school students in 31 statesāall of them high achievers within their own schoolsāover a three-year period. Of particular interest were the growth and performance of high-achieving students within high-poverty schools, where āgrowthā focused on change over time and āperformanceā focused on single points in time. As the focus of accountability has shifted from basic proficiency to college and career readiness, we wondered whether high-poverty students were āon trackā to meet this higher standard by the end of high school. To study this, we compared a sample of NWEA schoolsā achievement scores in elementary and middle school grades, and their associated probability of being on trach to meet ACTĀ® college readiness benchmarks at the end of high school.
See MoreTopics: Equity, College & career readiness
Associated Research

Data visualization
Related Topics


Boys regain the advantage in middle school STEM skills: Post-COVID trends in gender achievement gaps
The research study used a robust set of data from three national assessments to examine trends in gender gaps in 8th grade STEM skills over the course of the pandemic.
By: Megan Kuhfeld, Karyn Lewis, Gustave Robinson
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth, Math & STEM


This is the accompanying technical appendix to the research study, āBoys regain the advantage in middle school STEM skills: Post-COVID trends in gender achievement gaps,ā leveraging data from three national assessments, as well as enrollment in Algebra, to examine trends in gender gaps in 8th grade STEM skills over the course of the pandemic.
By: Megan Kuhfeld, Karyn Lewis, Gustave Robinson
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth, Math & STEM


Integrating Literacy and Science: A Powerful Partnership for Student Success
This research brief explores the connection between science and literacy instruction documenting the benefits of integrated science and literacy instruction at the elementary level, and highlighting the benefits of integrating instruction while providing research-based guidance on how to effectively do this.
By: Susan Kowalski, Ayesha K. Hashim, Scott J. Peters
Topics: Growth, Equity, Informing instruction, Math & STEM


Practitionerās Guide to Integrating Literacy and Science
This is the accompanying guide to the research brief, Integrating Literacy and Science: A Powerful Partnership for Student Success, which describes four key components of effective integration of literacy and science instruction at the elementary level. In this practitionerās guide, we provide sample lessons to demonstrate each of these components in action in an elementary classroom.
By: Scott J. Peters, Susan Kowalski, Ayesha K. Hashim
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: Equity, Growth, Informing instruction, Math & STEM


COVIDās impact on science achievement: Trends from 2019 through 2024
This new report examines the pandemicās impacts on academic achievement and gain in Science and continues ongoing research by NWEAĀ® analyzing the degree to which the COVID-19 pandemic, and its associated school closures, influenced student learning.
By: Susan Kowalski, Scott J. Peters, Megan Kuhfeld, Gustave Robinson, Karyn Lewis
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth


Technical Brief ā COVIDās impact on science achievement: Trends from 2019 through 2024
This is the accompanying technical brief to the new report (Covidās impact on science achievement: Trends from 2019 through 2024) that examines the pandemicās impacts on academic achievement and gain in Science and continues ongoing research by NWEAĀ® analyzing the degree to which the COVID-19 pandemic, and its associated school closures, influenced student learning.
By: Susan Kowalski, Scott J. Peters, Megan Kuhfeld, Gustave Robinson, Karyn Lewis
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth


Reconciling Recent Evidence on Academic Recovery in the US from 2022 to 2023
A new analysis comparing latest NWEA and the Education Recovery Scorecard results to understand pandemic recovery, so far, and look at differences and similarities in those results.
By: Dan Dewey, Megan Kuhfeld, Erin Fahle, Tom Kane, Sean F. Reardon
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth