
Description
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic closes schools across the nation, schools and districts are working hard to meet the needs of 55.1 million students in an unprecedented time. While it is difficult to speculate on what missing months of school may mean for student achievement, research on seasonal learning and summer learning loss can offer some insights.
Join the conversation with, Dr. Beth Tarasawa, Sal Khan, Dr. Jesus Jara, and Kimberly Cockrell to learn more about the implications of the research as well as insights for action to help educators, policymakers, and families address and plan for the impacts of this extended pause in classroom instruction.
See MoreView webinar
Associated Research

Media mention
How to reopen America’s schools
Related Topics


The forgotten 20 percent: Achievement and growth in rural schools across the nation
New research using data from over 2,300 rural schools across the US provides unique insight into math and reading achievement of students in rural schools so educators and policymakers can better understand and support the potential needs of rural schools.


Achievement and growth for English Learners
This study reports achievement and growth from kindergarten to 4th grade for three groups of English Learners. The findings suggest summer support is required to help ELs maintain and develop academic skills.
By: Angela Johnson
Topics: English Language Learners, Equity, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss


MAP Growth theory of action
The MAP Growth theory of action describes key features of MAP Growth and its position in a comprehensive assessment system.
By: Patrick Meyer, Michael Dahlin
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: Equity, Measurement & scaling, Test design


What do teachers know about dyslexia? It’s complicated!
The purpose of this study was to examine the concepts of dyslexia teachers know accurately as scientific conceptions, hold as misconceptions, or are uncertain. Implications for teacher training in dyslexia are discussed.
By: Tiffany Peltier, Erin K. Washburn, Benjamin C. Heddy, Emily Binks-Cantrell
Topics: Reading & language arts, Equity


Achievement and growth for English Learners
This study reports achievement and growth from kindergarten to 4th grade for three groups of English Learners. The findings suggest summer support is required to help ELs maintain and develop academic skills.
By: Angela Johnson
Topics: English Language Learners, Equity, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss


Changes in school composition during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for school-average interim test score use
School officials regularly use school-aggregate test scores to monitor school performance and make policy decisions. In this report, RAND researchers investigate one specific issue that may contaminate utilization of COVID-19–era school-aggregate scores and result in faulty comparisons with historical and other proximal aggregate scores: changes in school composition over time. To investigate this issue, they examine data from NWEA’s MAP Growth assessments, interim assessments used by states and districts during the 2020–2021 school year.
By: Jonathan Schweig, Megan Kuhfeld, Andrew McEachin, Melissa Diliberti, Louis Mariano
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Measurement & scaling


Equitable learning recovery must be grounded in solid research
The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with political and social unrest, has deeply disrupted the lives and learning experiences of most students. It has created an urgent need to address long-standing opportunity gaps and has highlighted the importance of providing resources that support student achievement, social-emotional learning, and physical and mental well-being. This urgency for action to address the impacts is valid, but it has also created a noisy environment of potential options of what might be best for students. It’s critical, now more than ever, for decisions to be grounded in solid research.
By: Beth Tarasawa
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity