Research brief
Preparing early learners: Considerations for supporting the kindergarten class of 2021
March 2021
Description
Among the many ways in which schools are being transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the change in public school kindergarten enrollment is one likely to have important consequences in classrooms across the nation. Because the academic and nonacademic skills students develop in their preschool and early elementary school years are foundational to important longer-term outcomes, understanding these changes and finding ways to effectively support our youngest students’ learning is critical for educators and leaders. Drawing on recent research, we offer four timely considerations for district, school, and classroom leaders.
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Topics: Early learning, COVID-19 and schools, Equity
Related Topics
Supporting COVID-19 recovery for students with disabilities: Research findings, policy recommendations, and lessons from the ground
In this webinar by the Alliance for Excellent Education, NWEA, and the National Center for Learning disabilities, learn about recent research on academic growth for students in special education before the pandemic and implications for policies and practices designed to spur COVID-19 recovery.
Topics: Equity, COVID-19 and schools, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
Academic growth for students with disabilities: Lessons from school-year learning gains and summer learning loss—Implications for COVID-19 recovery and beyond
How can we support academic growth for students with disabilities (SWD) who may have experienced disproportionate academic impacts from COVID-19?
Topics: COVID-19 and schools, Equity
Understanding differential growth during school years and summers for students in special education
New research examining academic achievement and growth of students in special education and their peers who were never in special education during each school year and summer in grades K-4 shows that students with disabilities grow as much or more academically during the school year than their peers without disabilities some years, but that steeper summer learning loss for students with disabilities contributes to widening disparities.
Topics: Equity, Growth modeling, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
Exploring the educational impacts of COVID-19
This visualization was developed to provide state-level insights into how students performed on MAP Growth in the 2020–2021 school year. Assessments are one indicator, among many, of the student impact from COVID-19. Our goal with this tool is to create visible data that informs academic recovery efforts that will be necessary in the 2022 school year and beyond.
Topics: COVID-19 and schools
Understanding differential growth during school years and summers for students in special education
This study compares within- and across-years academic growth for students who were ever in special education (ever-SPED) to students who were never in special education (never-SPED) in grades K-4. Ever-SPED students grew more in math and reading than never-SPED students during many school years, but lost more learning during every summer than their peers, leading to expanding disparities. These findings suggest that summer learning opportunities are crucial for improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities.
Topics: Equity, Growth modeling, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
User guide for interpreting the NWEA state dashboard: Exploring the educational impacts of COVID-19
This guide explains the analyses, statistics, terms, and data included in the NWEA state dashboard, Exploring the Educational Impacts of COVID-19, as well as what they can tell us about unfinished learning in the state.
Topics: COVID-19 and schools, Innovations in reporting & assessment
Measuring middle school achievement trajectories for college readiness
This study identifies students’ academic trajectories in the middle grades relative to a set of college readiness benchmarks. We apply math and reading college readiness benchmarks to rich longitudinal data for more than 360,000 students across the nation. Student-level and school-level demographic characteristics significantly predict academic trajectories.
Topics: College & career readiness, Equity, Middle school
