Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
Students don’t learn only during the school year, and academic growth trajectories can change as students move from kindergarten through high school. Academic growth patterns across time—both in school and during the summer—can differ for various groups of students, and those patterns can influence academic achievement gaps. Our research advances understanding of seasonal learning patterns, summer loss, and school and non-school contributions to student growth.
Dual language education and academic growth
This study examined math and reading academic achievement and growth in grades 2 to 8 for Hispanic participants and nonparticipants of a Spanish-English dual language program.
Topics: Equity, English Language Learners, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
Projecting the potential impacts of COVID-19 school closures on academic achievement
While COVID-19 learning interruptions are unprecedented in modern times, existing research on the impacts of missing school (due to absenteeism, regular summer breaks, and school closures) on learning can inform projections of potential learning loss due to the pandemic. In this study, we produce a series of projections of COVID-19-related learning loss and its potential effect on test scores in the 2020-21 school year based on estimates from prior literature and analyses of typical summer learning patterns of five million students.
Topics: Equity, COVID-19 & schools, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
COVID-19 closures & learning loss
In this webinar, Dr. Beth Tarasawa, Sal Khan, Dr. Jesus Jara, and Kimberly Cockrell share implications of recent research that provides some insights on potential academic impacts of COVID-19, 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.
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
This technical appendix outlines the methodology behind the projections in the NWEA research white paper, The COVID-19 slide: What summer learning loss can tell us about the potential impact of school closures on student academic achievement.
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
COVID-19 school closures will likely affect student academic achievement. Research on summer learning loss offers insights to help plan for and address some potential impacts of this extended pause when students return to school.
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
The learning curve: Revisiting the assumption of linear growth across the school year
Important educational policy decisions, like whether to shorten or extend the school year, often assume that growth in achievement is linear through the school year. This research examines this untested assumption using data from seven million students in kindergarten through 8th grade across the fall, winter, and spring of the 2016-17 school year.
Topics: Measurement & scaling, Growth modeling, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
When does inequality grow? School, summer, and achievement gaps
What role does schooling play in the development of racial and ethnic inequalities in academic skills? An analysis of 2M students provides insights into seasonal learning and achievement gaps.
