COVID has had an immense effect on students in many ways. From lost academic progress to the loss of key learning abilities, COVID has had an incalculable negative impact on student education.
Studies indicate standardized test scores dropped at all school levels during and after the pandemic, sparking grave concerns among educators and parents alike.
1. Lack of Social Interaction
Researchers and educators alike have long highlighted the value of social interaction for learning, yet COVID-19’s disruptions harmed student progress significantly. Without being able to interact with classmates face-to-face or connect online with teachers and classmates online, students had difficulty staying on track with their education (Jordan & Chang 2020; UNESCO 2022).
Lack of interaction led to unequal test-score drops for certain students compared with others, as well as widening preexisting opportunity and achievement gaps, with poor children suffering even greater losses in math and reading than their wealthier peers.
Thankfully, educational interventions exist that can mitigate these losses. Studies show that tutoring can result in a standardized score change comparable to what would occur with an average COVID-19 drop score for math.
2. Disrupted Routines
Pandemic disruption caused students to miss valuable learning time, leading them to end the year five months behind in math and four months behind in reading; lower-income students fared worse.
Although some research shows that students regained lost ground after the pandemic passed, most studies indicate that on-average they remained significantly behind what they were prior to it – especially those from disadvantaged circumstances (Dorn et al. 2020; Kuhfeld et al. 2020; Maldonado and de Witte 2020; Engzell et al. 2021).
Federal funds are currently flowing into schools, but this investment will only be effective if applied toward programs which address unfinished learning. Failing this, trying to restore pre-pandemic status quo will perpetuate inequality while disregarding deeper historic opportunity and achievement gaps that exist across our nation.
3. Lack of Feedback
Students attending classes or working remotely during the pandemic missed many opportunities to receive feedback on their work from teachers, which led to decreased academic progress.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant learning losses for students of all academic levels. Test scores declined, academic worries rose significantly and college professors reported noticeably different student behaviors post-pandemic: missed assignments more frequently, greater reliance on technology, and discomfort with classroom discussions.
Reversing unfinished learning trends requires several strategies, including increasing focus in classrooms, expanding tutoring programs, and decreasing class sizes. Furthermore, teachers must receive timely feedback regarding students’ work and how they can best support them to counter the negative impacts of pandemic. Such feedback will aid teachers in combating negative effects of pandemic on academic achievement among their students.
4. Disrupted Learning Environment
School classrooms provide an intimate space where students come together to foster learning and development. All members should respect one another and the professionalism of the instructor; however, sometimes faculty find themselves unable to teach due to disruptive behavior from students.
Studies showed that students’ test scores experienced significant decline during the pandemic, with greater decreases for students of color, from immigrant families, and in schools of poverty. COVID also deepened preexisting opportunity and achievement gaps among low-income students – especially when it came to math and reading abilities.
Chronically absent students miss more class time and experience in educational activities compared to their classmates, leading them to fall behind in reading skills by the end of the year and struggling to catch up.
5. Disrupted Communication
As COVID presented academic challenges, discussions of “learning loss” have become common in news media coverage, policy briefs, and research (Dorn et al. 2020; Kuhfeld et al. 2021; Engzell et al. 2021). While some studies indicate small declines in test performance after pandemic outbreak, others reveal more substantial disparities affecting children of color or those coming from families with lower educational attainment levels.
Evidence to date makes it evident that learning losses were significant and unevenly distributed among households. To prevent any lasting repercussions from these learning losses, school districts must ensure that a return to academic normalcy is carefully planned and tailored specifically to student needs – such as providing accommodations or therapies which facilitate optimal learning experiences.
