Reading achievement declines during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from 5 million U.S. students in grades 3–8

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented disruption in students’ academic development. Using reading test scores from 5 million U.S. students in grades 3–8, we tracked changes in achievement across the first two years of the pandemic. Average fall 2021 reading test scores in grades 3–8 were ....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reading & writing Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 245 - 261
Main Authors: Kuhfeld, Megan, Lewis, Karyn, Peltier, Tiffany
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2023
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Achievement Gains
Achievement Gap
COVID-19
Disruption
Distance Education
Education
Elementary School Students
Elementary schools
Elementary Secondary Education
Eligibility
Ethnicity
Evidence
Grade 2
Grade 3
Language and Literature
Limited English Speaking
Linguistics
Literacy
Low Income Students
Mathematics Tests
Middle School Students
Minority Group Students
Minority groups
Neurology
Outcomes of Education
Pandemics
Poverty
Psycholinguistics
Public Schools
Racial Differences
Reading ability
Reading Achievement
Reading comprehension
Reading Difficulties
Reading disabilities
Reading Improvement
Reading instruction
Reading Research
Reading Skills
Reading Tests
Scores
Social Sciences
Socioeconomic factors
Student Development
Students
Test scores
COVID-19
K-12 schools
Academic achievement
ISSN:0922-4777, 1573-0905
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented disruption in students’ academic development. Using reading test scores from 5 million U.S. students in grades 3–8, we tracked changes in achievement across the first two years of the pandemic. Average fall 2021 reading test scores in grades 3–8 were .09 to .17 standard deviations lower relative to same-grade peers in fall 2019, with the largest impacts in grades 3–5. Students of color attending high-poverty elementary schools saw the largest test score declines in reading. Our results suggest that many upper elementary students are at-risk for reading difficulties and will need targeted supports to build and strengthen foundational reading skills.
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ISSN:0922-4777
1573-0905
DOI:10.1007/s11145-022-10345-8