New York 4th-graders lost twice as much ground as peers and lost year of learning during pandemic virtual learning

[The Bobster]

New York 4th-graders lost twice as much ground as peers and lost year of learning during pandemic virtual learning

The decline on reading and math tests was twice as pronounced in New York than the rest of the country during COVID-19 virtual learning.

nypost.com

New York 4th-graders lost twice as much ground as peers and lost year of learning during pandemic virtual learning​

By
Jesse O’Neill


March 15, 2023 12:36pm
Updated







New York fourth-graders lost twice as much ground in math and reading as their peers nationwide during the pandemic and squandered the equivalent of nearly a year of schooling during virtual learning.
The staggering setbacks — which exceeded the educational losses seen in 45 other states in math and 38 other states in reading — occurred among students of all races and income levels, according to an analysis of federal data released Monday by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
New York fourth-graders saw their average on National Assessment of Educational Progress math scores drop 10% between 2019 and 2022, compared to an average nationwide decline of 5 percent. Reading scores among Empire State fourth-graders declined by 6 percent, double the nationwide slide of 3 percent, according to the report.
The slide was steepest among Asian and Pacific Islander students, who saw their math proficiency drop by 14 points. White, Hispanic and black students saw their performances drop by a rate of eight, six and three points, respectively, but achievement gaps among the races remained consistent, the report said.

The decline in fourth-grade test scores was twice as pronounced compared to the national averageNAEP / OSC New York fourth-graders in almost every demographic saw declines in math scores after the pandemic.NAEP / OSC
Girls in the state saw their math test scores drop at twice the rate of boys, and only 33% of New York boys and 23% of girls were deemed “proficient” in math by 2022, losses that were so pronounced that the state fell from 40th to 46th in the nation in test score rankings.

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The NAEP assessment is administered biennially to grades four, eight and 12, and is known as the “nation’s report card” because it is the only metric that allows for direct comparisons among all 50 states, DiNapoli said.


New York was the state hit earliest and hardest by COVID-19, and many districts offered hybrid or all-virtual instruction in the 2020-2021 school year, when other states had resumed in-person learning, the comptroller noted.


During the 49 weeks students in the state learned remotely, they only absorbed the equivalent of 19 weeks of schooling — marking a 30-week loss of classroom time that was twice the national average, according to McKinsey & Company, a consulting firm that analyzes educational data.


“The classroom disruptions caused by the pandemic have hurt New York’s students. Academic losses were greater for younger students, with fourth-grade scores dropping more than the national average,” DiNapoli said.

Asian and Pacific Islander students, the highest performers, saw the steepest slide.NAEP / OSC
Albany’s money manager urged districts to steer their portion of the $14 billion in federal Elementary and Secondary School Relief Funds the state received to help at-risk students before it expires next year. Data from the comptroller’s office says only 40% of the money has been spent so far.


“School districts must act quickly to take full advantage of available resources to help students that are most in need get caught up, before time runs out,” he said.





The report did offer some bright notes. Eighth-grade reading scores remained steady in New York even as they fell 3 percent nationwide, and students with disabilities actually slightly gained ground on fourth-grade math tests.


At the start of the pandemic, McKinsey & Company had predicted that students would lose 12 months of education if remote learning continued through 2021. Instead, students lost the equivalent of 7.5 months. However, the firm cautioned it could take “decades” for New York students to return to pre-pandemic performance levels.