First large-scale, in-depth analysis shows
uneven recovery in science achievement across the elementary and
middle grades
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 17,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NWEA, a K-12
assessment and research organization, announced today a new
research report exploring trends in science achievement since the
start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using MAP® Growth™ assessment
results for grades three to eight, NWEA researchers found a mixed
story of academic recovery. Similar to earlier research into math
and reading, science achievement dropped early in the pandemic.
However, unlike math and reading, science achievement in grades
three through five has returned to near pre-COVID levels while
middle school grades, specifically seventh and eighth grades,
continue to show signs of a struggling recovery.
"The trends tell a slightly different story than what we've seen
in math and reading," said Sue
Kowalski, Lead Research Scientist at NWEA. "On the one hand,
our elementary students are nearly back to pre-pandemic academic
growth and achievement for science, but our older students are
still very much struggling."
The new report is the latest in a series of research from NWEA
examining the impacts of the pandemic on academic gains and
achievement in the U.S. This report analyzed data from 621 U.S.
public schools that consistently administered the MAP Growth
Science assessment from spring 2017 through spring 2024 and
consistently tested the same grades within those schools.
Key findings include:
- COVID-19 school closures caused science achievement to drop
early in the pandemic, resulting in one to 2.3 months of unfinished
learning by spring 2021.
- There is evidence of uneven recovery in science achievement
across the elementary and middle grades by spring 2024. Science
achievement returned to near-2019 levels for grades three through
five but continued to decline for grades seven and eight.
Achievement gaps for sixth graders decreased by 2024, but the
reduction was smaller than that for grades 3-5.
- The most significant declines are evident for 8th graders, who
are approximately 3.2 months behind. This was true for students
from all racial/ethnic groups, but in 2024, Hispanic students are
farthest behind their 2019 peers, and Black students remain far
below the overall 2019 mean despite rebounding.
"This is a first large-scale look into trends in science
achievement, and while there are some differences compared to
trends in reading and math, one area continues to raise concerns,
and that's the lingering impacts for eighth graders," added
Kowalski. "This is particularly problematic if not addressed, given
the increasing complexity of science content they are about to
encounter in high school."
The research report provided several recommendations to
education leaders on addressing this uneven recovery, including
more integration of science into other subjects and continued usage
of summer programming provided to students who need it most.
Read the full report:
https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/covids-impact-on-science-achievement-trends-from-2019-through-2024/
About NWEA
NWEA® (a division of HMH) is a
mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in
more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions,
policy and advocacy, and professional learning that support our
diverse educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more
about how we're partnering with educators to help all kids
learn.
Contact: Simona Beattie,
Communications Director, simona.beattie@nwea.org or
971.361.9526
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-nwea-research-examines-the-impact-of-covid-disruptions-on-science-achievement-302249140.html
SOURCE NWEA