Schools Are Grappling with Students’ Loss of Learning

A special report from EdWeek earlier this month (read it here) highlights a major stressor schools and teachers are combating this summer: hold students back or let them move onto the next grade. “[Many districts are] opting … to keep students moving forward with grade-level content, filling in the missing pieces as they go.”

The article goes on to discuss the best way to meet students where they are educationally. Research is mixed on remediation or acceleration. Should students focus on the foundational skills of previous grade levels? Or should schools move students into the next grade level and teach foundational skills when necessary for grade-level concepts?

Summer programs and high-quality tutoring can be a means to alleviate the holes in students’ foundations. However, no school is sure what is the best way to help students move past the disruptions COVID created.