“Pandemic-related declines in Student achievement (from March 2020 to spring 2021) are roughly equivalent to students missing one half to one full year’s worth of learning in math . . . and between one-third and one-half of a year’s worth of learning in English language arts,” concludes a study in Ohio.

Students who already were below grade level lost the most, concludes Vladimir Kogan, an Ohio State political science professor. “Districts with fully remote instruction experienced test scores declines up to three times greater than districts that had in-person instruction for the majority of the school year.”

NWEA’s analysis of testing data shows students did not make normal academic progress. Achievement losses were greatest for disadvantaged students and those in high-poverty schools.

Furthermore, writes Fordham’s Jessica Poiner, the dismal results could be an underestimate, since only students who showed up in the spring — those who stayed connected to their schools — took the tests.