Faceoff: Learning loss

The Messenger debates methods to account for gaps in student learning after a year of virtual schooling

Graphic by Manasa Premanand, Multimedia Editor

Accelerated Learning

Aditi Bhati, Staff Writer

Learning loss isn’t new by any means. It happens to students every year during the months-long summer break between school years. However, it’s more pronounced now than ever before because of virtual learning. In fact, a survey of K-12 public school teachers and administrators by Horace Mann Educators Corporation revealed that 97% of them reported seeing more learning loss in their students over the past year than in prior years. Schools are grappling with how to address the learning gap with students resuming in-person learning. Their two main solutions are remediation and accelerated learning. Fulton County Schools (FCS) defines remediation as accounting for learning loss by implementing solutions in the curricula during the year, and defines accelerated learning as proceeding with education as usual, placing the responsibility to catch up on students. Accelerated learning is the solution Northview has adopted, and with good reason.

The most significant advantage accelerated learning offers schools is a smooth transition from remote to in-person learning without having to change curricula. Since teachers don’t need to make any extra adjustments to their course material and pace, both teachers and students benefit from a normal and efficient learning environment rather than one that is rushed and uncertain. Meanwhile, the disorganization that comes with remediation can actually impede students’ learning; a study by the Research Alliance for New York City Schools concluded that a lack of teacher organization can greatly reduce student achievement.

Besides, some level of remediation already exists in most normal curricula to address summer learning loss, and this is sufficient for students to reap the full benefits of the spacing effect, which has been proven to help with efficiently retaining information learned. The spacing effect occurs when students learn new information, and review it repeatedly with long time intervals in between each review session. This approach is more effective for storing information in long term memory than trying to cram it in a short time period. Attempting to remediate a year of learning loss will inevitably result in cramming students with information, which they would easily forget anyways, as the spacing effect tells us. However, accelerated learning, which includes just the right amount of remediation, would get students to actively recall what they learned online last year, which is enough to get them to remember the concepts they need to know.

While it is true that not every school had access to the resources necessary to educate its students online, Northview is not one of those schools. Low-income elementary  students experienced the most learning loss as a result of remote learning. Data gathered by Northwest Evaluation Association reveal that elementary-aged students in grades three through five experienced a much larger learning gap compared to teenage students, like those at Northview. Additionally, as Policy Analysis for California Education found, low-income families tended to have students that experienced more learning loss than high-income families. Johns Creek’s median household income of $122,514 as compared to the national median household income of $67,521 accentuates the stark difference between Northview and other schools. Remediation may be the best solution for some schools, but not for Northview. 

Looking to the future, it is clear that at Northview, using accelerated learning is the only way to prevent students from falling behind when compared to remediation. Data from Zearn, a nonprofit educational organization, found that students who were subjected to remediation struggled more with learning than those subjected to accelerated learning. Make no mistake--while remediation seems like it would catch students up, it is unrealistic. The school year is comprised of only 36 weeks, not enough time to squeeze in remediation along with the regular curriculum for that year. Instead, what it will really do is keep students preoccupied with learning topics that are below their grade level, inhibiting them from getting back into the habit of regular learning.

Remediation

Mckenna Ryan, Staff Writer

Amidst the deaths of loved ones, forced changes in lifestyle, and the absence of school-based services and interactions, students are still expected to maintain their level of academic performance. Yet, this was difficult during remote learning brought on by the pandemic; retaining information became nearly impossible, ultimately leading to a worldwide learning loss.

And though the world is aware of the pandemic-related learning loss, what remains to be seen is just how effective efforts to address it will be. There is only one method that truly accounts for the precarious nature of education: remediation, whereby teachers continually fill the gaps in students’ knowledge as the year goes on. But to understand why states and school districts have an urgent need to address learning loss through remedial education programs, it’s important to have a concrete understanding of the pandemic’s impact on student learning.

Take Fulton County Schools (FCS) for example. On Feb. 18, the Fulton County Board of Education released a study demonstrating the crude reality of learning loss, for middle school students in particular. In math, learning loss ranged between one to four weeks in grades four through seven, and in reading, it ranged between two to 11 weeks in grades five through eight. Compared to their more affluent counterparts, middle school students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches experienced more than two times the amount of learning loss in math and over 50% more learning loss in reading. Hispanic and Latino students had the greatest losses, with up to nine weeks in math and 16 weeks in reading. As a result, high schoolers have become more likely to drop out of school, and high school seniors, especially those from low-income families, are less likely to further their education.

Clearly, there are wide-ranging degrees of learning loss amongst students, which is exactly why districts should opt for remediation –– it is individualized and would therefore lead to more academic improvement for all students. Accelerated learning, on the other hand, expects students to meet the demands of knowledge-rich courses on their own. That’s a pretty lofty standard, and, if it isn’t met, the students who proceed to the next grade will be missing key components of knowledge that are necessary for their individual success. The problems with accelerated learning extend past the academic disadvantage it puts these students at, however. They’re also at risk of graduating high school without the skills, mindsets, and behaviors needed to succeed in college or in their work field. Remediation will allow for a precise assessment of the extent of students’ learning gap, which will enable states and districts to support their students in catching up on the learning they missed. 

While proponents of accelerated learning argue that the remediation approach takes a significant amount of time in a school year where teachers are already crunched, the time it takes to fill the gaps in students’ knowledge is worth it if it means they will have a greater understanding of essential concepts. These concepts could be missed the accelerated learning process due to standardization. The students most severely impacted by the pandemic deserve nothing less than the district’s best, most earnest efforts –– not whatever approach is most convenient for them. 

The pandemic had an impact on not only academics, but on students’ health and well-being, too. Roughly 80% of parents expressed concern about their child’s mental health or social and emotional health and development since the pandemic began, with more than 35% of parents being extremely concerned. Parents also reported increases in clinical mental health conditions among their children, with a 5% increase in anxiety, a 6% increase in depression, and an increase in behaviors such as social withdrawal, lethargy, and self-isolation. That’s exactly why remediation is a must –– students require specific attention and support in order to further their success in their education and life beyond school.

As the delta variant surges through the nation, many schools in California, Kentucky, and Georgia have shifted back to virtual learning for the time being. Therefore, it’s important that solutions targeting the holes in students’ learning are built with a sense of adaptability, making remediation the only approach which will enable school systems, teachers, students, and families to continue the education process in the case of more schools needing to return to remote lessons.