In-person learning helps MPS buck trend of COVID-19 declines

Friday, June 2, 2023

McCOOK, Neb. — In a study conducted by researchers from Harvard and Stanford in which 7,800 school districts were analyzed, it was found that the educational impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were historically large.

The Educational Recovery Scorecard collected data from school districts in 41 states, and it found that the average public school student in grades 3-8 fell behind by half a year of learning in math and a quarter of a year in reading during the pandemic, according to state assessments. Some students in districts like St. Louis, Missouri, fell behind more than 1.5 years in math.

As schools shut down and took to remote learning during the end of the 2019-20 school year and into 2020-21, students’ test scores took a massive hit around the country. A big reason is the amount of in-person learning students did, according to MPS Superintendent Grant Norgaard:

“Based on my observations, Nebraska’s students were not as negatively impacted by the pandemic as other states, and I believe this is due to schools across the state reopening as early as possible and staying open. The small number of schools in Nebraska and schools in other states where students did not attend in person were impacted to a greater degree. Students who were not allowed to attend school suffered greater learning losses than those who attended schools that were open.”

Schools weren’t the only reason behind the decline.

“Our research shows that schools were far from the only cause of decreased learning - the pandemic affected children in many ways,” says Sean Reardon, Professor of Poverty and Inequality in Education at Stanford, who co-led the study, “But they are the institution best suited to remedy the unequal impacts of the pandemic.”

Despite the vast majority of school districts taking a heavy hit in student success, McCook Public Schools weren’t nearly as affected. While the average American student dropped half a year in math learning, McCook only lost 0.08 years, or the equivalent of around a month, according to the data. A year “lost” means that if a city was one year ahead of the national average in 2019, it would be at that average in 2022. In terms of reading, McCook’s schools collectively lost 0.28 grade levels, putting them around the national average.

Luckily, the district had some “wiggle room” to be able to withstand such losses. In 2019, they were 1.18 grade levels ahead of the nation in math, and 1.04 levels in reading. Even with the losses, they’re still 1.1 levels ahead in math and 0.76 in reading. McCook School Board member Tom Bredvick commented on how the district compares to those around the country, saying, “MPS is accustomed to scoring above state and national benchmark scores and our outcomes during the pandemic reflect the same.”

Bredvick believes the reason McCook wasn’t as affected as the average school district was due to the preparatory measures taken:

“McCook Public Schools recognized very early on that the COVID pandemic was negatively influencing the learning environment and processes used by the teaching staff. Our administration and teaching staff worked diligently to ensure multiple learning opportunities and methods were being offered to reach students at all grade levels. Frequent brainstorming across all buildings and classrooms allowed for modified approaches to support in-person and remote learning. Our administrative team worked closely with public health officials to report, track, and return students to the classroom from quarantines, thereby minimizing lost time in the classroom.”

Despite the advantage in methodology and results, Norgaard believes there’s always room for improvement, and the district must work to get back to their standards:

“We have added an extended-day program for our elementary schools. This program extends the regular school day for an hour and a half for about 40 of our elementary students. During this time, the students work on developing academic skills such as literacy and math. Students also learn about healthy living and proper social interaction, among other things,” he said.

Norgaard went on to mention that the district has increased its staffing in order to allow for the extended program. The schools are also enhancing their summer school programming by increasing staffing, Norgaard says, with the goal of allowing every elementary school student an opportunity to attend the lessons.

Economist and Harvard researcher Thomas Kane, who co-led the study with Reardon, agrees that efforts must be made to combat the drop in learning:

“Children have resumed learning, but largely at the same pace as before the pandemic. There’s no hurrying up teaching fractions or the Pythagorean Theorem.”

In order for student learning to be made whole again after the COVID-19 pandemic, special efforts are seemingly essential. MPS students have a crucial advantage over their counterparts around the country due to safely reopening schools early as well as the district’s proactive preparedness and adaptive measures. However, McCook acknowledges the need to “get back on track,” and their determination to maintain high standards and provide additional learning opportunities could be instrumental in restoring and surpassing pre-pandemic learning outcomes.

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