A Michigan State University study indicates K-12 students who spent more time learning in person during the pandemic scored higher on standardized tests.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many school districts to switch to remote learning.
The study finds Michigan students’ achievement growth slowed in the 2020-2021 academic year.
The trend towards results below pre-pandemic levels was especially noticed in math scores.
The report is the third in a series from MSU’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative.
Director Katherine Strunk says students who learned remotely for longer periods of time fared substantially worse on achievement tests.
“And that’s what we’ve been seeing nationally as well from other studies across the country,” Strunk said. “The more months of the year that you spend in person, the higher achievement growth you see relative to students who stayed remote for more of the year.”
Strunk says nearly one-quarter of students showed no achievement growth at all from Fall 2020 to Fall 2021.
“The slowdown in learning has been substantial, especially for that quarter of the kids who have shown no achievement growth over the course of the year,” she said. “So, it’s really important that we continue to fund our schools. This is not going to be like a one year and we’re done with this. This is a multi-year effort we’re going to have to embark upon.”
The report's findings will be shared with the state department of education and the Michigan Legislature.