The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact academic progress in the United States even three years after its onset, with a study suggesting that students may need months of extra school to catch up to pre-pandemic levels.
The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) published its research on Tuesday, using data from 6.7 million students between third and eighth grade in approximately 20,000 U.S. public schools.
“While the pandemic is now deemed over, the impacts on students based on two markers, achievement in reading and mathematics, are still apparent,” the study reads.
The study reveals that achievement gains fell short of pre-pandemic trends in most grades, with the exception of the youngest students, who made above-average achievement gains, defying this pattern….