#AskExcelinEd: Amid COVID-19, how can states prepare exiting 3rd graders to ‘read to learn’ in 4th grade?

Arizona, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina
Quality

In 2019, 35% of fourth-grade students in the U.S. performed at or above NAEP proficient in reading—accounting for just one of every three students. Students of color and those living in poverty or rural areas had an even lower probability of achieving proficiency. And this is before a projected COVID-19 learning loss.

Just a few months ago, states were facing the challenge of teaching all students to read by the end of third grade. Now, they must also consider the impact of COVID-19 on fourth-grade reading readiness. Transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn in third grade is a significant milestone, and this unprecedented nationwide disruption to student learning will likely have long-term implications.

Missing State End-of-year Assessment Data

Because of COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Education approved state assessment waivers for all 50 states and D.C. for the 2019-2020 school year. These annual assessments serve several purposes, one of which is to gauge how much students learned during the year and whether they are ready for the next level of learning.

Approximately 16 states rely on students’ performance data from these assessments to determine whether students advance to fourth-grade. Now that end-of-year assessment data will be missing. That loss coupled with summer learning loss, will force teachers this fall to brace for larger gaps among grade-level reading readiness than ever before. Unfortunately, not all states have enough options in their playbooks to respond adequately.

Changing the “Play” in the Fourth Quarter

The 2019-2020 school year began with business as usual. Most students attended traditional brick and mortar schools, congregated with friends during class changes and attended sporting events to cheer on their school’s teams. The “fourth quarter” quickly shifted to remote learning at varying degrees of implementation and success.

In Arizona and Mississippi, for example, many third-grade students who were already meeting promotion requirements prior to the COVID-19 pandemic will likely be promoted to fourth grade. Unfortunately, some students who were not meeting those requirements may also be promoted. These decisions will be made by building-level principals in conjunction with teachers and, in some cases, parents.

Meanwhile, North Carolina elementary and middle school students will not receive traditional grades at all. Instead, to address known inequities across districts, current teachers will provide and pass along academic and social/emotional strengths and weakness in a transition folder to the teacher(s) at the next grade level.

Disparities among availability of resources have been amplified during the pandemic. In Chicago, districts that had already invested in technology for each student and where students were already familiar with online learning platforms encouraged their teachers to introduce new material. Some students are also able to receive one-on-one assistance from their teachers via “virtual office hours.”

However, other students across the country who have been thrust into the world of remote learning have run into major challenges—including lack of access to technology devices, internet or the capacity by students and/or teachers to navigate the world of online learning. Those students are relying on learning-at-home packets that cover, at most, material which has already been taught and serve as an attempt to curtail significant learning loss.

Strategies to Establish a New Normal

In many states, district and school leaders are hard at work developing plans to make up for lost time, keenly aware that beginning-of-year knowledge gaps may be larger than ever. So, how can teachers and students be supported when they return to school in the fall? States and districts can consider implementing the following strategies and using these resources to establish a new normal in education.

Summer Strategies

Fall Strategies

Solution Areas:

Early Literacy

About the Author

Kymyona Burk, Ed.D., is a Senior Policy Fellow at ExcelinEd.

Solution Areas:

Early Literacy