Closing the Gaps to Address COVID-19’s Lingering Effects on Middle School Students

“As we approach 2025, the impact of COVID-19 on academic gains and achievement continues to be a concern, especially in the area of middle school literacy. Current middle schoolers, who spent their early literacy years navigating the pandemic’s learning disruptions, face some of the most persistent challenges in our education system, according to our latest research. Recovery efforts have stalled for many, and in some cases, achievement gaps are widening. To reverse these trends, districts must prioritize evidence-based interventions, including high-dosage tutoring and extended learning time.

However, addressing academic gaps alone is not enough. The mental health toll of the pandemic on students remains significant, and comprehensive mental health support is also essential to help students re-engage fully in their learning. In addition, school leadership stability and teacher engagement will be crucial to sustaining recovery efforts. Without investing in our educators and creating stable, supportive environments, even the best interventions will fall short.

2025 must be the year we take bold, decisive action for middle school students, or we risk allowing the long-term effects of the pandemic to shape their futures.”

 – Dr. Karyn Lewis, VP of Research and Policy Partnerships at NWEA

There Will Be a Move Toward Better, More Connected Tools and Systems That Save Teachers’ Time and Give Educators a More Comprehensive Picture of Student Progress

“In 2025, we will see a push to save teachers’ time through better, more connected tools and systems. Currently, teachers are overwhelmed by navigating multiple, disconnected systems for assessments, curriculum, and student data. Today’s educators are expected to access too many disconnected tools with different logins to see a specific piece of their students’ academic health instead of a comprehensive picture. This extra administrative load takes away from time that could be spent on instruction and student engagement. Moving forward, education technology will increasingly focus on integration, with platforms designed to streamline assessments, provide real-time instructional insights, and eliminate unnecessary tasks. This approach will not only alleviate tech fatigue but also free up valuable time for teachers to focus on meaningful interactions with students, driving improved outcomes. The future of edtech will empower educators by working for them—not against them—marking a new era where tools seamlessly support instruction and reduce burdens on teachers.”

– Chris Minnich, President of NWEA

Reviving Science Education: A Key Challenge for 2025

“Throughout recent school years, student learning disruptions has been a leading topic, but the focus has been primarily on literacy and mathematics. Both are essential subjects that students need to master, but the one subject that has been left out of the conversation and has faced massive disruptions is science. Before and during COVID, science took a backseat compared to other subjects. Now, we are seeing the repercussions of that, with significantly lower achievement scores and little progress made.In 2025, schools will continue to face the challenge of recovering science achievement, particularly for older students and historically marginalized students. Schools will need to prioritize integrated approaches that combine science instruction with math and reading to accelerate progress across multiple subjects. With the STEM industry growing and becoming a main driver in our workforce, it is highly important that we continue to expose students to science and educate them on the possibilities within this field.”

 – Sue Kowalski, PhD, Lead Research Scientist at NWEA

Examining the Effectiveness of Local Decisions and Strategies Will Increase The Need For In-depth Research

“While COVID may be in our rear-view mirror, the effects of disruptions to learning are still being felt as students struggle to regain academic progress to pre-pandemic levels. Education leaders will have an increased need for effective options and strategies to accelerate student academic growth. Along with that, they will need a more comprehensive view of how those options and strategies are driving growth within their local school communities. National, large-scale research analysis only goes so far as to guide how best to support students. Researched efforts at the local level will see a rise in value in the years ahead. Reliable and trusted research organizations will play a critical role as partners to schools and districts seeking evidence-based answers specific to their region and district circumstances.” 

– Scott Peters, PhD, Director of Research Consulting Partnerships at NWEA

Effective Data Management Will Be Essential For School Leaders To Enhance Student Success

“Data is becoming – if not already – an essential component to successfully supporting our students. These insights can tell a story about who is coming to school, who is contributing in the classroom, and who needs assistance. Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult as student information and data tends to be siloed, outdated, and non-actionable. Expecting educators to find the information, track data trends, and identify actionable steps themselves is not probable without training and resources. In 2025, we will see a growing demand for school leaders to interpret, manage, and utilize data effectively to drive student success. We will also see schools provide training on how to analyze data and what actions to take thereafter. The schools that excel will be those whose leaders embrace a practical, step-by-step approach to data leadership because of the support they are provided by their employer,”

– Tatiana Ciccarelli, Senior Professional Learning Consultant at NWEA

About NWEA

NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy, and professional learning that support our diverse educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we’re partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526

The post NWEA Experts Share Predictions About Education Trends for 2025 appeared first on NWEA.

Portland, Ore. — Sept. 17, 2024 — NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization, announced today a new research report exploring trends in science achievement since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using MAP® Growth assessment results for grades three to eight, NWEA researchers found a mixed story of academic recovery. Similar to earlier research into math and reading, science achievement dropped early in the pandemic. However, unlike math and reading, science achievement in grades three through five has returned to near pre-COVID levels while middle school grades, specifically seventh and eighth grades, continue to show signs of a struggling recovery.

“The trends tell a slightly different story than what we’ve seen in math and reading,” said Sue Kowalski, Lead Research Scientist at NWEA. “On the one hand, our elementary students are nearly back to pre-pandemic academic growth and achievement for science, but our older students are still very much struggling.”

The new report is the latest in a series of research from NWEA examining the impacts of the pandemic on academic gains and achievement in the U.S. This report analyzed data from 621 U.S. public schools that consistently administered the MAP Growth Science assessment from spring 2017 through spring 2024 and consistently tested the same grades within those schools.

Key findings include:

• COVID-19 school closures caused science achievement to drop early in the pandemic, resulting in one to 2.3 months of unfinished learning by spring 2021.
• There is evidence of uneven recovery in science achievement across the elementary and middle grades by spring 2024. Science achievement returned to near-2019 levels for grades three through five but continued to decline for grades seven and eight. Achievement gaps for sixth graders decreased by 2024, but the reduction was smaller than that for grades 3-5.
• The most significant declines are evident for 8th graders, who are approximately 3.2 months behind. This was true for students from all racial/ethnic groups, but in 2024, Hispanic students are farthest behind their 2019 peers, and Black students remain far below the overall 2019 mean despite rebounding.

“This is a first large-scale look into trends in science achievement, and while there are some differences compared to trends in reading and math, one area continues to raise concerns, and that’s the lingering impacts for eighth graders,” added Kowalski. “This is particularly problematic if not addressed, given the increasing complexity of science content they are about to encounter in high school.”

The research report provided several recommendations to education leaders on addressing this uneven recovery, including more integration of science into other subjects and continued usage of summer programming provided to students who need it most.

Read the full report: https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/covids-impact-on-science-achievement-trends-from-2019-through-2024/

About NWEA

NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy, and professional learning that support our diverse educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we’re partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526

The post New NWEA Research Examines the Impact of COVID Disruptions on Science Achievement appeared first on NWEA.

Learning gaps will persist if action is not taken

“Achievement disparities that predate the pandemic have been starkly exacerbated over the last four years, and marginalized students are still the furthest from recovery. As we continue to analyze the latest COVID data, I predict that we will see persistent and potentially widening gaps in student achievement if we do not take decisive action. Pandemic fatigue is real, but accepting a new normal of lower achievement and widened inequities is not an option. We must remain committed to using data-driven strategies, providing our schools with the right scale of support, and integrating sustained recovery efforts into our educational framework. Without these efforts, the disparities in our educational system will only become more entrenched, making it even more challenging to achieve lasting change.” – Dr. Karyn Lewis, Director of Research and Policy Partnerships at NWEA

Not just better data, but more connected data

“In this post-COVID and ESSER funding era, single-point-in-time data will lose its relevance if it is not connected to the fuller picture of student academic health. With COVID academic recovery still in progress, access to quality, connected data that provides educators with meaningful, nuanced information will be critical. Today, an average teacher has hundreds of data and curricular tools at their disposal. It’s overwhelming. Not to mention, those tools may often provide conflicting information, often are hard to navigate between and make it hard to truly understand how best to help each student. We can do better. We must continue to innovate, use technology wisely, and provide cohesive, holistic platforms that truly simplify educators’ lives and drive student growth. That’s what you should expect to see from HMH and NWEA.” – Chris Minnich, President of NWEA

Districts will need to find new ways to sustain progress made with ESSER funds

“This school year is the first in nearly half a decade where schools will not have significant additional federal resources to support student learning and continued recovery. ESSER funds, which have, on average, provided a 10% supplement to district budgets, must be fully obligated by September. Unfortunately, despite the sunset of recovery resources, the need for additional support for kids is far from over.  The resources and programs made possible through ESSER funding have greatly benefited our nation’s students and teachers. We’ve learned some important lessons about what works to support student success, and we have a growing national consensus about three evidence-based interventions that we should replicate and scale – combating chronic absenteeism and keeping kids in school, high-dosage tutoring, and expanding learning time through extended school days and summer programs. Given the sluggish nature of recovery, these critical programs must become a permanent part of the fabric of our education system. In the context of diminishing federal funds, a critical challenge for this year will be focusing resources on what matters most for student progress, particularly for those students who are historically underserved and need the most support to reach their full potential.” – Lindsay Dworkin, Senior Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs at NWEA

Chronic absenteeism will continue to be a main focus for districts and families

“Chronic student absenteeism continues to significantly impact our K-12 districts, specifically in relation to student achievement, economic outcomes, and systemic inequities. Additionally, historically marginalized student groups are disproportionately impacted by chronic absenteeism. We know that when students aren’t in school, they are missing valuable instructional time, which sets them back behind their peers. Research has shown that students who do not meet grade levels are more likely to face higher dropout and incarceration rates. As we enter into the 2024-25 school year, it is increasingly important that we prioritize student attendance. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. We must connect with students and their families to understand the barriers students are facing that are preventing them from attending school. Likewise, we must raise awareness with families on how much impact missing school is on their child’s future.” – Ayesha Hashim, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist at NWEA

Student engagement will take high priority

“As schools and districts consider new, innovative assessment approaches, it is essential to consider not only the content of the assessments but also various contextual factors, such as the timing of the tests. Research indicates that the time of day when tests are administered can significantly impact student engagement and performance. Administering tests at suboptimal times can lead to student disengagement, which in turn may result in an underestimation of their true abilities and potentially misguide educational interventions. By prioritizing the timing of assessments, educators can help maintain student focus and enhance the overall accuracy and effectiveness of these evaluations. Ensuring that tests are conducted at times when students are most alert and receptive can contribute to a more accurate reflection of their capabilities, supporting more informed decision-making in educational planning and interventions.” – Megan Kuhfeld, PhD, Director of Growth Modeling and Analytics at NWEA

Districts will increase their use of assessment data to help identify students’ individual needs

“Students are coming into K-12 classrooms with a wide variety of needs. In the 2024-25 school year, we will see districts making use of the already available data to help identify students who need more support and those who could benefit from more challenging courses and gifted programs. Standardizing the process for identifying students opens doors for historically underserved students who could benefit from additional services – whether full-grade acceleration or intensive interventions. Currently, both students who need support and those who could benefit from higher level math and gifted programs are being missed by identification systems. We will see districts increasing their use of already available assessment data to help identify students’ needs. Properly utilizing data that are already available to schools is a step in a more equitable direction.” – Scott Peters, PhD, Director of Research Consulting at NWEA

Out-of-school programs will become crucial for post-pandemic academic recovery

“Out-of-school time programs, including after-school and summer learning, have played a pivotal role in addressing academic recovery by providing targeted support to students who missed learning opportunities during the pandemic. Recent NWEA data shows that academic growth in the 2023-24 school year continued to lag behind pre-pandemic trends, suggesting that the need for sustainable and effective out-of-school time programs remains critical. Policymakers and school districts must collaborate to develop innovative funding solutions and strategic partnerships to promote the success and expansion of these vital learning opportunities. By investing in out-of-school time programs, schools can create comprehensive support systems that address not only academic needs but also the social and emotional well-being of students. By providing individualized attention and personalized learning experiences, out-of-school time programs are crucial for helping students recover from the educational setbacks caused by the pandemic.” – Miles Davison, PhD, Research Scientist at NWEA

High-dosage tutoring will become a critical academic recovery strategy in the post-COVID era

“High-dosage tutoring (HDT) has garnered significant attention over the past several years as a vital strategy for aiding students in their academic recovery following the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has demonstrated that HDT programs can produce gains in reading and math test scores for at-risk students (if implemented appropriately); and are effective for building foundational skills in elementary grades, and can aid struggling middle and high school students. As the education system continues to grapple with the lingering impacts of the pandemic, the proportion of at-risk students has risen, underscoring the ongoing need for targeted academic interventions. HDT presents a promising solution by providing intensive, personalized instruction that addresses individual learning gaps and fosters academic resilience. To maximize the benefits of HDT, it is essential to ensure that programs are designed and executed with key principles in mind: maintaining small tutor-to-student ratios, offering frequent and consistent sessions, and employing highly trained tutors who can deliver effective, research-based instructional strategies. Additionally, integrating HDT programs within the broader educational framework can enhance their impact, ensuring that tutoring complements regular classroom instruction and aligns with curriculum standards. Last but not least, the success of HDT also hinges on robust funding and strategic implementation. Policymakers and educational leaders must prioritize investments in HDT initiatives and seek innovative funding solutions to sustain these programs over the long term.” – Ayesha Hashim, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at NWEA

Engaging with and informing parents and families will be vital to academic recovery efforts

“There continues to be a disconnect between how students are doing academically and how parents think their children are doing in school. In the 2024-2025 school year, we will need to bridge gaps between school and home to engage parents in academic recovery efforts. By engaging with families to help them understand their children’s academic progress and what the data means for their child, we can partner with families on interventions and help students get back on track. There will be an increased focus on making data accessible and applicable so that parents not only understand what the data means but also have actionable next steps to take to help support their children’s progress.” – Jacob Bruno, SVP of Professional Learning at NWEA

About NWEA

NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy, and professional learning that support our diverse educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we’re partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526

The post NWEA Experts Share Education Predictions for the Upcoming School Year appeared first on NWEA.

Portland, Ore. — July 23, 2024 — NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization, announced today the latest report in its research series examining the impacts of the pandemic’s disruptions to learning and the status of academic recovery. This new report features data from the 2023-24 academic year and underscores that unfinished learning continues to be a challenge due to lower achievement gains compared to pre-pandemic trends.

The analysis examined test scores from approximately 7.7 million U.S. students currently in grades 3 – 8 in 22,400 public schools who took the MAP^® Growth assessment in 2023-24. This sample compared scores to a similar group of 10 million students who tested in grades 3-8 in the pre-COVID school years between 2016 and 2019. Key findings highlight persistent achievement gaps and the long road ahead, especially for older students:

• Achievement gains during 2023-24 fell short of pre-pandemic trends in nearly all grades. This continues the trend of stalled progress observed in the previous school year and indicates that pandemic recovery remains elusive. 
• The gap between pre-COVID and COVID test score averages widened in 2023-24 in nearly all grades, by an average of 36% in reading and 18% in math.
• The average student will need the equivalent of 4.8 additional months of schooling to catch up in reading and 4.4 months in math. 
• Comparing across race/ethnicity groups, achievement gains for all students lagged pre-pandemic trends in 2023-24. Marginalized students remain the furthest from recovery.

“Achievement disparities that predate the pandemic have been starkly exacerbated over the last four years, and marginalized students are still the furthest from recovery,” said Dr. Karyn Lewis, Director of Research and Policy Partnerships at NWEA and one of the authors of the report. “Pandemic fatigue is real, but accepting a new normal of lower achievement and widened inequities is not an option. We must remain committed to using data-driven strategies, providing our schools with the right scale of support, and integrating sustained recovery efforts into our educational framework so we can make lasting change.”

One insight from the report focused on the continued challenges of current middle schoolers who were in their early years of schooling when the pandemic hit. This group shows the most significant achievement gaps, needing an estimated six to nine months of additional schooling to catch up to pre-pandemic levels. This also highlights the compounding impact of those learning disruptions and the continued need to provide interventions and recovery support to those students who need it most and may need it for years to come.

“As millions of students continue to fall behind academically, schools across the country are grappling with an impending ESSER financial cliff as federal COVID relief funds run out this September,” said Lindsay Dworkin, SVP of Policy & Government Affairs at NWEA. “Even as resources dwindle, districts must try to continue investing in evidence-based strategies that have been proven to improve student outcomes: keeping kids in school, providing high-dosage tutoring, and offering expanded instructional time over the summer or after school. State and federal policymakers also need to recognize the continued urgency and step up with more funding. We must collectively rise to the challenge of supporting this generation of students to reach their full potential.”

Read the full report: https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/recovery-still-elusive-2023-24-student-achievement-highlights-persistent-achievement-gaps-and-a-long-road-ahead/

About NWEA

NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy, and professional learning that support our diverse educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we’re partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526

The post Latest NWEA Research Shows COVID Academic Recovery Still Elusive appeared first on NWEA.

Portland, Ore. — June 18, 2024 — NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization, announced today a new report on the effectiveness of summer programs in helping mitigate learning loss, often called the “summer slide,” and boosting academic recovery in the wake of pandemic-related learning disruptions. The report dives into the research on summer programs, their implementation and design, as well as the efficacy of those programs for literacy, math, and social-emotional learning (SEL) outcomes.

“The impacts of the pandemic’s disruption to learning are still being felt. Our latest data estimates students would need, on average, an additional 4.5 months of mathematics instruction and 4.1 months of reading instruction to recover in these two subjects. Many districts have turned to summer programs as a key recovery strategy, and these programs are promising if they are well-designed and well-attended,” said Dr. Miles Davison, Research Scientist at NWEA and one of the authors of the new report. “Given the sunsetting of ESSER funding, it is particularly important that school districts have information on how to optimize the effectiveness of these programs.”

Because of the rise in usage of summer programs, NWEA researchers evaluated the current studies and identified 10 recommendations district leaders should consider regarding their design and implementation:

1. Districts should offer summer programs for a minimum of four weeks.
2. Summer programs should include small class sizes and targeted instruction.
3. Summer instruction should be delivered by qualified staff.
4. Staff should enter summer programs prepared with familiar curricular tools.
5. Relationship building should be a key component of summer programs.
6. Summer programs should incorporate enrichment that includes diverse resources.
7. Districts should incorporate culturally relevant activities during the summer.
8. Summer programs should be free and provide transportation and meals.
9. Summer programs should prioritize family communication to promote student participation.
10. Summer program staff should communicate with families to highlight student achievements and address challenges.

The new report also highlights the positive outcomes that have been observed across various research, including improving early-grade literacy for low-income students, boosting mathematics across student characteristics and ability levels, and the potential to improve SEL outcomes and student participation in multiple summer sessions. By focusing on these targeted outcomes and incorporating the key design features, summer programs can be a powerful tool in preventing learning loss and helping students recover from missed learning opportunities during the pandemic.

Read the full report: https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/effective-summer-programs-practical-guidance-for-district-leaders/

About NWEA

NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy, and professional learning that support our diverse educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we’re partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526

The post New NWEA Report Provides Practical and Actionable Guidance for Effective Summer Programs appeared first on NWEA.

Portland, Ore. — May 15, 2024 — NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization, announced today a new feature called Coach within its innovative early literacy assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency. This new feature leverages AI to provide personalized reading coaching based on each student’s assessment results.

Meet Maya. She’s a friendly AI-driven coach inside NWEA’s MAP Reading Fluency and is available to districts this summer. Leveraging Maya starts with a teacher assessing the whole class with MAP Reading Fluency. Those results place students into 1:1 personalized coaching with Maya. Students read aloud to Maya; in real-time, she provides coaching aligned with the science of reading, such as showing how the lips should move when sounding words. Several studies on the technology behind Maya have shown that AI-powered coaching can significantly improve reading skills.

Beyond the 1:1 support this personalized coaching provides, this new feature also offers educators a much more granular look at students’ literacy needs so they can make appropriate decisions for their classrooms.

“Not only can a teacher assess an entire room in one class period, gaining objective and actionable results quickly, but that data now informs each student’s personalized Coach session and supports student growth,” said John Newburn, Sr. Product Manager for MAP Reading Fluency at NWEA. “It’s like giving each student their own reading coach that becomes an extension of the teacher who supports their instructional methods.”

Get an inside look at MAP Reading Fluency with Coach: https://www.nwea.org/resource-center/resource/map-reading-fluency-with-coach-video/

Read the fact sheet about MAP Reading Fluency with Coach: https://www.nwea.org/resource-center/resource/map-reading-fluency-with-coach/

About MAP Reading Fluency

MAP Reading Fluency (now with Coach included) continues to evolve into one of the most trustworthy assessment tools in the market. It provides educators with reliable and accurate data that supports instructional decisions to advance reading development for all students. The CODiE award-winning tool, launched in 2018 as a first-of-its-kind adaptive universal screening and progress monitoring early literacy assessment for grades pre-K to 5, is now used by more than 1.4 million students in more than 2,000 districts nationwide.

Beyond quality data, one of MAP Reading Fluency’s most valuable features is the timesaving aspect for teachers. Instead of assessing each student in a class one by one taking a day or more, a teacher using MAP Reading Fluency can get those powerful insights in one class period for an entire group of students. Aligned with the science of reading, the early literacy assessment measures and monitors oral reading fluency, literal comprehension, and foundational reading skills from season to season and year to year. It quickly screens students at risk of reading difficulty, including characteristics of dyslexia. The benchmark assessment is available in both English and Spanish.

View new case studies of districts sharing how they have leveraged MAP Reading Fluency in their schools.

Read more about MAP Reading Fluency’s recent third-party review showing high marks for reliability, validity and accuracy.

About NWEA

NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy, and professional learning that support our diverse educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we’re partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526

The post NWEA Adds an AI-powered Reading Coach to its Innovative Early Literacy Assessment appeared first on NWEA.

Portland, Ore. — April 30, 2024 — NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization, announced today new guidance for schools to support them in more equitably identifying students who may be ready for Algebra 1. Beyond this course being a requirement in most states for high school graduation, Algebra 1 is a gateway toward more advanced mathematics courses, and passing the course is often used as a predictor of future college success and career readiness.

Determining readiness for Algebra 1 can be complex. Common placement decisions may rely on subjective methods, such as teacher recommendations or students completing a grade level. Students may be misidentified (meaning they are not ready), or they may not be identified at all if the approach to placement unintentionally excludes potentially ready students. This new guidance is designed to help navigate these complexities by stressing the importance of a universally administered indicator of readiness as a starting place in the decision process.

“Students turning 13 or 14 years old is not an automatic marker that they are ready to take Algebra 1. We know that in any given classroom, the academic variances present can range multiple grades,” said Dr. Scott Peters, the author of the guide and Director of Research Consulting Partnerships at NWEA. “This guide offers an objective start to help educators make those placement decisions beyond just a student’s grades or grade level completed. It’s also a door opener for traditionally underrepresented students often overlooked for higher-level math courses because those placement decisions don’t include something like a universally administered indicator of readiness at the start.”

The new guide focuses on how districts using MAP Growth—a widely used interim assessment developed by NWEA—can leverage its data to help identify students who may potentially be ready for Algebra 1. The research behind the guide looked at what score in the MAP Growth 6+ Math test predicts students scoring proficient on a state’s end-of-course Algebra 1 exam or being successful in an Algebra 1 course. The guide also provides schools placement considerations and approaches based on their goal for Algebra 1, whether that’s to increase demographic representation, greater success in the course or providing more students the opportunity to take the course.

Read the guide at https://www.nwea.org/resource-center/resource/when-are-students-ready-for-algebra-1

About NWEA

NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy services, professional learning and school improvement services that fight for equity, drive classroom impact and push for systemic change in our educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we’re partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526

The post NWEA Shares New Guidance to Help Schools Better Identify Students Ready for Algebra 1 appeared first on NWEA.

Portland, Ore. — March 21, 2024 — NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization, announced three new case studies today highlighting the value of its innovative, early literacy assessment tool, MAP® Reading Fluency. Naperville, IL, and Houston County, GA, educators shared how they use the assessment tool in their early grades and the value it has brought to their classrooms.

For Naperville Community School District 203 in Illinois, understanding their students’ reading and fluency skills required a time-consuming practice. A student would read with their teacher one-on-one while the teacher tracked errors, asked comprehension questions, and determined the student’s reading level. Leaders at Naperville 203 sought an efficient, objective solution that could provide valuable data to their teachers while not absorbing days of instructional time.

“We wanted a more contemporary early literacy assessment… It felt like we needed to move toward something a little more sophisticated and informative in terms of instruction and more reliable, too,” said Dr. Patrick Nolten, Assistant Superintendent for Assessment and Accountability at Naperville 203. “I mean…you and I could give the previously used assessment to the same student and come up with different results in some ways. And we would spend a lot of time one-on-one assessing students, which consumed instructional time.”

For the Houston County School District, reliability was a significant factor in their decision to add MAP Reading Fluency as a critical assessment tool in its elementary schools. Two schools in the Georgia district shared their perspectives.

“Traditional literacy assessments presented a consistency problem. Some teachers may score the same child differently, based on their teaching experience, to no fault of their own,” said Angienik Allen, Principal at Westside Elementary School in Houston County. “Sometimes, if a child came from a different school or different teacher, they may see nonfiction text in one administration and then nonfiction again in the next administration. It can skew your results.”

For these districts, the most significant value of having a reliable, time-saving early literacy assessment was the actionable data it provides. They shared how quickly they can have results to drive student grouping and differentiate instruction efficiently.

“I had a class test that morning, and by that afternoon, those foundational skills were already scored. The immediate feedback is wonderful. We can begin intervening the next day,” said Dr. Christie Bergh, Assistant Principal at Bonaire Primary School in Houston County.

MAP Reading Fluency continues to evolve into one of the most trustworthy assessment tools in the market. The CODiE award-winning tool launched in 2018 as a first-of-its-kind adaptive universal screening and progress monitoring assessment for grades pre-K to 5 and is now used by more than 1.4 million students in more than 2,000 districts nationwide. It recently received high ratings from the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) for its technical rigor, specifically as a universal screening tool helping to identify students who may need additional support to make progress.

• Read the “From pilot to progress: How a high-performing Illinois district supports young readers with MAP Reading Fluency” case study on Naperville.
• Read the “Georgia school bolsters foundational literacy skills with insights from MAP Reading Fluency” case study on Bonaire Primary in Houston County.
• Read the “MAP Reading Fluency returns instructional time, more objective results to Georgia elementary school” case study on Westside Elementary in Houston County.

About NWEA

NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy services, professional learning and school improvement services that fight for equity, drive classroom impact and push for systemic change in our educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we’re partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526

The post New Case Studies Highlight the Value of NWEA’s Innovative MAP Reading Fluency Assessment appeared first on NWEA.

Portland, Ore. — Jan. 30,2024 — NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization, released today a review of research on high-dosage tutoring (HDT) as an intervention strategy. High-dosage tutoring has drawn much attention in the last several years as a key strategy in helping students recover academically from the pandemic disruptions to learning, and just this month the Biden-Harris Administration cited high-dosage tutoring as a viable intervention.

The new NWEA report, co-authored by Dr. Ayesha K. Hashim, Dr. Miles Davison, Sofia Postell, Jazmin Isaacs, looked at the evidence on HDT and highlighted the benefits of using this strategy, especially in supporting at-risk students. It also noted several “non-negotiable” factors that lead to HDT being used effectively to accelerate academic growth.

Key takeaways from the report:

• At-risk students continue to need support, especially now as the share of at-risk students has increased post pandemic.
• HDT programs can produce large gains in reading and math test scores for at-risk students (if implemented appropriately).
• HDT is effective for building foundational skills in elementary grades, and can aid struggling middle and high school students.
• As part of implementation planning, districts must address barriers that hinder student access to HDT by ensuring an equitable selection criteria and offering holistic supports for student learning.

“We know that the federal ESSER funding is sunsetting soon and students are still coping with the pandemic’s impacts,” said Ayesha Hashim, research scientist at NWEA. “More research and evidence is continuing to emerge on HDT as an effective strategy to help students if implemented and provided appropriately. This report dives into that evidence and makes it make sense for education leaders.”

To gain the most from HDT programs, districts must adhere to these non-negotiables:

• Frequency & scheduling: 30-minute sessions, two to three or more times per week, during the school day.
• Group size: one-to-one or groups of three-to-four students.
• Qualified personnel: While it is important to hire experienced or trained tutors, districts can hire less skilled tutors to reduce program costs and overcome labor shortages. However, districts also need to build robust systems and procedures to ensure tutors implement the intended curriculum with fidelity.
• Measurement: Districts must use data and assessments to monitor learning, especially the skills that are targeted for intervention in tutoring, and to tailor instruction to the needs of students. Districts should also use non-test data to monitor factors that can affect learning for students from at-risk backgrounds (e.g., attendance, behavior and engagement, poverty).
• Curriculum: HDT materials must be high-quality and aligned to classroom content. Plus, the curriculum must be delivered in a more systemic and tailored way than students receive in a typical classroom setting.
• Relationships: Mentoring relationships are an active component of instructional effectiveness in HDT programs for at-risk students and provide students with social reinforcement, helping build student confidence and engagement in learning.

View the new report at  https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/high-dosage-tutoring-for-academically-at-risk-students/

About NWEA

NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy services, professional learning and school improvement services that fight for equity, drive classroom impact and push for systemic change in our educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we’re partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Sr. Manager, Public Relations, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526

The post New NWEA Research Report Reviews the Evidence on High Dosage Tutoring appeared first on NWEA.

Portland, Ore. — Jan. 23, 2024 — NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization, announced today that its assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency, has more convincing evidence of reliability, validity and accuracy in its ability to identify students in need of intervention, based on a review conducted by the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII).

The review was conducted as part of NCII’s tools chart series that “assists educators and families in becoming informed consumers who can select academic and behavioral assessment tools and interventions that meet standards for technical rigor and address their specific needs,” states the NCII website. Each tool listed by NCII is evaluated by a technical review committee of experts against multifaceted criteria. In the latest review, MAP Reading Fluency increased its ratings in almost all key categories, receiving the highest rating of “convincing evidence” in nearly all classification accuracy categories. This rating improvement for MAP Reading Fluency is significant. As NCII states about the importance of evaluating screening tools, “classifying students’ risk status is a key step in universal screening because the aim is to have tools that permit accurate identification of who does and does not need additional support to make progress.”

“We set out to create an early-literacy assessment that was reliable, accurate and valid while also simplifying educator lives by providing data on an entire class within a short session,” said Patrick Meyer, VP of Psychometrics and Analytics at NWEA. “Third-party reviews, like those from the NCII, are a critical element to our feedback and evaluation process to ensure we continue to enhance and innovate in ways that provide deeper value to educators, and we’re doing that with MAP Reading Fluency.”

MAP Reading Fluency continues to evolve into one of the most trustworthy assessment tools in the market, providing educators with reliable and accurate data that supports instructional decisions to advance reading development for all students. The CODiE-award winning tool launched in 2018 as a first-of-its kind adaptive universal screening and progress monitoring assessment for grades pre-K to 5 is now used by more than 1.4 million students in more than 2,000 districts in the nation.

Beyond quality data, one of MAP Reading Fluency’s most valuable features is the time saving aspect for teachers. Instead of having to assess each student in a class one-by-one taking a day or more, a teacher using MAP Reading Fluency can get those powerful insights in one class period for an entire group of students. Aligned to the science of reading, the early-literacy assessment measures and monitors oral reading fluency, literal comprehension and foundational reading skills from season to season and year to year. It quickly screens students at risk of reading difficulty, including characteristics of dyslexia. The benchmark assessment is available in both English and Spanish.

About NWEA

NWEA^® (a division of HMH) is a mission-driven organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy services, professional learning and school improvement services that fight for equity, drive classroom impact and push for systemic change in our educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we’re partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Sr. Manager, Public Relations, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526

The post NWEA’s MAP® Reading Fluency™ Assessment Continues to Show High Marks for Reliability, Validity and Accuracy appeared first on NWEA.