In this study, we apply the Compound Polynomial or “CP” model in a school evaluation context. The CP model addresses the seasonality of student test scores by simultaneously estimating between- and within-year growth.

Megan Kuhfeld draws on data from the 3.4 million students who took the NWEA MAP Growth assessments to find that summer slide is common, but not inevitable. According to the data, the students who experienced the greatest loss were those who made the greatest gains during the previous school year.

In this Education Post article, Cindy Jiban discusses research showing that kids in the primary grades typically return from summer break with slower and less accurate oral reading. But this doesn’t have to be the case: we can set kids up for growth in fluency instead.

If achievement gaps between demographic groups change during times when school is out of session, then educators and policymakers have a reason for concern about educational equality during the school year. A large study using data from NWEA takes a broader, more in-depth look at the summer achievement gap and has uncovered some meaningful results.

NWEA researcher Megan Kuhfeld connected with Sonali Kohli of the LA Times to discuss summer learning loss.

Long breaks are damaging. Virtual learning is erratic. The stakes are high.

Important educational policy decisions, like whether to shorten or extend the school year, often assume that growth in achievement is linear through the school year.  This research examines this untested assumption using data from seven million students in kindergarten through 8th grade across the fall, winter, and spring of the 2016-17 school year.