BLOUNT COUNTY, TN – According to estimated data, the aftermath of the pandemic contributes to learning loss. Blount County is pushing for school communities to get back on track with time.

3rd Grade Reading Proficiency

Following, the closure in the summer months usually brings at least 30% learning losses in earlier grades; but the results from the pandemic were deeply concerning.

According to the Governors Foundation,

“Preliminary data projects an estimated 50% decrease in proficiency rates in 3rd grade reading and a projected 65% decrease in proficiency in math. This is about 2.5 times higher than the learning loss students can experience during a normal summer break.”

This academic decline is referred to as the “COVID SLIDE.”

Continuing, the increase brought concerns of learning loss being equivalent to students being behind a year. So, the Brown Center Chalkboard gauged the “COVID-SLIDE.” Back in 2020, the research broke down grades 3 – 8 student MAP test assessments and forecasted learning losses among the grades for the pandemic. The results contributed to the data projects currently as they estimated previous school year assessments and closure similarities.

Following, the Brown Center continues to prepare parents for this fall by sharing overall results. Those results indicate:

• “Students may be sustainably behind; therefore, educators will need access students early.”
• “Students are likely to enter school with more variability in their academic skills than under normal circumstances.”
• “Students who lose the most during the summer tend to gain the most when back in school, but this may not hold for COVID-19.”

Gov. Bill Lee Response

Governor Bill Lee released a statement regarding the learning losses thus far.

He said, “This data highlights the immense challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has created for our students and educators,” said Gov. Lee. “The vast majority of students learn best in-person with their teacher, and we’ll continue to help provide a safe environment for Tennessee students to get their educational journeys back on track.”

Continuing, educators and school communities are working together to ensure proper progression for students. As the school year continues, Blount County is focusing on providing essential services to bounce back from the pandemic.