CORVALLIS – More than 700 teachers from across Oregon have spent the last two days in classrooms and lecture halls at Oregon State University in Corvallis to tackle post-pandemic learning gaps.

With $7 million in federal COVID relief money, the Oregon Department of Education launched in late 2023 the Equitable Accelerated Learning Project, which culminated in the two-day summit Tuesday and Wednesday. The project goal was to bring teachers from around the state together to address gaps and inequities exacerbated by the pandemic through better instruction.

Among the issues teachers are dealing with are chronic absenteeism; low reading and writing proficiency; middling math skills; and growing achievement gaps among students with disabilities, students from low-income families, rural students and English-language learners. The project aimed to get teachers to research instructional methods that can help close those gaps, said Angelica Cruz, director of literacy at the Oregon Department of Education.

It also was designed to help teachers learn from one another about how to better instruct struggling students, she said.

She said the gathering focused on ways to invest in teachers and encourage leadership. Those who participated are expected to return to their districts and share takeaways.

The state launched the Equitable Accelerated Learning Project in December, asking teachers to join workgroups to hone in on pervasive education issues exacerbated by pandemic school closures. In all, more than 550 teachers in 89 districts joined 16 work groups to come up with projects and solutions for improving Oregon’s schools. They also looked at solutions to absenteeism and teacher shortages and improving student mental health and well-being.

In October, the Oregon Education Department will create materials and professional development sessions for teachers statewide, based on the workgroup findings and suggestions.

The money spent on the project is the last of the more than $112 million the state education department received from the nearly $1.6 billion that the U.S. Department of Education sent the state and its 197 school districts between 2020 and 2021. The Oregon Department of Education and the districts have until September to use up all the money.

Proposed solutions

There were no silver bullets proposed at the Oregon State University summit, but teachers discussed methods for math instruction that rely less on formulas and more on questioning and inquiry. They also looked at assessment techniques that ensure all kids are getting the same amount of class time and exposure to content even as they learn at different speeds. Some ideas were as simple as getting parents to read to their kids by ensuring everyone in the family has a library card, or organizing parent nights at schools, where teachers model for parents what good reading instruction looks like.

“Some of these parents have never been read to as a child. They don’t own books. They don’t know what that looks like,” said Elaina Lambert, an English-language development teacher in Medford.

A major focus of the education department’s Equitable Accelerated Learning Project has been getting Oregon teachers exposed to the state’s new literacy framework adopted in May 2023.

The 100-page guideline is an attempt to move instructional standards away from reading instructional methods that have been found to be detrimental to kids, such as using pictures or guessing at words based on the first letter or sentence context, and instead preparing teachers to instruct kids to read and write according to proven methods. The science of reading encompasses a large body of cognitive and neuroscience research and evidence that has shown that the human brain does not learn to read or write naturally, but relies on instruction in specific skills. Everyone needs these skills to read, but they learn them at different speeds.

Some suggested year-round school would be a positive development. The common challenge teachers expressed at the conference, and one that has also gotten worse since the pandemic, is a lack of time. At 165 days, Oregon has one of the shortest school years in the country. Teachers expressed a growing desire for year-round school.

“I feel like we have kids, especially because we have these summers, these long summers, if they don’t have the automaticity of their letters by the end of kindergarten, they come back in the fall and they’ve forgotten all of their letters,” Alice Williamson, a reading specialist in the Eugene School District, said.

Williamson and others expressed enthusiasm about the work groups they participated in, and especially about statewide investments in teacher reading instruction and literacy. Many are training in how to teach reading with the $90 million from the Early Literacy Success Initiative that was passed by the state Legislature in 2023. The money was meant to fund teacher training, tutors and curriculum rooted in the science of reading.

Several teachers described graduating from their teacher degree programs in Oregon and Washington without having received any training in teaching literacy.

“I did not know how to teach kids how to read when I went into my first teaching job teaching first grade,” said Beth Brex, who has been teaching for 18 years and currently teaches kindergarten in Eugene. This year she’s been taking specialized reading training paid for by the district with state literacy funds, and is trying to get other teachers at her school to take it as well.

Closing gaps

Even before the pandemic, many Oregon students and students across the U.S. were struggling with proficiency in core subjects. The pandemic made this worse.

In 2022, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the “nation’s report card,” showed that proficiency in math of American students in fourth, eighth and 12th grade fell for the first time since results were published in 1973. Those results also showed the largest decline in reading proficiency nationwide since 1990.

Oregon’s results reflected the nationwide trend.

Over the last 25 years, nearly two in five Oregon fourth graders and one in five eighth graders have scored “below basic” on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often referred to as the nation’s report card. That means they struggle to read and understand simple words.

The most recent annual state assessment data, from 2023, shows that the average proficiency in math and reading among most Oregon students remained about 10% below prepandemic levels in 2019, though the gap between 2022 and 2023 outcomes shows declines are beginning to level off.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on and .

Kentucky’s new School Report Card shows the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic on student learning.

Interim Education Commissioner Robin Fields Kinney told reporters Tuesday that “a multi-year recovery period” will likely be needed “before school performance really gets back” to pre-pandemic levels.

Kinney and other state education officials briefed reporters on newly released assessment and education data from 2022-23. A wide range of metrics was reported for every public school — from math and reading performance to teacher demographics. The information is publicly available in a color-coded dashboard at .

Kinney said the data reveals a worrisome increase in student absenteeism.

The rate of student absences is up by two-thirds from 2018-19, the last academic year before COVID-19 disrupted traditional attendance record keeping.

In the 2018-19 academic year, 119,581 students were considered chronically absent, or 17.8% of Kentucky students.

In the 2022-23 academic year, 198,524 students — or 29.8% — qualified as chronically absent.

Kinney attributed the increased absences not just to pandemic disruptions but also to challenges created when tornadoes hit Western Kentucky in 2021 and floods devastated Eastern Kentucky in 2022, as well as to “emotional trauma and stress” among young people.

The Kentucky Department of Education defines chronic absenteeism as attending 90% or less of the time a student should spend in class.

“Every child deserves the opportunity for consistent attendance and a chance to thrive in the classroom. It is crucial that we work together and find solutions to combat chronic absenteeism,” Kinney said.

Kinney, who recently began serving as the , said the state “must not underestimate” the coronavirus’s impact on student learning. When the pandemic , schools closed and switched to remote and virtual learning to prevent spread of the virus.

“We know that changes in the way instruction was delivered from 2020 to 2022 had an impact on student learning, despite the tremendous efforts of Kentucky educators and parents to remediate those impacts,” Kinney said.

Learning gaps

Kentucky has 1,484 schools. According to the data, 28 schools were classified as needing Comprehensive Support and Improvement  and 224 needed Targeted Support and Improvement. None were identified as needing Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI).

In 2022, there were 401 TSI schools, but two closed, leaving 399 TSI schools. . This year, 185 exited TSI status. Ten schools formerly CSI are now TSI schools.

Among high school students, the overall score for all students was 63.0. For African Americans it was 45.5 and for students with disabilities it was 40.4.

The percentage of students scoring proficient or distinguished in math and reading was double among those who come from homes that are more economically secure compared with their economically disadvantaged peers.

The numbers, which were released less than a week away from voters deciding Kentucky’s next governor and other statewide offices and ahead of the General Assembly’s 2024 legislative session, will be reviewed by lawmakers on the Interim Joint Committee on Education in Frankfort Wednesday morning. The data is typically released annually in the fall, months after students take assessments in the spring.

Kinney said the Department of Education will continue to assist school districts and will continue work with the General Assembly to improve literacy attainment for the state’s youngest students and early learners.

Assessment results

While student performance still has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, Kentucky elementary and middle schools did increase their reading and math performances in .High schools maintained their performances. Elementary, middle and high schools increased their performances in science, social studies and combined writing areas. Students completed assessments in spring 2023.

The state’s four-year graduation rate in 2022-23 was 91.4%. The five-year graduation rate was 92.5%.

For Kentucky students who took the ACT during the 2022-23 school year, the average composite score was 18.5, up 0.2 from the previous year.

Demographics in Kentucky schools

During the 2022-23 school year, a majority of Kentucky students were economically disadvantaged, 60.2%. Identifying such students depends on “being program or income eligible for free or reduced-priced meals.” In the same school year, 39.8% of students were non-economically disadvantaged.

According to data from the previous school year, , 59.9% of students were economically disadvantaged.

Additionally, Kentucky schools are slightly more diverse when comparing current and last year’s data. During 2022-23, a majority of Kentucky students are white, 72.7%, down 0.8% from the previous year. Also in the same school year, 10.8% of Kentucky students are African American, 8.5% are Hispanic or Latino, and 7.2% identify as another demographic.

A majority of faculty in Kentucky schools continue to be women, 77.2%, and white, 94.7%.

Educational opportunities

Fewer students participated in Career and Technical Education programs in the 2022-23 school year than the previous school year. In 2022-23, the participation rate was 18%, down 6.4%.

About 0.1% more students were identified as Gifted and Talented in the most recent school year for a total of 13.8%. Advanced coursework completion also slightly increased by 0.3%, for a total of 93.9%.

For the 2022-23 school year, Kentucky’s attendance rate was 91.9%, but about 34% of all Kentucky students were identified as having chronic absenteeism, or being present 90% or less of full-time equivalency.

School safety

The data released Tuesday showed that 13.5% of students have had behavior events reported to the state. Additionally, the percentage of students who received an out-of-school suspension last year was 5.9% and the percentage of students who had an in-school removal was 7.5%.

Earlier this year, the Republican-led General Assembly approved legislation to expand in Kentucky classrooms before situations escalate into safety concerns. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who is seeking reelection, signed the bill into law.

Jamie Lucke contributed to this report.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on and .

While education has made great gains in so many areas, progress remains impeded by old, disproven misconceptions, especially when it comes to one of the most essential, fundamental skills: the ability to read.

A last week by ExcelinEd and Wheelock Educational Policy Center at Boston University should end the debate over the value of holding back students who are not reading at grade level by the end of third grade.

This study reinforces what teachers and families already know: If early intervention and support for struggling readers are not enough for a child to read at grade level before fourth grade, providing more time in third grade dramatically increases their odds of succeeding in school and in life. 

We were both fortunate to be part of a reading revolution in Mississippi. After decades of ranking near the bottom nationally in reading scores, Mississippi passed the in 2013.

Six years later, the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress results of this comprehensive policy. During those six years, fourth graders showed a of 10 points — the equivalent of an entire grade level — on the NAEP reading exam. Mississippi was the only state in the entire nation to show reading gains that year.

Any successful recipe has several complementary ingredients, and it is no different for Mississippi’s reading policies. Making sure that teachers are trained in the science of reading is critical, as are early screening and intervention for the youngest students and dedicated reading coaches in schools. The curriculum must be phonics-based, and families must be included every step of the way.

But like any recipe, removing or diluting just one ingredient can affect everything.

Many states that have posted reading gains, including Mississippi, provide students with additional time in third grade if assessments show they are not ready to read at a higher level.

Third grade retention is a last resort if years of intervention and support have not been enough. Why third grade? Because that students who are not reading at grade level when they enter fourth grade are not prepared for a critical transition — reading to learn — and have dramatically lower odds of succeeding in school or even graduating.

While there should be exemptions for some students, including English learners, and opportunities to move on to the fourth grade by retaking assessments, teachers and families involved in a child’s early and formative years understand that retention will have a far greater positive impact than moving along a student who just isn’t ready.

But anecdotal evidence is not enough to build education policy on. A new by the Wheelock Educational Policy Center highlights the benefits of ensuring children enter fourth grade only when they are prepared. The research focused on students who scored within 20 points of the passing threshold in the third grade. By the time they were in sixth grade, these students on average scored in the 20^th percentile for English language arts. But those who were retained in third grade scored on average around the 62^nd percentile when they were in sixth grade.

Clearly, ELA scores for students who were retained In Mississippi were substantially higher than for comparable children who were just barely promoted, especially among Black and Hispanic kids.

And, contrary to misconceptions, there was no impact on attendance in sixth grade or on other outcomes, including being identified for special education.

“Mississippi’s test-based promotion policy led to substantial and sustained improvement in literacy outcomes for Mississippi students who repeated the third grade in 2015-16,” the report concludes. “The positive magnitude of this finding is very large and, given similar results in other contexts, suggests that this may be a policy intervention other states should consider.”

Last year’s NAEP results were a dramatic call to action with decades of reading gains erased after the upheaval of the pandemic. Nationally, student reading performance is at its lowest since the 1990s, with a third of students in fourth and eighth grade not reading at grade level.

And while reading scores also dropped slightly in Mississippi, our state remained above the national average — a further testament to not just our policies, but also the dedicated teachers and families making those policies work. 

Success is never final, and we know that our friends and neighbors in Mississippi and the rest of the nation all want the best for each child and student.

It is time for every state to follow the evidence. That means focusing on prevention and intervention, but also considering the full suite of proven reading policies — including retention — to ensure the youngest readers have the opportunity to learn and thrive throughout school and for the rest of their lives.