Uncovering the Nuanced Truth: Learning Loss in Education and the Surprising Reality for Virtual Schools

BY BETSY SPRINGER, Instructional Coach & Teacher, Gull Lake Virtual Partnership, Michigan

Reports of pandemic learning loss around the globe are filled with doom and gloom statistics about all of the regression the data shows from K-12 learning over the last 2+ years. As usual, the reality of the learning loss is much more nuanced and less dire than mainstream media reports. 

In January of this year, CNN reported that the COVID learning loss equals a loss of ⅓ of a school year’s worth of learning. This sounds unsettling for teachers and parents in the US and worldwide. However, what do these numbers mean? The statistics cited by CNN differ from the results of the 2022 NAEP scores. The article cited by CNN actually says that some learning loss occurred early in the pandemic and has slowed or stopped. The worse outcomes were from schools that were unprepared for online learning, primarily schools in poorer countries. Nationally, graduation rates have remained steady throughout the pandemic.

The meta-analysis cited above looks at learning loss at the student level rather than the national data that is being cited in many other articles. A loss of ⅓ of a year’s worth of learning is roughly equal to the normal learning loss seen when students return to school each fall. The summer slide has been reported since the 1990s and shines a light on the learning loss of students from low socio-economic households specifically. However, the reality is more nuanced than the data appears at first glance. 

First, the more students learn, the more they forget the next year, which skews the data negatively but ignores the volume of learning that occurs. What’s more, learning loss is poorly defined at large. It is always tied to test scores and seat time, which becomes more irrelevant as education innovation occurs. The deficit language of learning loss also reinforces racial and other biases inherent in many educational systems. 

“I think it's unproductive to frame it as catching up, which implies we need to double down and make up for lost instructional time,” school counselor Phyllis Fagell wrote in a piece for ASCD. “If anything, we need to dial it back and be patient with kids. Their stamina is down. Let's meet them where they are and establish a sustainable pace.”  

Also, there isn’t solid evidence that low test scores equal learning loss. Furthermore, no studies regarding learning loss look at anything beyond test scores. Finally, it is not easy to replicate data to support a summer slide using modern tests. What is the truth, then, about learning loss in general, and how does this apply to the pandemic?

One common cause of the pandemic learning loss is often laid at the feet of remote learning. While remote learning was a disaster in many areas, established virtual schools did not experience this same level of loss. When student growth from state testing in Michigan is examined from 2019 to 2022, the state growth index average fell from 59 to 52, but the growth index for virtual schools that existed before during, and after the pandemic rose from 24 to 30.

If something can be so easily lost, did a student really possess it to begin with? The standard education model seems to guarantee a large volume of learning loss once a student leaves the school system. Some estimate that adults use only 37% of what they learn in school after graduation. This leads education innovators to question the value of the old, time-based system. 

A new view of learning loss, whether pandemic, summer, or otherwise, would include a growth mindset. With this view, learning is not lost, only delayed. Students should have confidence through the reassurance that the material they missed or lost can be regained through meaningful, personalized education. They also need reassurance that what they learned outside of the classroom, in terms of determination, empathy, and creativity, matters, even though these attributes don’t show up on tests. Christian Pountain reminds educators that “the pandemic has created some of the best learning opportunities in living memory: certainly, the much-talked-about capacity it has provided for us all to slow down and notice things.”

What can be learned from data regarding pandemic learning loss? First, as old and tired as this sounds, relationships matter. Students do better on tests when they have a good relationship with their teachers. Could spring tests be higher because that relationship is that much stronger?  Are students motivated to perform better in April than they were in October? 

Finally, the pandemic is yet another event that shines a light on the gaps in educational equity. The question is, will it finally be the beacon that illuminates the need for more support for educational innovation to address inequalities and close the learning gaps for the students most dependent on educational opportunities? 

Virtual schools like Gull Lake in southwest Michigan are looking to expand rather than retract their virtual offerings to address expanding students' needs, including learning loss. This includes initiatives such as opening a hybrid school and increasing the number of students in the district that have a blended schedule between virtual and brick-and-mortar. They're also expanding initiatives to increase student engagement and teacher-student relationships, such as public events like Fall Fest and increased capacity and engagement around testing. Finally, they are joining a coalition of other virtual schools in Michigan to advocate for more representation for virtual schools within state policy, such as seats on the governor’s advisory council and a voice in the accountability measures used to determine school quality.