LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's been almost five years since the COVID-19 pandemic forced students into virtual learning. Now, we're seeing the impacts of online learning on elementary and middle school children.
A new study released this month by the National Learning Center for Education Statistics, titled the Education Recovery Scorecard, revealed learning dropped nationwide during the pandemic, and it's still down.
This study involved several education research facilities, including Harvard University, looking at the learning impacts from COVID-19 on students from third to eighth grades. The study was done in 2024.
According to the study, the average U.S. student is still more than half a grade level behind pre-pandemic levels in math and reading.
It also reveals while reading levels continue to drop nationwide, math performance has seen an improvement since the pandemic, but it's still under pre-pandemic levels.
Testing scores are also seeing an increase from 2022 to 2024, but still, the scores are lower than in 2019.
All of these trends and others in this study are issues seen in Nevada and here in our valley. This issue is leaving many students who attended virtual classrooms during COVID-19 severely behind.
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I asked Historic Westside resident Laronda Johnson if she believes her daughter is learning at the level she should be right now.
"No, I think she can do better, definitely do better," Johnson said.
Johnson's youngest daughter, Steva, is now 15 and in high school, but when the pandemic started she was still in elementary school trying to adapt to a virtual classroom.
“Problems with doing the online sources where she couldn’t learn rapidly like she would if she was face to face," Johnson said.
She used her free time to help teach her daughter. She could see a disconnect.
“She went through a tough time trying to maintain," said Steva's older sister Chrissy Richard. "It was very hard for her, plus trying to make sure her daughter goes to school because this is her last child, she wants to see her finish successfully."
Johnson even had her other four kids helping tutor Steva, but it wasn't enough and she's lagging in the learning curve.
“She’s already not graduating with her class, she’s already a year behind," Richard said.
She's not the only student struggling.
The Clark County School District says they see the pandemic problem, too, outlined in the nationwide study and are working to close the learning gap.
“We have implemented multi-tiered system of supports which provides differentiated layers of support for students in academics including reading, so we look at where students are with their reading and if they need additional supports, if they have gaps in their skills then we provide extra time and extra supports for our students," said CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Brenda Larsen-Mitchell.
Dr. Larsen-Mitchell says they're investing into professional learning for teachers as another pandemic remedy.
Despite the new services, Johnson tells me it's not helping.
“Right now, I’m seeking different organizations, online schooling and summer school right now, tutors maybe too," Johnson said.
Johnson just hopes her daughter will catch up and not have to be held back.
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