(continued from page 7 - Why We’re Living in a Footnote of History) grades 4 and 5 taking the largest hits. The report does two major things. First, it offers new insights around the actual scope of the “COVID Slide.” While several reports targeting COVID-19 learning loss have been released, some of them as far back as April, all of these were either much smaller in scope (e.g., involved data from only a handful of states) or were simply predictions based on historical data and a variety of assumptions. According to Paul von Hippel at the University of Texas, most of the previous reports were, in this sense, “statistically informed guesses” (Barnum, 2020). Such predictive approaches were the only viable ones early “in the footnote.” Megan Kuhfeld, a co-author of one of the earliest and more widely circulated predictive reports, noted that these reports “took on a life of their own” and were “sometimes spoken about with far more confidence than we have in them as researchers” (Barnum, 2020). Now, with actual fall 2020 assessment data available, we can move from making guesses and predictions about the COVID Slide to definitively quantifying its impact. https://videos.renaissance .com/watch/ hQ4fqzAkwZ92Ch1UnAvQwt The report’s authors discuss key findings—and explain what surprised them most Second, the report offers a reference point for schools and districts trying to contextualize what they see in their own data. Thought leaders in the assessment community have been somewhat divided in their guidance on which tools best fit our current situation. While the value of formative assessment tools has consistently been upheld, some have questioned the use of more formal assessments. Despite some indecision on the part of thought leaders, the vast majority of schools have continued to administer their typical interim assessments. They recognize the need for the information these assessments provide. With back-to-school assessment results now in hand, school leaders are looking for a way to compare what they are seeing in their own data “Stronger Together!” Page 18 with what is happening nationwide. Are our dips on par with the dips seen by others? Are the grades we are seeing as the most impacted the same as others are seeing? Are there particular ways that we should disaggregate our data to check for performance and equity gaps? To aid in making comparisons, How Kids Are Performing includes the following, using data from 5.3 million Star Assessments administered this fall: 1. Information on changes in student performance, expressed in terms of Percentile Rank (PR). 2. Information on changes in student growth, expressed using Student Growth Percentile (SGP). 3. A time-based approximation of learning loss (e.g., “These grades started the school year 8–11 weeks behind expectations”—see the the graphic below). 4. A disaggregation of various factors by key demographics, including Free-Reduced Lunch, ELL status, Special Education status, Race/ Ethnicity, school location (urban vs. rural), and school type (public vs. private/parochial). While the new report offers many insights on the academic impacts of COVID-19 so far, an equally important consideration is how students grow and progress during the current academic year. Beginning with gaps of various sizes is one thing; seeing those gaps grow across the year is something else. For this reason, we suggest ongoing progress monitoring throughout the year using a variety of formative and interim tools. We cannot afford for a challenging situation to get even worse. Maximizing the impact of daily instruction Renaissance’s mission, succinctly stated, is to accelerate learning for all. As a result, we believe that there’s no need for yet another report that simply frames and admires the COVID Slide. Rural schools need additional support for resources to support clear next steps. This is why our very first (continued on page 20)
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