{"id":18699,"date":"2021-12-16T09:42:16","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T14:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/?p=18699"},"modified":"2026-04-24T12:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T16:26:08","slug":"covid-learning-gaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/covid-learning-gaps\/","title":{"rendered":"The Covid Learning Gaps Our Tutors See Daily"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Students across the country are taking tests this fall and winter to help determine the extent of learning gaps caused by Covid. Early indications show many students are making some strides to catch up after spending so much time away from the classroom. Others are falling further behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a trend our tutors here at Educational Connections are witnessing, and working through, every day. In this blog, read what four of our tutors have to say about Covid learning gaps.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

National report finds Covid is having a \u2018significant impact\u2019 on student achievement for the 2021-2022 school year<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A report released this month by McKinsey & Company found the impact caused by the prolonged period of virtual classes for K-12 students is significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur sample of the Curriculum Associates i-Ready assessment data, which covers nearly three million [K-8] students across 50 states, suggests students are four months behind in mathematics and three months behind in reading<\/strong> compared with students in matched schools in previous years,\u201d the report states.

The researchers found similar learning gaps for high school students. They used data from state assessments taken in the Spring of 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the 13 states with participation rates higher than 90%, the proportion of students meeting proficiency standards dropped by an average of five percentage points in math and three percentage points in English language arts<\/strong>,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can students catch up?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"problems<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The US government has pledged hundreds of billions of dollars in Covid relief funding to help bridge the learning gaps<\/a> and address the social-emotional needs of students. Some states have launched supplemental learning programs, including after-school study groups, tutoring sessions, and plans for summer learning camps.

Many educators say the relief isn\u2019t coming fast enough and many students continue to fall further behind. Based on what our tutors are seeing with our students this year, it\u2019s clear that one-to-one attention is more important now than ever.<\/strong>

\u201cI’ve had several students say they felt like they just reviewed the previous year and didn’t learn anything new,\u201d explained Educational Connections Tutor Jan Rowe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This year they feel like the teachers are going too fast, maybe to catch up, and they are not mastering the skills.”<\/p>Jan Rowe, Educational Connections Tutor<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Handwriting, grammar, and writing skills are suffering<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"messy<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Rowe is noticing that many of the elementary and middle school students she tutors are having trouble writing and their handwriting isn\u2019t as neat<\/strong> as it was before the pandemic.

\u201cThe students did not have to write out answers so the handwriting skills really suffered, especially for lower elementary,\u201d explained Rowe. \u201cThey were able to type their answers so they were not aware of their own mistakes. Or they quickly changed it per the computer so they didn’t learn from their mistakes.\u201d

Andy King, an Educational Connections Tutor who works mostly with middle school and high school students, is noticing a lot of issues with poor grammar.<\/strong> He\u2019s also seeing a lack of basic language arts skills<\/strong>, like the eight parts of speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They have trouble identifying the subjects of sentences, which is important in discerning subject\/verb or subject\/pronoun agreements. Logical organization of a paragraph or essay is frequently an issue. What I often hear from them on answer choices is some version of \u2018…it just sounds right.\u2019”<\/p>Andy King, Educational Connections Tutor<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Many students are lacking level-appropriate math skills<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

King says the impacts of prolonged virtual classes are most obvious, for him, when it comes to math.

\u201cI’ve had Pre-Calc students struggling with advanced concepts they would normally have covered in Algebra II, and I’ve had 8th graders struggling a bit with some 7th-grade math topics.  My impression is that they have had some exposure, but that the exposure wasn’t sufficiently intense or lasting as it might have been if taught in person,\u201d he explained.

And for high schoolers, King says his sessions regularly now include refreshers, and sometimes even entire lessons, on skills students previously learned in a virtual classroom<\/strong>.

\u201cIn some cases, I’ve seen students who missed completely out on a major topic that should have been covered. For instance, the unit circle in Algebra II and I’ve had to teach it to them for the first time.\u201d

The discrepancies don\u2019t stop for students who have already graduated. College freshmen, who spent their last few years of high school on the computer, are also having a tough time keeping up<\/strong>, according to Educational Connections Tutor Susan Poppiti. She tutors kids in math and also teaches math at a university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve noticed gaps in fundamental Algebra skills, such as factoring and solving quadratic equations, that are critical for success in higher-level math courses. Algebra skills require practice and repetition, along with meaningful feedback, to achieve mastery. It appears that the lack of continuity in some educational settings has disturbed this progression.”
<\/p>Susan Poppiti, Educational Connections Tutor<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Learning gaps are evident while prepping for college entrance exams<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"geometry<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Many students who are taking the SAT\/ACT this school year took their Algebra II and Geometry classes virtually.

Payton Bock, a Test Prep Tutor at Educational Connections, says she can tell that many students didn\u2019t use physical resources, like cut-outs and equipment, to help visualize important math concepts like they would have if they were learning in an actual classroom.

\u201cI had a student recently tell me that they remember watching their teacher draw out different things on Zoom, but never actually drew anything themselves,\u201d Bock explained.

Students got so used to doing their homework online and submitting their work online that Bock is noticing many are now struggling with what she calls \u201cthe pencil and paper aspect of standardized tests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I have a lot of students who try to complete complicated math work in their heads instead of writing out all the steps and gaining the advantages of visualizing their work or who will read through a reading comprehension passage without highlighting, underlining, or taking notes on important parts.\u201d<\/p>Payton Bock, Educational Connections Tutor<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Bock says this becomes a recurring problem as students prep for an exam, including the SAT or ACT, but don\u2019t have any materials or notes to rely on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Learning<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

“Many students weren’t held accountable for taking good notes during their virtual classes, were distracted by their environment, or had to complete solo work without the collaboration and support of their peers. Now, they don’t have any materials to review when topics come up again during test prep, they missed out on certain foundational lessons, and they aren’t as comfortable letting teachers or coaches know when they’re not comprehending what we’re working on,\u201d she explained.

King says while learning gaps seem individualized in specific areas for specific students, he is noticing an overall pattern in the students he is working with for test prep.<\/strong>

\u201cIn general, there seems to be less academic preparation for the current crop of 11th graders vs. earlier classes. I think working closely with teachers to cover weak or missed areas might be helpful, but parent involvement in academic work is probably essential,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can parents do to help close the Covid learning gaps?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Encourage your child to advocate for themselves and let you or their teacher know when they\u2019re struggling.

Poppiti says one of the best things you can do for your child is to be as active as possible in their education<\/strong>.

\u201cThis includes discussing what their children are learning, helping with homework when possible, and encouraging their children to seek assistance from teachers, learning centers, and tutors,\u201d explained Poppiti.

If your child is struggling, our team of subject experts, test prep tutors, and executive function coaches are here to help to help.<\/strong> And if you\u2019re unsure if your child is experiencing any Covid-related learning gaps, we’d be happy to discuss your child\u2019s current learning situation. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Schedule a Free Consult<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many students are now catching up after a prolonged period of virtual classes. Others are falling further behind. Read about the learning gaps four of our tutors say they’re seeing each day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2037,"featured_media":18720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,320,170],"tags":[368,139,126,383],"class_list":["post-18699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutoring","category-school-year","category-test-prep-2","tag-covid","tag-math","tag-tutors","tag-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2037"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18699"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28947,"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18699\/revisions\/28947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ectutoring.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}