“Nation Shows Mediocre Academic Performance as Pandemic Continues”

Lloyd, Sterling C., and Xinchun Chen. “Nation Shows Mediocre Academic Performance as Pandemic Continues.” Education Week, vol. 40, no. 3, Sept. 2020, pp. 12–15. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=145464209&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

This recent article talks about the academic performance nationwide during the pandemic for grades K-12. We’re down 0.2 points this year on the Achievement Index compared to last year. The Achievement Index is essentially a report card from the State Board of Education for the nation’s academic performance based on a different number of factors such as achievement, poverty-based disparities, graduation rates, and test scores. The Achievement Index for 2020 scores 72.8 on a 100-point scale. That is between a C and C- average for majority of the states and a D+ and lower for the remainder of the states. We learn from these analysis’ that the highest test score performing states (Massachusetts and New Jersey) rank low on poverty-based disparities and equity. It is apparent that the inaccessibility to basic online learning needs such as devices, internet service and instructional support leads to the major uneven and low academic performance of our country.

As if surviving in the middle of a pandemic wasn’t hard enough on its own, students now struggle to obtain and meet basic educational requirements. I believe the claims made in this article are legitimate because I’m seeing it first-hand as a student myself. It is a struggle trying to keep up and maintain what is expected of you when you do not have the basic necessities you need in order to do so. Low-income and minority students are getting hit the hardest when it comes to this matter and that is quite blatantly obvious as reflected in the data shared in this article. I would like to know what the NAEP and DOE plan to do in order to bridge these gaps back together. What efforts are they making to effectively improve the nations educational system, instruction, and academic performance for all students especially the ones being affected the most by results of the pandemic?

The two quotes below from the article are the sad reality about what our educational system has succumb to during such trying times.

“Amid unequal access to the digital devices, internet service, and instructional support that enable remote learning, the nation’s academic achievement remains stalled, with a baseline of uneven performance among both low- and high-achieving states.”

“The coronavirus pandemic has heightened concerns that such gaps in academic performance might expand further due to inequality in access to remote learning and technology.”