The Big Dilemma: Learning Losses Persist For Many Kids

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Parents - learning loss is real

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The effects of the pandemic are still being felt across K-12 education today. School closures have had an outsized impact on today's youth. Recent data on learning loss trends have highlighted that kids are, on average, 3-5 months behind academically than where they should be.

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The hard truth is teachers don't have enough resources to teach the new curriculum AND catch up students from previous years' learning gaps. We are in an environment that requires an "all of the above" approach to ensure our children are set up for future success.

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Parents have a central role to play, and our team at Beehive is building the app to ensure you can make it happen.

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But first, what is learning loss?

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The evidence supporting the idea of learning loss derives its roots from well-researched seasonal learning patterns of students. Historically, researchers have analyzed student learning patterns when school is in versus out of session. The aim was to better understand the impact of summer learning loss.

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The seasonal learning research produced three primary findings:

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• Student achievement consistently slows or declines over the summer months
• The impact of the declines is higher for math than for reading
• The magnitude of the decline increases in proportion to the grade level (i.e., more significant impact on the higher grade levels)

This dynamic came to be known as the "summer slide." After COVID-19 disrupted classroom learning environments across the country, seasonal learning researchers adapted the summer slide concept to understand the impact that COVID-19 would have on children's learning development.

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📉 The COVID Slide: Learning loss seen in children due to extended time away from classroom instruction & the compounding impact it has on a child's educational development

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What has been the impact on children?

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A global analysis published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour has shown that children have experienced learning deficits during the pandemic that amount to about one-third of a school year's worth of knowledge and skills. According to the consulting firm, McKinsey:

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...the impact of the pandemic on K–12 student learning was significant, leaving students on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of the school year (2021).

— McKinsey

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These learning losses have also been persistent, with many students not making up these gaps more than two years later. The U.S. Department of Education recently released its first set of test-score trends since the pandemic began. It revealed that fourth-grade students' posted their worst math and reading scores drop in decades. Reading scores dropped to the lowest level in over three decades, and math scores have declined for the first time since these tests began in 1971.

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Why this matters: Many children who fall behind academically at this age will continue to lag, leaving them at risk for increased struggles across their lifetime. In addition, 4th grade marks a shift between students learning to read and reading to learn. If students are poor readers at the beginning of 4th grade, the learning gap between their peers begins to compound across subjects, prompting increased frustration and falling self-confidence.

How Beehive's personalized learning solutions can help

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Our message to parents: The hard truth is we are in an environment that requires an "all of the above" approach to ensure our children are set up for future success. It starts with understanding where they excel and where they could use a little more help. Our kindergarten readiness checklist and our "Mastering Math" series (see the essential math skills for 1st graders, 2nd graders, 3rd graders, 4th graders, 5th graders, 6th graders, and 7th graders) can help you do that.

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But we wanted to make it even easier for you, and that's where the Beehive parenting app comes in. We easily keep track of their progress for you, and then based on this data, we offer parents an affordable and scalable alternative to tutoring in helping their kids close those persistent learning gaps with personalized learning solutions — our Growth Plans are simple, hassle-free, and all from the palm of your hand.

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