The Brookings Institution highlighted the overall impact of COVID on student achievement for the 2019-2020 school year, with implications for 2020-2021. In summary, students will find their progress in reading and math stunted. They project that students will maintain just 70% of their gains in reading moving in to 2020-2021, and merely 50% in mathematics.
Consider the implications: If a student loses half of their gains in math from the previous year, this would make their later learning exceptionally difficult. Similarly, deficient reading skills will affect text-heavy subjects elsewhere. Examples include social sciences, physical sciences, or technology and programming courses. One bad year sets students up for bad years ahead.
But for LCP’s students, we did not find this to be true. What did we do differently?
In spite of decisions (from other school districts) to freeze grading and/or drop sections of subject curriculum from the later part of the school year, LCP has not pursued either of these options. We’ve seen this pay off in our students’ end-of-year assessments and AP scores.
Students are incredibly savvy. They know that when there’s no incentive to learn, or nothing new to learn, they’ll tune out or even drop off altogether. Add the daily burdens and anxieties of lockdown, and it becomes obvious that motivation will plummet under such conditions.
Secondly, having a dedicated system for online course delivery beyond Zoom lectures (handling assignments, curated content, testing, and more) has been a valuable asset. Where other teachers scrambled to prepare, we relied on established protocol for online coursework on an institutional level. This has made our transition easier in comparison to other institutions. Even now, it remains to be seen how others will really handle this next school year.
By this day in August 2020, we’ve completed two entire summer sessions where we cover an entire year’s worth of material. This makes us confident in our 2020-2021 operations.
Here’s what you can expect from us this year to protect your learning gains.
- Assessments – It’s been our job for many years to bring students up to speed, and the way we do it is by assessing where students are at. Once we identify learning gaps, we can target and close them smoothly. In fact, reviewing materials online has made it easier, not harder, for our students to catch up!
- Engagement – Our small class sizes allow us to meaningfully engage our students in discussion, do practice work, and answer questions on our livestreamed courses.
- Relentless Pursuit of Standards – Regardless of the circumstances, we remain committed to getting our students across the finish line in all of their subjects. Why? Because we recognize that there is a tomorrow for all of our students, and that our students need to be ready for that day.
- Empathy – A pursuit of excellence is never at odds with our students’ personal needs. We know it’s tough for our youth right now, and it’s our intent to carry those burdens together with you. Whether a student is with us part-time or full-time, they’ll have access to supportive teachers and staff if they ever need help.
So where are you at? What are the gains you need to secure?
If you want to identify this, please schedule an assessment with us so you know where your student is at.
You can also check out our course catalog find alternatives for your own student to take control of their education.
And lastly, if you’re not sure how to navigate all of this, come talk to us. You’re not alone, and we can find a solution together!
Wishing you all health and safety as we get through this together.