Two years into a pandemic that upended lives of schoolchildren throughout New York, teachers are looking for support to overcome what state testing data shows is learning loss in a critical area: reading.
Area educators said learning loss that students still are experiencing remains a major concern.
On average, students lost an average of 750 classroom hours between March 2020 and April 2021. Plus, staffing and bus driver shortages in the 2021-22 school year have led to more remote days.
Sandra King, a 27-year veteran of the Syracuse Central School District who currently teaches kindergarten at Van Duyn Elementary, said ground can be made up if teachers and parents stay consistent.
“Consistency, support and we need that support from the parents. Just to keep on pushing. Reading. Reading is a big deal. Reading is a lifelong skill. A foundational skill that you need for everything you do,” said King.
Attempting to accurately gauge the loss is difficult for even the researchers with so many variables. Taking a closer look at the foundational skill of oral reading fluency could be a metric to watch for greater understanding, and reading as the skill that needs instruction intensified.
Doreen Mazzye, a literacy professor at SUNY Oswego whose research is in the science of reading, knows where kids' reading levels are right now in New York.
"We're seeing across the board that children are well below grade level, and that very few students are reading and writing on level at the January benchmark assessments. And this is reasonable due to the sheer amount of missed instructional time over the last two years," said Mazzye.
The State Education English Language Arts assessments from pre-pandemic show the proficiency was at 45% for students in grades three through eight.
Due to lack of participation and remote learning, the state education department did not compile a statewide snapshot from 2021’s most recent assessment, and said with the majority of students opting out, the data may not be representative. Each schools’ results are listed separately.
Looking at some of the state’s largest school districts, like the Syracuse City School District, its third grade ELA assessments shows only 20% tested at grade level last spring. Third graders in the Buffalo City School District were assessed at 21% proficient, and Albany City School District third graders at 38%.
When comparing to a historically high-performing district, like Pittsford Central School District near Rochester, third graders did better than their pre-pandemic assessment with 91% testing at grade level in ELA.
Teachers said to close the gap, they will focus on the future, and encourage families to get involved to help students grow.
North Syracuse Central School District's Monica Fitzgerald is a literacy teacher at Gillette Road Middle School.
“Where are our kids now? And what do they need next? Yes, they were in a different place in the pandemic. But if we start focusing on ‘what do they need and where do we go,’ what is the end in mind?” said Fitzgerald.
King, the Syracuse kindergarten teacher, agreed on the importance of reading to kids when they are young. She added kindergarten is the new first grade. Kids can have fun, but they are working, not playing, all the time.
“Even if they can’t read, expose them to books. Even if it's 10-15 minutes, and I know families are stressed and parents are working, but just that 10 minutes will make a difference and showing them that book,” said King.
The Reading League says nationally about 30-35% of kids are reading on grade level. They also remind us that low literacy rates can mean a feeling of isolation, mental health issues, higher crime rates, increased poverty and many other lifelong challenges.