Foreword
To date, most of what we’ve heard in the news about pandemic learning loss has been specific to public schools. ERB’s new analysis of independent school data is a welcome addition to our shared understanding. Five years past the onset of COVID-19, this report helps to quantify some of the impact of the pandemic on our sector as a whole and to situate us within our recovery. It also proposes how we might build on lessons learned.Ultimately, this report’s conclusion is hopeful: that within this time frame, independent school students at all levels of achievement have largely “caught up” in their pace of knowledge mastery across content areas and restored their learning patterns. Of course, behind this data are the tens of thousands of teachers who put in the creativity, care, and countless hours needed to help students achieve this level of learning recovery—and the many leaders whose support, decision-making, and focus on mission paved the way. In other words, the independent school model held up in the face of our biggest collective challenge, a reminder that resilience is a critical characteristic not only for students, but also for institutions.
At NAIS, we are grateful for our strong partnership with ERB. This publication is a testament to the power of working together to strengthen the many intersecting elements of independent schools that allow them to thrive.
Debra P. Wilson
NAIS President
Executive Summary
The impact of the COVID pandemic on student learning was profound in all schools—public and private, secular and faith-based. The impact was especially great on those students whose academic performance was relatively weak before the pandemic since those are the students who most rely on teachers and other educational supports.Commentary on COVID’s impact on education has been dominated by test results from students in public schools. In a series of studies dating back to late 2020, however, ERB has mined its database of Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP) results to understand the extent to which COVID-related trends affected student learning in independent and faith-based private schools.
Among NAIS member schools that are also ERB members, student learning has made a substantial recovery from the COVID disruption. Assessment data from the 2023-2024 school year show that the pace of student learning approximates pre-pandemic rates of growth in ELA and has exceeded pre-pandemic growth in math.
The purpose of this paper is to summarize findings on the COVID disruption among ERB members in the first 18 months of the pandemic. It then contrasts that disruption with the striking restoration of student learning rates among NAIS member schools beginning in the 2021-2022 school year and continuing to the present. The story told by this student learning data is one of effective adaptation and continued educational excellence displayed by administrators, teachers, and students alike at independent schools.
This report was written by Tom Rochon, ERB president, and Aaron Shuman, ERB director of analytics and insights.
Downloadable Content
- Read the full report: Learning Growth Among Students in NAIS Schools: Before, During, and Since the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF)