Academic Progress during School Year 2020-21

Compared to a typical school year, teachers reported that more of their students started the 2020-21 school year behind and made less academic progress, according to GAO’s generalizable survey of K-12 public school teachers. Teachers also reported that many students ended the year behind grade level expectations (see figure). Educators and parents also shared their insights and experiences about student struggles and learning loss during the year.

Academic Progress during School Year 2020-21

Note: The margin of error for all percentages was less than or equal to +/- 8 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. The survey asked teachers how many of their students were behind grade level or made less academic progress. We did not define “behind” or “academic progress” as we wanted to obtain teachers’ overall observations of their students.

GAO estimated that about half of teachers (52 percent) had more of their students start the 2020-21 school year behind compared to a typical school year, and that this affected younger students more than older students. Further, nearly two-thirds of teachers (64 percent) had more students make less academic progress than in a typical school year. These issues occurred across all grades and instructional models, and were more pronounced in some than others. For example, between 68 and 72 percent of teachers of older students or in virtual or hybrid environments had students who made less progress than is typical, compared to other grades and learning models. Finally, 45 percent of teachers had at least half of their students end the year behind grade level.

Educators and parents did note, however, that some students excelled despite the strain of the pandemic. Factors associated with such success included flexibility to work at their own pace, and strong familial support.

The pandemic continues to take a toll on students’ and teachers’ well-being. The trauma of the last 2 years has profoundly affected many students and teachers, some of whom lost parents or family members. As our teacher survey, educator and parent discussion groups, and other research has shown, this trauma and pandemic-associated schooling disruptions disproportionately harmed vulnerable students and contributed to growing disparities between student populations. Further, after 2 years of challenging working conditions, teachers are confronting burnout and recent surveys indicate that many are thinking of leaving their jobs.

To help address these ongoing challenges as well as inform thinking about managing future learning disruptions, educators and parents identified strategies such as reducing class sizes or student-teacher ratios to provide more individualized attention to students.