Michigan student achievement has improved in some areas, but overall performance is still lower than before the pandemic, according to a new report from the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative at Michigan State University.
Researchers have reviewed K-8 student test scores every fall and spring since 2020 to measure the impact of the pandemic.
Tara Kilbride, the interim associate director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative, said it will take multiple years to close gaps related to pandemic school closures.
"It will take a long time, but school districts in Michigan and elsewhere have been prioritizing evidence-based approaches like high dosage tutoring and increased instructional time," she said.
Math scores are up slightly from spring 2021, but reading scores have remained stagnant, the report found.
Schools that were hardest hit during the pandemic have rebounded the fastest, Kilbride added. She said one of the primary challenges teachers face now is a wider variety of student needs and abilities in the classroom than before the pandemic.
"For teachers to be able to accommodate that wide range of where their students are and help them to get where they need to be, different or more curricula and instructional resources might be necessary," Kilbride said.
