Children in rural communities in New Mexico are falling behind in their academics due to the restrictions that have existed for nearly two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to one report.
COVID-related school closures have cost New Mexico students between four months to more than a year of learning, according to a recent report by the Legislative Finance Committee. The report, according to KRQE, shows younger and at-risk students suffering the most under remote learning and because of other social issues.
In addition, data from the Northwest Evaluation Association, which includes New Mexico students, shows the average student performing 3-6% worse in reading and 8-12% worse in math, compared to how students in the same grades measured pre-pandemic. It’s cause for concern, according to Dr. Gwen Perea Warniment, the Deputy Secretary of Teaching, Learning and Assessment for the New Mexico Public Education Department.
“There’s two groups of students that I’m particularly concerned about,” Warniment told KRQE News 13 investigator Gabrielle Burkhart. “The first is early childhood, and anywhere from Pre-K through third, even fourth grade.”
The focus this school year has been on keeping children in the classroom, but with contract tracing and imposed quarantines, the consistency and workload is a burden on both teachers, who have to monitor students in and out of class, and parents, who may have to provide child care or remote learning on a week-to-week basis. Students who required extra services, such as speech therapy and behavioral services, often did not get the help they needed, according to parents interviewed by KRQE.
The NMPED oversees 89 school districts and almost 50 charter schools statewide. In 2020, the state skipped standardized testing for students. This fall testing is encouraged, but not required. Many parents are still not allowed inside their child’s school, limiting the communication between parents and teachers and the social connections between parents.
An analysis by the McKinsey Co. offered the potential long-term consequences of students falling behind academically during the pandemic. The report states: “Our analysis suggests that, unless steps are taken to address unfinished learning, today’s students may earn $49,000 to $61,000 less over their lifetime owing to the impact of the pandemic on their schooling. The impact on the US economy could amount to $128 billion to $188 billion every year as this cohort enters the workforce.”
The analysis also showed that as the 2020–21 school year began, just 40% of K–12 students were in districts that offered any in-person instruction.