Detecting Possible Learning Losses due to COVID-19 Pandemic: An Application of Curriculum-Based Assessment

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 78 - 86, 15.03.2022

Türker Toker

https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.985992

Cited By: 1

Abstract

When the COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures many of us did not anticipate that this interruption would last for months and perhaps more than a year. The data showed that there was a one and a half year learning loss in both Turkish and mathematics based on Woesmann (2016)`s findings. The difference in the scores for math exam between 2016 and 2020 was 10.32 points which accounts for half of exam standard deviation. Also, the difference in the scores for Turkish exam 2016 and 2020 was 10.91 points which is also around half of the standard deviation. Additionally, based on gender there was a statistically significant decrease of 12.04 points in the mathematics scores of girls and 8.43 points for boys showing a 15-month learning loss for girls. and a year of learning loss for boys (Woessmann, 2016). These results showed that girls had more learning losses due to COVID-19 pandemic. According to the mother's education level; the decrease for mathematics scores were between 9.73 (elementary school degree) and 22.02 points (associate degree). This finding shows that the learning loss in math based on mother educational level is between 15-months and 2.5 years (Woessmann, 2016). Similar findings showed up for Turkish scores as well. The decrease for Turkish scores were between 10.43 (elementary school degree) and 22.24 points (associate degree). This finding shows that the learning loss in Turkish based on mother educational level is between 15-months and 2.5 years (Woessmann, 2016). These results show that some students did not learn new material after the outbreak and even slipped backwards. Ministry of National Education should take following steps in order to prevent effects of COVID-19 pandemic as well as minimize and resolve the learning losses emphasized in this study.

Keywords

learning loss, covid-19, school closures, social inequality, digital divide

References

• Alexander, K. L., Entwisle, D. R., & Olson, L. S. (2007). Lasting consequences of the summer learning gap. American Sociological Review, 72(2), 167-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240707200202
• Andrabi, T., Daniels, B., & Das, J. (2020). Human capital accumulation and disasters: Evidence from the Pakistan earthquake of 2005. https://doi.org/10.35489/bsg-risewp_2020/039
• Arı, A. (2004). Yaz tatili öğrenme kaybı konusunda öğretmen görüşleri. Milli Eğitim Dergisi,, 163(91), 103. http://dhgm.meb.gov.tr/yayimlar/dergiler/milli_egitim_dergisi/163/ari.htm
• Arı, A. (2005). İlköğretim okulu öğrencilerinin yaz tatilindeki öğrenme kayıpları ( [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Gazi University.
• Baker, S. K., & Good, R. (1995). Curriculum‐based measurement of English reading with bilingual Hispanic students: A validation study with second‐grade students. School Psychology Review, 24, 561– 578.
• Baker, S. K., & Good, R. (1995). Curriculum-based measurement of English reading with bilingual Hispanic students: A validation study with second-grade students. School Psychology Review, 24(4), 561-578. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.1995.12085788
• Cooper, H. M. (2003). Summer learning loss: The problem and some solutions. Champaign, IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.
• Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J., & Greathouse, S. (1996). The effects of summer vacation on achievement test scores: A narrative and meta-analytic review. Review of Educational Research, 66(3), 227-268. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543066003227
• Dayioğlu, M., & Türüt-Aşik, S. (2007). Gender differences in academic performance in a large public university in Turkey. Higher Education, 53(2), 255-277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-005-2464-6
• Downey, D. B., von Hippel, P. T., & Broh, B. (2004). Are schools the great equalizer? School and non-school sources of inequality in cognitive skills. American Sociological Review, 69(5), 613-635. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3593031
• Gershenson, S. (2013). Do summer time-use gaps vary by socioeconomic status?. American Educational Research Journal, 50(6), 1219-1248. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831213502516
• Gershenson, S., & Hayes, M. S. (2018). The implications of summer learning loss for value-added estimates of teacher effectiveness. Educational Policy, 32(1), 55-85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904815625288
• Hansen, B. (2011). School year length and student performance: Quasi-experimental evidence. Available at SSRN 2269846.
• Kuhfeld, M., Soland, J., Tarasawa, B., Johnson, A., Ruzek, E., & Liu, J. (2020). Projecting the potential impact of COVID-19 school closures on academic achievement. Educational Researcher, 49(8), 549-565. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x20965918
• Marcotte, D. E., & Hemelt, S. W. (2008). Unscheduled school closings and student performance. Education Finance and Policy, 3(3), 316-338. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp.2008.3.3.316
• Menard, J., & Wilson, A. M. (2014). Summer learning loss among elementary school children with reading disabilities. Exceptionality Education International, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.5206/eei.v23i1.7705
• Sadler‐Smith, E. (1996). Approaches to studying: Age, gender and academic performance. Educational Studies, 22(3), 367-379. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305569960220306
• Sirin, S. R. (2005). Socioeconomic status and academic achievement: A meta-analytic review of research. Review of Educational Research, 75(3), 417-453. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543075003417
• Slates, S. L., Alexander, K. L., Entwisle, D. R., & Olson, L. S. (2012). Counteracting summer slide: Social capital resources within socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 17(3), 165-185. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2012.688171
• World Bank, 2020. The COVID-19 Pandemic: Shocks to Education and Policy Responses. May 2020 Available: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/109 86/33696/148198.pdf.
• Woessmann, L. (2016). The economic case for education. Education Economics, 24(1), 3-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/09645292.2015.1059801