The Effect of COVID-19 Measures on Academic Achievement

With the majority of safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 now gone, it is appropriate to reflect on how those measures have impacted student achievement worldwide and at YISS, specifically. In short, YISS students have fared better than most.

The NWEA Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test is one of the most widely-used measures of academic achievement. It is utilized by more than 10,000 schools in the United States, and many international schools across 190 countries. At YISS, students in second grade through eighth grade complete the MAP test for reading comprehension, language use, and mathematics twice per year; grades six through eight also complete the science test. Data from the computer-adaptive assessment is designed to provide teachers with information about student performance as well as to track student progress over time and — because the test is so widely used — allows administrators to gauge the effectiveness of educational programs by making comparisons with other norms.

YISS has been tracking MAP data for many years and conducts a comparison analysis between YISS students, other students in Korea, students attending East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) institutions, and the worldwide NWEA norms (i.e. millions of students across the globe). From this data, it is clear that the remote and hybrid learning environments thrust upon students were less than ideal. Sadly, the youngest students were most greatly affected. It makes sense. For them, mask-wearing and remote-learning significantly impede the personal interactions and direct instruction that so greatly impact their learning.

YISS students, however, fared better than most. While there was a noticeable decrease in student achievement worldwide, in some instances there was little effect for YISS students and, in other areas where there was negative impact, YISS students are already showing a significant rebound. The Academics Office has prepared a slideshow with more details about how YISS students, specifically, have been affected. NWEA has conducted a deep analysis of their data and produced visualizations to help parents understand how students all over the world have had their learning affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as two key reports: Learning During COVID-19 and Progress Toward Pandemic Recovery. The NWEA analysis suggests, worldwide, that mathematics scores were the most significantly impacted, with fall 2020 scores between 5-10 percentile points below previous years.

YISS faculty, staff, and administrators are proud of the resilience and perseverance of our students during the challenges of COVID-19. Certainly, the pandemic measures were detrimental to student learning in a number of ways, but YISS students remain comparatively well-prepared and well-positioned.