PHOENIX — Since Arizona students first stepped off campus in spring 2020, learning hasn’t been the same.
The pandemic has forced changes in how Arizona schools educate kids, and now Gov. Doug Ducey wants to find out how much kids learned over the past year.
Ducey directs Arizona State Board of Education to analyze learning
In an executive order issued on Monday, Ducey directed the Arizona State Board of Education to use test scores and other metrics to analyze how much learning students lost during the pandemic.
The order came as Ducey signed a bill into law that offers “flexibility” around the letter grading system for schools.
Regarding the bill signing and executive order, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman issued a statement to 12 News:
"It is no secret that the past year has been tumultuous for our students and schools. By signing HB 2402, Governor Ducey provided needed stability to schools by pausing A-F school letter grades related to Federal and State Accountability for School Year 2021.
In accordance with the Governor’s Executive Order 2021-03, the Arizona Department of Education stands ready to work with the Arizona State Board of Education to analyze data around the learning that occurred during the pandemic and strategies to address the opportunity gap to help schools meet all students' academic needs."
A school year like none other
The pandemic has transformed what learning looks like for Valley schools, as over the past 11 months many schools have seen a variety of learning models.
“It's been incredibly stressful,” Valley high school English teacher Amanda Martiny said.
Martiny said remote learning has taken more time and energy above what she usually puts in during a normal school year, while expectations for rigorous learning have been maintained.
“We’re in this because we love our students and we genuinely want them to learn and be successful,” Martiny said. “And all of this has just thrown a wrench in that.”
Brooke Giffin, who has three kids in school currently, said her kids have had to move between in-person and learning remotely.
“It’s been kind of hard,” Giffin said
Giffin said though she’s seen her kids learn lessons that aren’t really taught in the classroom, but from living life in the pandemic.
“We've learned a lot about even economics, because we own our own family business, about problem-solving, about working together,” Giffin said. “So things that might not be tangible with a letter grade.”
Reports show learning has been lost since pandemic begun
A report by the RAND Corporation shows that two-thirds of the teachers they surveyed thought their students were less prepared for their grade-level work this school year than the previous one.
Researchers at The Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Standford University also looked at how much learning was lost in 19 states.
According to their report, they estimate students lost up to a year of learning reading and more than a year in math.
Martiny anticipates the learning will be made up.
“Yes, there are some gaps and yes there, there's going to be some issues. And once they get back into the classroom, once there's some sense of normalcy, these students are going to rebound,” Martiny said.
However, Martiny feels the gaps in education in Arizona existed long before the pandemic.
“Why aren’t we concerned about this any other time?” Martiny said.
Giffin anticipates what the Arizona State Board of Education finds will be helpful for schools to see where students stand academically, but she believes there was still much learned outside of the traditional grading system.
“It's good that they're doing this and I think that it's important to remember that it's a whole child, a whole experience, not just, you know, reading, writing, and arithmetic,” Giffin said.
Class of 2021
The last year has been unlike any other for Arizona's students. Keep track of all the latest changes and updates in education on the 12 News YouTube channel.