Study: Students Are Falling Behind In Math More Than Any Other Subject Amid Virtual Learning
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — School for ninth-grader Kamil Batista has been at the kitchen table of his family's Randallstown apartment.
"It makes you feel a little helpless at times. A little hopeless," Rosario Batista said.
Kamil's mom, Rosario, feels her special needs son is falling behind.
"What's the alternative here? Nobody really prepared for this. I totally understand, but I feel like my child is suffering because he's not getting the help that he really needs," she said.
A study released Monday by a testing nonprofit shows students are performing the same in reading, but math scores are about five to 10 points lower than students tested last year.
Rosario said that's the case for Kamil.
"You can only push them but so far at home. It's different when they're in school," she said.
"Math is different from reading development in that the skills are much more sequential, so if you miss Step A, it's harder to get to Step B," Dr. Karyn Lewis, NWEA Research Scientist, said.
Lewis said the data has a blind spot. Many poor and minority students are missing from the study altogether.
"We don't have access to all students in schools and that suggests some students are either disengaged in schools altogether or disengaged with the testing process," Lewis said.
"That's just how it is. Minority children or children with disabilities get left behind all the time," Rosario said.
Lewis said the data should help educators engage with certain groups on certain subjects.
"The impacts seem to be concentrated in math more than reading, which gives us a picture of where we can really spend our time," Lewis said.
Meanwhile, Rosario will continue balancing parenting and teaching at home, with hopes it will be safe enough to send Kamil back to the classroom soon.
"The routine of, you know, just waking up and getting in front of that device, it's a challenge," Rosario said.
The national study recommends school districts run their own research on where students are falling behind, so they can tailor resources to those areas.