Educators have always experienced and stepped up to the challenge of how to best tailor instruction to achieve the best possible outcomes for students. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed growing disparities, and we must redouble our collective efforts to ensure all students, regardless of background or current learning level, can thrive. The Playbook for Accelerating Learning (PAL) was created to fill the space between our current challenges and the joyful and successful future we envision and deem possible for all our students.
In the following sections, the PAL will:
- review current research on how best to improve student outcomes,
- lay out models that practitioners can use to accelerate learning in their systems,
- propose ways in which they can plan with their teams in the pursuit of such goals,
- envision how their efforts may take place during and beyond the school day, and
- suggest ways in which LEAs can leverage community-based organizations and engage families as partners in the work.
By making these resources available in a concise and actionable format, the CCEE hopes to assist instructional leaders in California shorten their preparation period for accelerating learning and promoting the outcomes all students deserve.
After a year of interrupted learning imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, more students than ever are experiencing learning gaps. Remote and hybrid learning have increased the demands placed on families and students during the learning process. One study by McKinsey estimates that students will experience 4.5 months of learning loss on average, compared to typical in-class learning.
Students of color and low-income students are significantly more affected. When compared with expected learning gains from full-time, in-person learning, the McKinsey study indicates that white students will experience the equivalent of 4 months of lost learning in math and 3 months in reading on average; Latinx and Black students lost between 5-6 months and for students with low-income backgrounds, the picture is even grimmer: the McKinsey study predicts the loss of 6 to 7 months worth of learning.
Even before the pandemic, many students were not receiving grade-level instruction and assignments. According to Bellwether Education, as many as 3 out of 5 students in the U.S. enter school below grade level. Research by TNTP revealed that students spent more than 500 hours each school year on assignments that weren’t appropriate for their grade level and experienced instruction that didn’t ask enough of them—the equivalent of 6 months of lost class time in each core subject. Further, the study tells us that, while more than 80% of teachers supported standards for college readiness in theory, less than half had the expectation that their students could reach that bar.
We should focus on what we now know about how people learn effectively. To address the discrepancies in student learning and achievement that have been exacerbated by the past year and a half, we have an opportunity to focus on evidence-based information on how people learn effectively. According to the Learning Policy Institute, key factors that promote learning are:
- Positive relationships and attachments; feeling safe, affirmed, and deeply engaged within a supportive community of learners
- Creating connections between what children already know and what they are learning
- Physical activity, joy, and opportunities for self-expression
- Students’ perceptions of their own ability influence learning. All children are motivated to learn the next set of skills for which they are ready; few are motivated by labels that rank them against others or communicate stigma
(These important factors are addressed in CCEE’s Field Guide for Learning, Equity and Well-Being. This Playbook for Accelerating Learning will focus on instructional strategies to accelerate learning for all students.)
To provide better academic experiences than we did before, we should shift our efforts from remediation to acceleration. This study by Bellwether (slide 11) shows students who start a grade below grade level rarely catch up. If we focus only on “learning loss” and remove students from grade-level content, we will perpetuate structures that are riddled with repetitive and ineffective remediation efforts. Additionally, the New Teacher Project’s research suggests that, even when students are behind, grade-level content is one of the clearest paths to success and strong outcomes. Thus, finding ways to scaffold student learning while maintaining access to grade-level content may be the key to accelerating learning. This playbook is designed to offer LEAs insights into how to make the shift from “learning loss” to “grade-level content emphasis” to support student academic growth.
The terms “acceleration” and “remediation” are sometimes inadvertently used interchangeably. To avoid confusion and maximize outcomes, it is important to clearly differentiate between them.
In remediation, the primary focus is mastering concepts of the past, which often means returning to prior years’ grade-level content. This often results in having teachers constantly work in arrears and can put students further behind if they miss current grade-level content while revisiting old content, exacerbating opportunity and achievement gaps. (Consider this article for PD for more background information).
Acceleration, on the other hand, is an approach that strategically prepares students who have experienced learning loss for success in the present—this week, on this content. Rather than concentrating on a litany of items that students have failed to master, acceleration focuses on readying students for new learning.
In essence, accelerating learning is about building bridges rather than filling holes. Acceleration gives students access to current grade-level content, rather than returning them to past content. It is a different way of thinking about how to meet the needs of students and unfinished learning. It also has the potential to provide clearer direction and lighten the load for teachers who are already taxed by current demands.
To be clear, special consideration must continue to be made for students with IEPs. Focusing on grade-level content does not exclude teachers from individualizing the work for students with special needs.
Accelerating learning is not a program to be purchased but rather a changed perspective to support students who have experienced learning loss (which, given the COVID-19 pandemic, is close to all students in the U.S.). Learning acceleration should be embedded in all instructional decisions for students: it should be aligned to your vision, linked to your LCAP, and integrated as part of your Tier 1 and 2 MTSS efforts.
Because learning acceleration is a philosophical approach to tackling individual student progress, each LEA must develop its own strategy for accelerating learning as, to some extent, how we support unfinished learning “depends on what we are trying to teach.” (Instruction Partners)
To help you craft your learning acceleration plan, here are some key factors for consideration:
- There are different ways of accelerating learning—and you can do more than one. Different models can be implemented together.
- Collaboration matters. Whichever paths you take, make sure they align with your existing vision and that your whole team is on board.
- High expectations and grade-level content are key. The most important aspects of any learning acceleration model are high expectations and grade-level content. The majority of instruction and assignments should be aimed at grade level content, with additional supports to help students access this on-grade material.
- Prioritizing standards does not mean lowering the bar. Priority standards are not the only things that will be taught. Prioritizing has everything to do with focus and understanding what standards have the most impact on student learning. To accomplish this, you will need to adjust your scope, sequence, and pacing.
- Quality curriculum is key—especially when vertically aligned. Make the most of your high-quality curriculum by prioritizing and aligning it vertically. It is also more impactful when educators know what priority standards students must learn and how these align vertically. Foundational reading skills will require special attention.
- Assess to bring students into grade-level content, not keep them from it. Assessments should be content-embedded and reveal what students already understand and what further connections might be necessary for them to fully access grade-level content. Assessments should not result in the labeling and sorting of children that often lead to inequitable segregation and marginalization.
- Professional development should be continuous and based on data about what teachers need. Just like student interventions are targeted for students, so should professional learning be targeted for teachers. Think of just-in-time, embedded learning opportunities rather than blanketed PD.
- Think of families and support networks as part of the acceleration team. Research shows a connection between family involvement and academic achievement. Encouraging family engagement is more than common courtesy; it’s one of the best ways to create a positive learning environment for every student and support student success. Conversations with families and community-based organizations should be centered on learning and not just supervision.
Create Your Acceleration Plan
Use the icons below to navigate to the different sections of the Playbook for Accelerating Learning: