Learning Acceleration

After more than 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 educators, families, and students.  And while educators, families, students, and other supporters have really stepped up to the task, there is still a tremendous need to accelerate progress for many students. One study by McKinsey estimates that, in the 2020-21 school year, students experienced 4.5 months of learning loss on average, compared to a typical year of 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 estimates that white students experienced the equivalent of 3 to 4 months of missing learning on average, Latinx and Black students experienced the equivalent of 5 to 6 months’ loss.  For students with low-income backgrounds, the picture is even grimmer: the McKinsey study estimates students missed 6 to 7 months’ worth of learning from the year schools were doing distance 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 each year below grade level, and that students who start a grade below grade level rarely catch up (see slide 11). 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 surveyed supported standards for college readiness in theory, less than half had the expectation that their students could reach that bar. 

We need to focus on how people effectively learn.  To address the discrepancies in student learning and achievement that have been exacerbated by the past year and a half, we must capitalize on the evidence-based information we have on how people learn. 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; and
• students’ perceptions of their own ability.  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 must 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 repetitive, ineffective structures that promote the inequality they are intended to address. A focus on remediation may result in teachers not instructing on content students need to master in the current year and could put students further behind, exacerbating opportunity and achievement gaps. (Consider this article for more background information.) 

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 an emphasis on “big idea-focused grade-level content” 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 that students should have learned in previous years, which often means returning to prior years’ grade-level content. This may result in teachers not instructing on content students need to master in the current year and could put students further behind, 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. Teachers strategically focus on content-area big ideas and weave background knowledge into current lessons using regularly gathered formative data to make instructional decisions. It is a different way of thinking about how to meet the needs of students and unfinished learning that 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 as well as for English learners. Focusing on grade-level content, particularly in mathematics and English/language arts, does not preclude teachers’ individualizing the work for students with unique learning profiles.  There will be more information about this in the Systemic Supports for Diverse Learners section.

Accelerating learning is not a program to be purchased, but rather a change in approach to supporting students who have experienced learning gaps (which, given the COVID-19 pandemic, is close to all students in California).  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. 

The challenge of accelerating progress in California is compounded by the size, diversity, and social conditions of California’s student population. There are more than a thousand school districts in California, serving unique communities with their own needs and challenges, from large urban districts to very small rural schools. California’s challenges reflect not only the state’s size but also its ethnic, cultural, and geographical diversity. 

However, California has made some critical decisions to help with the challenge. For example, a barrage of state funding that targeted to helping schools and students recover from the side effects of the pandemic, including funding and support for special populations that were uniquely affected. Additionally, California has made significant investments in technology and infrastructure to support students (see more on this here). This not only helped with online and hybrid learning but also will continue to pave the way for accelerated progress. Technology can help assess and target learning to help students meet the standards. Learn more about using technology to accelerate progress here.  

Because learning acceleration is a philosophical approach to tackling individual student progress, each LEA in the state must develop its own strategy for accelerating learning because, to some extent, how we support unfinished learning “depends on what we are trying to teach” (Instruction Partners). As you read through this playbook, use the companion workbook to create your own individualized work plan.

Here are some key factors to consider as you craft your learning acceleration plan:

1. There are different ways of accelerating learning—and you can use more than one. Different models can be implemented together.
2. Collaboration matters. Whichever paths you take, make sure they align with your existing vision and that your whole team is on board. Make time and space for teachers to team up, learn, and collaborate to make this vision a reality.
3. 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 material. 
4. 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 a focus on understanding which standards have the most impact on student learning. To accomplish this, you will need to adjust your scope, sequence, and pacing to focus on big ideas and themes.
5. 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 big ideas and key concepts students must learn and how these align vertically. Foundational reading skills will require special attention.
6. Assessments should bring students into grade-level content, not keep them from it. Assessments should be ongoing, formative, and content-embedded and should 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. Instead, they should provide teachers with standards-aligned data that can be used to determine how to intentionally and flexibly organize instruction to best meet the needs of each learner around the current content.
7. Support should be built in from the beginning. Even before knowing students individually, it is still possible to anticipate what students might need to succeed—in terms of classroom environment, social emotional learning, and academic instruction—and build those into the architecture of instruction from the beginning. Use the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to structure learning that will intentionally support all students. 
8. The social-emotional environment matters. Students and adults need to feel connected, capable, and seen. After a year or more away from school buildings, students and teachers need to spend time relearning how to work together. Both students and adults need to feel capable, included, and connected if they are expected to work hard to catch up. Focusing on building positive learning communities, developing social-emotional competencies, and employing culturally responsive practices will ensure they are ready and willing to do the hard work we ask of them.
9. Professional development should be continuous and based on data about what teachers need. Learning to teach in this way may require a significant adjustment for teachers, teams, and systems. Just as student interventions are targeted for students, so should professional learning be targeted for teachers. Think of just-in-time, embedded learning opportunities and harnessing existing systems of coaching and mentoring to tailor supports for teachers rather than blanket, one-size-fits-all PD programming.
10. Think of families and support networks as part of the acceleration team. Research shows a connection between family involvement and academic achievement, particularly in mathematics and English/language arts. 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