Historically, the very nature of specially designed instruction requires embracing the reality that a diverse learner responds better to differentiated opportunities to access the curriculum. A goal of No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001) was to wipe out ‘below basic,’ which was the lowest possible score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) educational systems collected data to prove the efficacy of this endeavor. Yet, NCLB and subsequently the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015) are simply the latest reauthorizations of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965) that sought to address the achievement gap with the goal to make every student a proficient reader, writer, science learner, and mathematician.
The
extent of measurable
learning loss related to the COVID 19 pandemic is undeniable and requires new
strategies, approaches, and thinking. Institute
of Education Sciences (IES) Director Mark Schneider is advocating for a
widescale overhaul of education research and data to accelerate progress for
the students who have fallen furthest behind—students with special needs and
ELLs. Leveraging
Evidence to Accelerate Recovery Nationwide (LEARN), is one of three new
research initiatives geared to pandemic recovery in schools. It is a $7 million project launched by the
IES, the U.S. Department of Education’s primary research arm, to identify and
quickly scale up effective practices to help students recover academically from
pandemic disruptions.
Certainly,
reform is necessary in how teaching and learning research is conducted, educational
data is collected, and how research is analyzed. Therefore, perhaps this is the best time to demand
educators and educational researchers widely adopt the Model Code of Ethics for Educators
(MCEE). Given the purpose of the
Model Code of Ethics for Educators (MCEE): To serve as a shared ethical guide
for future and current educators who are faced with the complexities of P-12
education; who can be righteously offended?
While
that opportunity to form consensus on the need to integrate the MCEE with LEARN
begins to brew, let’s revisit the ethical need to do no harm to our students. Post
COVID, most educational leaders and teachers struggle with whether their students will benefit more from accelerated learning rather than remediation. As predicted by
Mercanti-Anthony (2021), the broad
assumption that students will need to catch up due to learning loss resulted in
schools initially defaulting to remediation strategies. However analysis of research from the Fordham
Institute, which suggested that the
focus should instead be on accelerated learning, in many cases proved prophetic.
The Acceleration
Imperative is an open-source, evidence-based document designed
to promote four key principles:
- Many
students—especially the youngest children in the highest-need schools—will
require extra help coming out of the pandemic, particularly in the form of
extended learning time, high-dosage tutoring, and expanded mental-health
supports.
- That
extra help should complement, but cannot replace, what students need from
schools’ core programs, such as high-quality curricula and positive school
cultures.
- To
make up for what’s been lost, we need to focus on acceleration, not
remediation. That means devoting the bulk of classroom time to challenging
instruction at grade-level or higher, and giving all students access to a rich,
high-quality curriculum in English language arts, mathematics, social studies,
science, the arts, and more.
- Decisions
should be guided by high-quality research evidence whenever possible.
Created
with input from dozens of current and former chief academic officers, scholars,
and others with deep expertise and experience in high-performing, high-poverty
elementary schools, The Acceleration Imperative is designed to be an organic document. As such, it will continuously evolve. You are invited to download and use The
Acceleration Imperative as a starting point or as an aid for your own
planning purposes. Since The
Acceleration Imperative is
in the public domain, with no rights reserved, you are invited to freely
access, utilize, and distribute! Given previous links will age out due to the
nature of the document, click here to view and download the latest
version of The
Acceleration Imperative.
Let’s agree
that student engagement is key to sustained learning. Then we can consider
approaches to optimizing student achievement by ethically and morally examining
if students will benefit more from accelerated learning or remediation.
So, let’s consider how we
can increase student engagement.
An
educator’s utilization
of an intentionally caring, optimistic, respectful, and trusting (ICORT) mindset
should optimize feelings of inclusion and promote a positive school
climate. However, an ICORT-driven
educator must also be guided by the axiom: ‘A goal without a plan is just a
wish.’ Therefore, inclusion and engagement goals should be strengthened by
plans that pursue research-based practices to increase awareness of what is
relevant, elevate student knowledge, and willingly make better possible
regardless of the teaching modality. This approach is wonderfully exhibited by
the following strategies and justifications shared by Schwartz
(2021):
- Encourage
writing by hand. There is compelling evidence that writing by hand rather
than on a keyboard promotes better recall and comprehension of new information.
- Welcome
international visitors. This endeavor invites students to build connections and exhibit empathy between groups of
students. Teachers can freely access organizations
such as PenPal Schools or ePals,
which can
connect your class with international classes. Additionally, Narrative 4, is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to telling and sharing stories and thereby promoting social-emotional
learning opportunities.
- Incorporate music. Through Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle (Nagoski & Nagoski, 2020), suggest engaging in some form of artistic expression. Their book provides several activities that can help classes move through stressful experiences regardless of the needed modality.
To
cite:
Anderson, C.J. (January 31, 2023). Understanding the Needs of Struggling
Learners in Relation to Post COVID Accelerated Learning Goals. [Web log post] Retrieved from http://www.ucan-cja.blogspot.com/
References
Anderson, C.J. (July 31, 2021). Generalizing virtual strategies that worked and planning for accelerated learning. [Web log post] Retrieved from http://www.ucan-cja.blogspot.com/
Mercanti-Anthony, M.J. (2021). Using cognitive science to boost learning. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-cognitive-science-boost-learning
Purkey, W. W., & Novak, J. M. (2016). Fundamentals of invitational education. (2nd Ed) International Alliance for Invitational Education. Retrieved from: http://invitationaleducation.net/product/category/books
Schwatrz, J. (2021) Virtual Teaching Practices With Staying Power. Edutopia retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/virtual-teaching-practices-staying-power
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