Student Achievement Growth Before and During COVID-19: Comparing In-Person and Remote Learning in Catholic and Public Schools

Authors

• Stephen Ponisciak, University of Notre DameFollow
• Julie W. Dallavis, University of Notre DameFollow

Abstract

In response to COVID-19, U.S. students learned remotely from mid-March to June 2020. At the start of academic year 2020-21, many schools remained remote but others—primarily Catholic and other private schools—reopened. We consider Catholic schooling as a proxy for in-person instruction and use national data from Renaissance Star and MAP Growth assessments to compare the achievement of similar students pre-pandemic, during the height of mitigation strategies, and after most schools reopened. In a departure from pre-pandemic growth patterns, students in Catholic schools showed more growth than those in public schools during the height of mitigation strategies, suggesting the importance of in-person instruction.

DOI

10.15365/joce.2702052024

Recommended Citation

Ponisciak, S., & Dallavis, J. W. (2024). Student Achievement Growth Before and During COVID-19: Comparing In-Person and Remote Learning in Catholic and Public Schools. Journal of Catholic Education. 27(2), 76-106. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.2702052024