Nov. 11, 2023
By Camille Echols
Editor-in-Chief
For the most part, life is back to normal in the wake of the pandemic. However, statewide student test scores in English and math have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to data released by the State Department of Education in April.
According to the news website App.com, which is part of USA Today Network, New Jersey’s standardized test passing rates for the 2021-2022 school year dropped by about 8% in math and 9% in English.
History teacher Mr. Tessalone said he noticed his students’ motivation declined significantly in the wake of the pandemic.
“The number of students just not completing work went up,” Tessalone said. “I am finally starting to see a swing back where I am seeing more consistency.”
Tessalone said he has made an effort to meet students in the middle in terms of the workload and to be more lenient when it comes to due dates.
“Every student learns in different ways,” Tessalone said. “When you’re flexible, that allows for 90% of the possible issues to be taken care of.”
English teacher Dr. DiMaggio also made changes in her classes due to Covid-19.
“Immediately post-Covid, I added in extra opportunities for students to get to know each other because many of my students were not able to do that during Covid,” DiMaggio said. “There were not really any clubs or activities either, so many of my underclassmen didn’t know or feel comfortable with their peers in the same way they were pre-Covid.”
The state reinstituted the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments in the spring of 2022 and, to measure learning loss, required the Start Strong assessment in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, Lyndhurst Public Schools also implemented LinkIt!, a benchmark assessment given three times per year in English and math classes up through grade 11.
DiMaggio said despite the positive intentions of these assessments, they are causing students more harm than good.
“There are too many extra tests that are now required for students,” DiMaggio said. “All the added testing time has made it hard to fit in the lessons we need to actually teach the skills being tested.”
“Virtual school did not feel as real. It felt optional.”
According to a study done by the National Institute of Mental Health, teenagers have been reporting higher levels of depression and anxiety since Covid-19.
Math teacher Mr. Carucci said during remote learning, some students struggled with feelings of isolation.
“For some people, not physically being in the high school, face-to-face with teachers was more of an issue, but for others, not being around their peers [or] being able to socialize was more of an issue,” Carucci said.
He said students were impacted in every subject because they missed out on learning necessary fundamentals.
“When students get to us in high school they are expected to have a certain set of skills that they’ve acquired in middle and elementary school, whether that is being able to solve a one-variable equation or being able to write a five-paragraph essay,” Carucci said.
Senior Elida Kuka said the pandemic’s impact on her education varies by subject.
“I am in a good place for English and math,” Kuka said. “However, science is where I feel like I am behind [and in] aspects of history.”
Kuka said she struggled to keep herself motivated during the pandemic.
“Virtual school did not feel as real. It felt optional,” Kuka said. “The hardest part of virtual school for me was staying up and being productive through all my classes. There [were] many times that I would nearly fall asleep while listening to my teachers because I was cozy in my bed.”
Sophomore Isabella Bartlett said time management was her greatest challenge during virtual learning.
“I would get distracted and not complete my assignment during one class, and since nobody could monitor me, I would just complete it during my next class period,” Bartlett said. “I got used to doing my work a lot slower because I was not worried about turning it in at the end of class. With being back in person, I had to reteach myself how to work diligently.”
Bartlett said pandemic learning loss is impacting upcoming high schoolers.
“Among middle school students, there is a deficit in skills learned in elementary school, such as how to take notes, because they went through elementary school virtually without direct teacher guidance,” Bartlett said.
She said students will only be able to learn to their full potential when they do not feel overwhelmed as some did during virtual learning.
“It’s important for schools to prioritize the mental well-being of students to prevent further or future learning loss,” said Bartlett.
