Where students are in fall 2021 relative to grade-level standards and historical averages

This report provides a snapshot of where students are as they return to school in fall 2021 relative to grade-level standards and historical averages. It is the fourth publication in a series of research papers that examine students’ academic achievement during the pandemic. Using the i-Ready Diagnostic’s criterion-referenced grade-level placement data from more than nine million students across the country, the findings are focused on students who are on grade level and below grade level as of the present fall compared to a pre-pandemic historical average and the progress made since last fall by comparing a subset of students who tested in school during fall 2020 and 2021 within a matched sample of schools. 

Key Findings 

• In reading, the percentage of students who are on grade level in the upper-elementary and middle school grades is close to pre-pandemic levels, whereas in the early grades the percentage of students who are on grade level is lower than before the pandemic. 

• In mathematics, the percentage of students who are on grade level is lower in nearly all grades than what we saw prior to the pandemic. 

• Fewer students attending schools serving mostly Black and Latino students are on grade level this fall than students attending schools serving mostly White students, and these inequities predate the pandemic. 

• Fewer students attending schools in lower-income zip codes are on grade level than students attending schools in higher-income zip codes, and these inequities also predate the pandemic. 

• As for students who are below grade level, more students are below grade level in the early grades for reading and across all grades for mathematics; both observations are even more so for students in schools serving mostly Black and Latino students as well as for students in schools in lower income zip codes. 

• Compared to last fall, the percentage of students who are on grade level or below grade level this fall varies depending on the grade level and subject. Overall, students have made improvements in mathematics, and there are mixed results (i.e., small upticks and downticks) in reading.