Which grades were most affected by covid?

amother

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 7:13 am

I'm just curious whether you've seen a trend as to which grades are significantly different than usual, and whether it "makes sense" based on where they were when COVID lockdown and "the quarantine year" happened.

I have three specific grades in mind, one very young, one older, and one very old, but I'm going to wait to post them until other people weigh in.

I realize that there were some schools, particularly in the tristate area, that didn't have such a different experience that year. But many of us (in Israel, other countries, OOT US, MO tristate) did, and I'm wondering how that impacted specific grades.

amother

Outerspace

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 7:22 am

I am a teacher so I have opinions based on classes I taught post covid, and from other staff Members in my school

Third grade in covid did perfectly fine
Second grade in covid was okay
Kids who missed first grade or K were missing more key elements

Re. High School, socially and emotionally, the girls who were in tenth grade during covid did not mature and gel the way other grades did.
They lost tenth grade to settle down and were left with lies of pettiness and immaturity for the rest of high school.

amother

Crimson

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 7:27 am

The ones that were in K and 1st grade (the reading grades) are not up to par to previous yrs. Just not the same. I thought it was just my kid but the teacher said they are all doing the same.
I don’t have older.

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 7:38 am

I'm a teacher. The students starting 12th right now. They spent almost all of 9th grade learning online at home. They never developed normal study habits for high school.

Going into 10th have huge knowledge gaps from missing most of middle school, but unlike the 12th they are desperate for order and discipline because they didn't have it for almost 2 years in middle school. I also see that many need to work on social skills.

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 7:53 am

I'm not a teacher but many yeshivos commented the grade that just graduated and the grade entering 12th across the country have been affected the most in their perspective. (Meaning those in 9th when schools shut down and those who entered 9th with crazy back and forth masking/quarantining guidelines after not closing out the previous school year properly.)

amother

Peru

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 8:29 am

amother OP wrote:

I realize that there were some schools, particularly in the tristate area, that didn't have such a different experience that year. But many of us (in Israel, other countries, OOT US, MO tristate) did, and I'm wondering how that impacted specific grades.

My daughter was in primary (grade before 1st grade-it’s called something else in each state/country lol) in a Lakewood school. They were shut down from right after Purim through the end of the school year. Im assuming her grade is behind in some things

amother

Trillium

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 8:59 am

I teach middle school (7th and 8th mostly) and I feel like they all missed out on major social emotional skills and executive functioning skills. I don't know if it's a particular grade but the last few groups I taught had a lot more bullying and just insensitive treatment of each other and they just didn't know how to function in a regular classroom (getting up to sharpen pencils/do other unimportant things during important instruction, not being able to work as well independently or in groups without a lot more handholding than I used to do. Also their attention spans were minimal. Unfortunately I think every grade missed something. BH my own kids were really young so I hope they didn't miss too much, but we definitely socialized less and they missed some of that.

amother

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 9:14 am

So the grades that I've heard/noticed being different are:

Looks like there's some agreement on the first two. The last one is only relevant to me because I have a daughter that age, was born in lockdown. Her last year's playgroup was a mess, socially and behaviorally, at least the boys in it.

The others seemed to have missed pivotal years. There are other students who have academic gaps, but I think that's more based on the schools and whether they made sure to fill them in later on. For example, some kids never learned how to read script aleph bais well, or memorized their multiplication tables, or whatever. The schools should have stepped in and made these part of the next year's curriculum. But K and 9th are so important that missing those seems to have been more catastrophic.

amother

Gray

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 9:51 am

amother OP wrote:

So the grades that I've heard/noticed being different are:

As a mother I strongly agree with the kids going into third now. One of my kidswas in Kindergarten (grade before 1st) during covid. Definitely more effected then my other children.

amother

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 9:54 am

amother Gray wrote:

As a mother I strongly agree with the kids going into third now. One of my kidswas in Kindergarten (grade before 1st) during covid. Definitely more effected then my other children.

OOC, is the child a boy or a girl? I'm curious if that makes a difference...

esther11

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 10:33 am

The grade entering 4th. They were in primary/pre1a/kindergarten (the year before 1st) when lockdowns started and missed months of basic skills. Then for 1st grade they had to wear masks for half the year in and had repeated class shutdowns/quarantines whenever cases popped up. It’s the grade our school calls “covid kindergartners” because many students are behind in social/emotional development, academic skills, and more.

mha3484

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 10:40 am

esther11 wrote:

My friend who taught 3rd grade last year said this. That they were missing major social and emotional and classroom skills. The behavior was really not good. She 100% feels like its Covid related.

My experience was that my then 3rd/4th grader did fine during the lock down/revolving door year and my son was in nursery/pre1a struggled a lot more. But I think the kids who were in pre1a/1st had the hardest time.

amother

Rainbow

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 10:41 am

I've found they all are still showing some effect, but some worse than others. Like someone mentioned the multiplication tables. I had a third grader at the time of lockdowns and yes! He missed a few things in math, so even though he's now starting 7th, he had to go back last year and go over some basic things that got missed.

However, the 2 other kids I had in school at the time are affected much more deeply. 1 was in first grade at the time and you can still see his whole class is not as good at kriah (they're starting 5th now) and they're socially immature. And I had one who was in preschool at the time, now starting 2nd and forget it. Many of those kids, my son included, are doing fine academically, but have severely underdeveloped social skills from basically having not had a normal preschool experience. And yes, most of this class is still struggling now.

amother

Babypink

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 10:44 am

Finishing 12th who missed 9th. They missed out on basic study skills necessary for success in high school.
5th grade boys who missed starting gemara and no one caught them up.
1st grade boys who missed reading practice.

amother

Begonia

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 10:46 am

I think the current 4th grade is really affected. They were in primary/kindergarten/pre 1A during the initial lockdown - missed 4 months of school.
Then the next year it was masks, quarantine, in and out and it really affected their basic reading, writing, math, Chumash skills.

Also the girls who just graduated from 12th.
They locked down in the middle of 9th- the petty, politics and cliques and all that.
The following year there was such uncertainty that made resolutions and the maturity involved more complicated.

amother

Mustard

Tue, Aug 29 2023, 10:54 am

amother Gray wrote:

As a mother I strongly agree with the kids going into third now. One of my kidswas in Kindergarten (grade before 1st) during covid. Definitely more effected then my other children.

My daughter is going into 3rd now.
For last 2 years the school had an extra teacher in the classroom to help the girls get on top of the lost year.