Examining the Influence of COVID-19 on Elementary Mathematics Standardized Test Scores in a Rural Ohio School District

In the United States, national and state standardized assessments have become a metric for measuring student learning and high-quality learning environments. As the COVID-19 pandemic offered a multitude of learning modalities (e.g., hybrid, socially distanced face-to-face instruction, virtual environment), it becomes critical to examine how this learning disruption influenced elementary mathematic performance. This study tested for differences in mathematics performance on fourth grade standardized tests before and during COVID-19 in a case study of a rural Ohio school district using the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) mathematics test. A two-way ANOVA showed that fourth-grade MAP mathematics scores were statistically similar for the 2019 pre-COVID cohort (n = 31) and 2020 COVID-19 cohort (n = 82), and by gender group, between Fall 2019 and Fall 2020. Implications for rural students’ academic performance in virtual learning environments are discussed.

Bright, D., Fan, Y., Fornara, C., Koskey, K., Bostic, J., May, T., & Swineford, D. (2022). Examining the influence of COVID-19 on elementary mathematics standardized test scores in a rural ohio school district. Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 34(4), 446-469.