The math problem: Kids are still behind. How can schools catch them up?
Across the country, schools are scrambling to catch up students in math as post-pandemic test scores reveal the depth of missing skills
By ARIEL GILREATH of The Hechinger Report and JACKIE VALLEY of The Christian Science Monitor
Published - Aug 29, 2023, 12:27 AM ET
Last Updated - Aug 29, 2023, 12:27 AM EDT
On a breezy July morning in South Seattle, a dozen elementary-aged students ran math relays behind an elementary school.
One by one, they raced to a table, where they scribbled answers to multiplication questions before sprinting back to high-five their teammate. These students are part of a summer program run by the nonprofit School Connect WA, designed to help them catch up on math and literacy skills lost during the pandemic. There are 25 students in the program, and all of them are one to three grades behind.
One 11-year-old boy couldn’t do two-digit subtraction. Thanks to the program and his mother, who has helped him each night, he’s caught up. Now, he says math is challenging, but he likes it.
Other kids haven't fared so well.
