ATLANTA — Georgia teachers told state auditors that the COVID-19 pandemic had a stark impact on schoolchildren. Large numbers of them finished behind in all subjects – partly because of virtual learning, and partly because students didn’t have as much classroom time, according to a report released by the state Department of Audits.
Auditors questioned public school administrators and also anonymously questioned teachers about how rough it really was for school children during the pandemic.
The pandemic shut down classroom learning across much of Georgia last year, putting many children in front of computers, learning virtually.
The audit shows schools across the state:
- Shortened classroom hours
- Created more holidays
- Lost even more days due to COVID quarantines
- And many systems reduced the school week to four days
State officials encouraged school systems to embrace flexibility as the pandemic raged, said Matt Jones, chief of staff of the Georgia Department of Education.
"We had situations where teachers were being quarantined, teachers were having to cover other classes. So you just had this extraordinary environment that was atypical," Jones said.
Schoolteachers anonymously submitted their take on how well students did during the pandemic to state auditors. They reported:
- 38 percent of their students were behind in math
- 32 percent were behind in English Language Arts
- 20 percent were behind in both science and social studies.
Teachers told auditors 80 percent of their students were less engaged in virtual classes than they would have been in person.
Many told auditors parents and caregivers couldn’t or were unwilling to hold students accountable at home the way a teacher could in school.
The audit included a national survey that showed students left school last spring four to six months behind in math, and three to six months behind in reading.
Jones said teachers and school systems spent much of this school year, where students are largely in classrooms again, making up for shortcomings during the pandemic school year.
"When things stabilize a little bit and get back to normal then we can catch these kids up and get them back to where they need to be," Jones said.
The audit emphasized that last school year was roughest for lower income children, children of color, children with disabilities and children who spoke English as a second language.
Some teachers told auditors anonymously that their school systems strongly urged them to pass children to the next grade level who flagrantly shirked their school work and never would have passed in normal conditions.