WVU joins local schools, communities to reverse COVID-19 learning loss

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - Literacy consultants from West Virginia University are being brought together with local schools and communities through a statewide initiative to reverse COVID-19 early learning loss.

Experts said plummeting test scores are tied to access to key educational resources during remote learning that was not readily available when COVID-19 forced schools to teach virtually.

Two programs supported by the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative’s Sparking Early Literacy Growth initiative have based their approaches on reading beyond classroom walls by forming partnerships to support struggling students.

The WVPEC launched the “Read with Me Weirton” program in 2021 after literacy scores plunged in 2020. Experts said the students who participated in the program saw their literacy levels jump back up by the equivalent of more than one-and-a-half grade levels.

“That’s a pretty big deal,” Donna Peduto, WVPEC’s executive director, said. “You see what targeted intervention does when you have a little bit of funding and support. It’s just amazing to think of that learning loss being reversed.”

“Read with Me Weirton” focused on delivering extra help after school and over the summer to students who scored the lowest on the STAR Reading Assessment.

In addition, the program provided teachers with specific strategies for teaching students with literacy challenges, and they reported that confidence teaching phonics jumped from 21% to 58%.

“Weirton’s strength is in using a structure that’s in place and being intentional about leveraging established partnerships to make a difference,” Canyon Lohnas, a WVPEC program specialist, said.

WVPEC also works with Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary in Charleston to bring family-oriented literacy activities to two housing complexes many students call home.

WVPEC officials said they are hopeful implementing similar programs across the state will reverse the trend of plummeting test scores.

CLICK HERE for an in-depth look into the test scores that reportedly plummeted following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The National Assessment of Educational Progress.