While schools have been out for nearly a year now due to the current global status, students have been continuously decreasing in overall comprehension among classes. A prominent issue comes with trying to teach math techniques over Zoom calls and hybrid learning. Recent studies have shown that students have continued to fall behind in math courses over the span of the past few months.

“Students are advancing in math, but not as rapidly as in a typical year. These findings confirm expectations that students are losing ground during the pandemic but show that those losses are not as great as projections made in spring that were based in part on typical ‘summer slide’ learning losses,” worded Carolyn Thompson in the Associated Press.

The recent studies done by the NWEA show that math is taking the brunt of the hit when it comes to improvement this year. With a learning environment that is not optimal, it is hard to encourage students to learn new material. Peggy Moyer reported what it is like to be a math teacher during this very difficult time.

“The pandemic has not really changed much, rather highlighting some weak spots. There is more responsibility on the students. It is good in the sense that I can screen share my notes. For the note-takers, the assignments go smoother. Evaluation of any test is very hard. It is hard to discover and confront dishonesty. The best advice I can give is to take notes and actually turn in the work. Take care of your business,” said Moyer.

As Moyer shared, the only way to pass this year in math is to take notes and turn in the assignments. The tests have become harder due to the higher probabilities of cheating. They are no longer as similar to the study guides but have become more diverse and free-response oriented.

It is a trying time during every school year, but this year is especially so. As stated in the Associated Press, “The challenge around mathematics is an acute one, and it’s something we will have to be dealing with even after we get back in school.”