Why Are Teachers Facing Greater Challenges in Getting Students to Grade Level? New NWEA Study Explains

Findings show post-COVID classrooms have more students off-track and further below grade-level proficiency

BOSTON, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A new NWEA study finds that the spread of achievement in the classroom is wide. What's more concerning is that after the pandemic, more students are off-track and further below grade-level proficiency, making instruction significantly more challenging for teachers.

NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization, released today a new research report examining academic diversity — the share of students who are on- and off-track for grade-level proficiency — in post-COVID elementary classrooms. The findings highlight how instruction is more challenging today because more students are further away from the end-of-year target to reach grade-level proficiency. Using MAP Growth and classroom roster data for upper elementary grades from about 6,000 U.S. schools, the report takes an in-depth look at classroom composition and distance to proficiency, and finds:

• Before the pandemic, classrooms were academically diverse, with students spanning a wide range of achievement levels. This remains true after the pandemic.
• However, slightly more students are now off-track, and those students are further from grade-level proficiency, increasing the instructional demands to accelerate learning.

"This report reflects what teachers are telling us: getting an entire classroom to grade-level proficiency is becoming increasingly difficult," said Dr. Megan Kuhfeld, Director of Growth Modeling and Analytics at NWEA. "With more students starting further behind, teachers must help many achieve nearly three times the typical annual academic growth — a herculean task."

The report suggests that intervention and support efforts solely focused on returning to pre-pandemic ways of teaching may not be enough. More students now require accelerated growth. Today's teachers need strong support that reflects this reality, including professional learning and teacher preparation programs that have evolved to match this shift.

"This new research report shows why meeting the needs of every student in a classroom feels so hard right now for teachers," said Jenna Talos, former teacher and current instructional coach at NWEA. "With more students further from grade-level proficiency, teachers must leverage every single minute of a day to grouping students flexibly, choosing the right scaffolds, checking for understanding, and adjusting in real time to drive the needed academic growth."

She also noted that district leaders can support teachers in three specific ways:

1. Building schedules that protect time for small-group instruction and collaborative planning
2. Provide practical, job-embedded professional learning that helps teachers rehearse and refine those moves using their own curriculum
3. Use interim data in simple routines to check progress and adjust instruction along the way.

Read the full report: https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/academically-diverse-classrooms-deeper-needs-what-teachers-face-after-the-pandemic/

About NWEA

NWEA®, a division of HMH, supports educators worldwide by providing responsive, evidence-based assessment solutions that illuminate learning needs and fuel student growth. For more than 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K–12 assessments, including its flagship assessment – MAP Growth, and professional learning that helps educators strengthen their practice and improve student outcomes. As part of its commitment to bring valuable insights to the education community, NWEA engages in research that examines issues that shed light on inequities and other barriers to academic opportunities. Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA partners to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, [email protected] or 971.361.9526

SOURCE NWEA