As California figures out how to transition from distance learning to safely reopening schools, we must also figure out how to provide the extra support that kids need to recover, catch up academically, and thrive. Researchers are already seeing widespread mental health needs and estimate that a majority of CA public school students will need to catch up by an extra year or more.[1] In this blog series, you will learn how the pandemic is affecting all students and the impact of learning loss on students of color, and students with special needs. You will also learn about effective solutions to reverse learning loss. The actions we take now will have a major impact on our children’s futures.
As schools closed in March 2020, students with special needs lost services they rely on.[2] Students with special needs (SWSN) went months without occupational, physical, and speech services. Before the pandemic, SWSN received essential one-on-one support and services from trained professionals. During distance learning, parents had to step into these roles without the essential training or guidance.
Students with special needs were already suffering
Even before the pandemic, students with special needs were falling through the cracks. SWSN experienced higher rates of absenteeism, incomplete assignments, and course failures as compared to their peers.[3]
The majority of learning differences are mild. 80% or more of students with special needs can achieve at grade level if they have the individualized support they deserve.[4] Unfortunately, that is not the reality. Here is a summary of the data we know so far:
- In California, only 2 in 10 students with special needs were on grade level in English, and only 1 in 10 students were on grade level in Math in 2018-19.[5]
- In the 2019-20 school year, only 18% students with special needs were eligible for a US/CSU as compared to 54% of their peers.[6]
- Students with special needs are two times more likely to be suspended than their peers in California.[7] Learning loss during suspensions increases their risk of repeating a grade and dropping out.[8]
Critical supports for students with special needs were stripped away
School closures have been a challenge for students with special needs especially because their needs are different. SWSN deal with a wide range of challenges in order to learn. Before the pandemic, SWSN had access to education specialists, doctors, nurses, and many other trained professionals.* These professionals are skilled in behavioral assessment, care, and family engagement. While almost all students suffered during the pandemic, SWSN in particular had more layers of support stripped away, leaving parents on their own.
SWSN are now even further behind in school. Online platforms such as Zoom or printed work packets are not always accessible. SWSN often need assistive technology. For example, a student with visual or hearing impairment might need a screen-reading software. The small screens in Zoom make it hard to see. Many online platforms do not have assistive technology. Even if they do, these platforms often have technical problems. As mentioned in a previous blog, many of the most vulnerable SWSN did not have access to basic technology to participate in distance learning, including computers, internet, and printers.
During the pandemic, SWSN lost access to services they are legally entitled to. Based on a national report, only 11% SWSN received accommodations and services in February 2020. By October 2020, SWSN that received accommodations dropped even further to 8%. In April 2021, 44% of families reported that their child’s access to equitable education has been abandoned since school closures.[9] Since testing did not take place, there is limited data for SWSN during the pandemic. Here’s what we know so far:
- In a national survey in 2021, teachers reported that 51% of students with special needs completed assignments during in-person learning as compared to 29% remote or 32% hybrid learning.[10]
- Researchers estimate that almost three million of the most marginalized students in the nation have disengaged from school.[11]
- In Los Angeles Unified, less than half of students with special needs in middle and high school participated in distance learning each week.[12]
- Negative impacts were not limited to academic performance. In another national survey, 48 percent of parents of students with special needs reported behavioral changes in their children, including high levels of anxiety that triggered physical symptoms and missing class.
- The survey also found that students with special needs were three times more likely to experience depression related to school closures than their peers.
- 60 percent of families reported that their child is “a year behind and may never catch up.”[13]
Navigating racial disparities in special education
Once students are eligible to receive special education services, schools decide the placement of students. It is important for all students to be in inclusive classrooms,[14] to the greatest extent possible. Placing students in separate classrooms or classrooms specifically designed for SWSN is only helpful for a small percentage of students.[15] These students will best be able to excel in an individualized setting.[16]
Research shows that inclusion in “general education” classrooms can improve academic and social-emotional outcomes for SWSN.[17] Black and Latino students are more likely to learn in separated classrooms, where they miss learning experiences with their general education peers.[18]
In the U.S., 55 percent of White SWSN spend most of their school day in a general education classroom.[19] Only 33% of Black SWSN spend most of their day in a general education classroom. Latino SWSN are also more likely to be taught in separate classrooms, compared to White students.[20]
Over the past year, we’ve heard hundreds of parents across California share how the pandemic and distance learning are affecting their children’s present and potentially their future. Learn more about what parents are pushing legislators to prioritize here.
During the pandemic, teachers in high-poverty schools serving SWSN reported having less access to resources, guidance, and support as compared to teachers in low-poverty schools. Students with special needs attending high-poverty schools were 1.5 times less likely to have access to materials and virtual or in-person one-on-one support than SWSN attending low-poverty schools.[21]
[1] McKinsey & Company, “COVID-19 and learning loss—disparities grow and students need help.” December 2020.
[2] Throughout this blog, we use the term “students with special needs” to refer to students who have an individualized education plan (IEP). The California Department of Education also uses the term “students with disabilities,” but we prefer to use the terms “students with special needs” or “students with learning differences.” The terms “students with disabilities” and “Students with special needs” both align to IDEA’s definition of a student receiving special education services, which is any student who has an individualized education plan or IEP. At times, when the term students with special needs is used, it is intended to refer to students with either IEPs or 504 plans, however the data we are referencing throughout this blog focuses on students with IEPs. To learn more about the differences between IEPs and 504 plans, click here.
[3] Lauren Morando Rhim and Sumeyra Ekin, “How Has the Pandemic Affected Students with Disabilities? A Review of the Evidence to Date.” Center on Reinventing Public Education, August 2021.
[4] Ladner, Matthew, “The NAEP Sounded Red Alert for Students with Disabilities before COVID-19.” Education Next, June 2021.
[5] CDE CAASP.
[6] California Department of Education, Four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, 2019-20.
[7] California Department of Education, Suspension rate, 2019-20.
[8] National Center for Learning Disabilities, “The State of LD: Introduction.” March 2020.
*Including therapists, social workers, school psychologists, counselors, and more. Students with special needs need these additional supports to engage in learning and are entitled to these supports legally.
[9] Lauren Morando Rhim and Sumeyra Ekin, “How Has the Pandemic Affected Students with Disabilities? A Review of the Evidence to Date.” Center on Reinventing Public Education, August 2021.
[10] Sarah D. Sparks, “Most Students with Disabilities Still Attend Remotely. Teachers Say They’re Falling Behind.” Education Week, April 2021.
[11] Hailly Korman et al., “Missing in the margins: Estimating the scale of the COVID-19 attendance crisis.” Bellwether Education Partners, October 2020.
[12] Mike Garet, Jordan Rickles, Jill Bowdon, and Jessica Heppen, “National Survey on Public Education’s Coronavirus Pandemic Response.” July 2020.
[13] Lauren Morando Rhim and Sumeyra Ekin, “How Has the Pandemic Affected Students with Disabilities? A Review of the Evidence to Date.” Center on Reinventing Public Education, August 2021.
[14] Including both students with special needs and those without special needs.
[15] Only a small percentage of students benefit from being educated in a small setting. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the nation’s major federal education law, recognizes that only 10% of students with special needs should be held to alternate academic standards and receive an alternate assessment based on those academic standards. All other students should be supported in meeting grade-level standards in general education.
[16] National Center for Learning Disabilities, “NCLD Disproportionality Trends and Actions for Impact Final.” October 2020.
[17] It is important to note that individualized education is the goal for every student, not just SWSN. Creating an inclusive classroom supports the learning of all students. Universal learning and inclusion is an environment where all students receive individualized support and are a part of a belonging environment.
[18] ational Center for Learning Disabilities, “NCLD Disproportionality Trends and Actions for Impact Final.” October 2020.
[19] 80% or more of their day.
[20] ational Center for Learning Disabilities, “NCLD Disproportionality Trends and Actions for Impact Final.” October 2020.
[21] Lauren Morando Rhim and Sumeyra Ekin, “How Has the Pandemic Affected Students with Disabilities? A Review of the Evidence to Date.” Center on Reinventing Public Education, August 2021.
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