Covid's long tail: How to get kids back into the classroom

The pandemic may no longer be the daily disruptor that it was, but its impact is still being felt every day in the classroom. A recent report from the Education Review Office said NCEA achievement rates have fallen, with some students more than a year behind where they should be. Those from poorer communities were the furthest behind. Absences are also a serious issue - with regular attendance dropping to 40 percent last year before returning to 51 percent by its end. So what will it take to support kids back into the classroom, and to help get their grades back to where they were pre-pandemic? Dr Jesse Dvorchak says similar things are happening in the US. That's where she's based as head of Digital Assessment and Evaluation at Cambridge Assessment International Education. She'll be presenting to principals and teachers in New Zealand later today on how best to assess where students are at following years of Covid disruption, while ensuring all students are heard and included.