The Impact of COVID-19 on Student Reading Development

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to dramatic changes in way of life for people across the globe. One of the most common disruptions to everyday life has been the prolonged closure of schools, in-person school in particular. This article presents research examining the consequences of the pandemic on the reading skills of first- through sixth-grade students across the United States. Using a large, nationally representative sample (total N > 950,000), we compared reading scores from the fall assessment period of the 2020–2021 school year to the 2019–2020 school year. We found substantial declines in reading skills in fall 2020 compared with previous years, even accounting for preexisting differences in performance. Limitations to the study include potential confounding variables and the necessity of using a quasi-experimental design. Implications of this decline in reading skills are discussed, as well as some ways educators can attempt to address these declines.