The Pandemic Kindergarteners: How Are They Doing Now?

Tiffany Momon • Cahn Fellow 2023

The year 2020 may be in hindsight for some. Now, the world has returned to a near normal state of being. Everyone is back to school, work, and out and about as if we did not experience a major health crisis that halted business as usual in March of 2020. The scare of the coronavirus also referred to as COVID-19 took every industry by storm. We know major companies, health care facilities, and small businesses were impacted in a major way as we navigated through the complexities of the coronavirus. Schools shut down for months in some cases. Parents, students, and teachers were forced to work collaboratively in ways that were unfamiliar and uncomfortable like never before. Educational technology specialists worked tirelessly to train instructors and administrators on technology programs that were unheard of at the time.

Fast forward to the 2021-2022 school year when most schools opened their doors allowing 100% of students in the brick and mortar. Everyone was excited while still wearing their masks and still social distancing. The materials were readily available, yet students worked on their devices for the majority of the day. A few months after school opened second grade teachers began to notice it was more challenging to get students to read on grade level. Everyone was quickly reminded that these are the pandemic kindergarteners and began to brainstorm about how to get them back on track. Discover how Cascade Elementary School worked collaboratively as a team to ensure the pandemic kindergarteners are middle school ready 5 years after a global pandemic. The student outcomes may just surprise you for this cohort. This cohort was at the bottom of the district. The big question is: How are they doing now?