Assessing What We Really Need To Lose To Catch Up

Assessing What We Really Need To Lose To Catch Up describes a post-pandemic assessment problem. Schools need to find real gaps in knowledge, but they also need to notice the independence, digital judgement and self-regulation learners built during remote learning.

This matters because the phrase "learning loss" can make very different learner experiences sound the same. Zhao (2021) warned that recovery should not mean a simple return to pre-2020 coverage. Goudeau et al. (2021) showed that lockdown widened social-class inequalities in learning conditions.

In a Year 8 history lesson, this means checking whether learners can explain feudalism accurately before asking them to fact-check an AI summary of the Black Death. The task values digital evaluation, but it does not pretend missing domain knowledge is harmless. Teachers need assessment that shows what learners know, what they can do with that knowledge, and where disadvantaged or neurodivergent learners need explicit support.

Rethinking Learning Loss After School Closures

Remote learning changed some learner habits, but those gains were uneven. Anders and Hansen (2021) and Robinson and Taylor (2022) point to greater independence for some learners, while Goudeau et al. (2021) show that home learning conditions widened class-based gaps. Teachers should assess both: the new self-management learners can show and the subject knowledge they still need.

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Stephen Merrill's 2021 article on learning loss caught an important tension. In early 2020, schools said they would not waste the disruption. Six years later, the question is sharper: which emergency practices should be kept, which academic gaps must be addressed, and which habits from before COVID should not return?

In 2020, running a virtual class for long periods felt impossible in many communities. By 2022, schools had built hybrid, virtual and hyflex routines at speed. In 2026, the task is no longer emergency remote teaching; it is deciding which practices improved access, feedback and independence, and which simply exposed gaps in knowledge and support.

I cringed at the bloggers and LinkedIn professors that reminded us from 2000-2019 how broken the current education system was. We'd been talking about this new 21st century learning for so long that Sir Ken Robinson even passed away before anything really changed and we are now starting to wonder what the 22nd century will look like as we rumble to the halfway point of this epoch. 

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Measuring True Academic Impact Beyond Scores

Edovald & Nevill (2020) suggest that schools review their curriculum. They should ask what content is essential and what is now outdated. (2025) ask whether old texts help learners navigate modern information.

Instead, schools should focus on critical thinking, digital literacy, and collaboration skills. Learning should stay relevant and human-centred.

Assessing the rubble of the pandemic is complex. For people that made the impulsive decision to buy a Peloton, maybe they decided to start running outside again. But for those in the education business, going back to "the way things were" and trying to patch up the past two years like a gaping wound, is a mistake.

We didn't just hit the pause button in 2020. We were forced to pivot in a way that has shifted a lot of our thinking about how we educate people and how this experience is delivered. 

Before the pandemic, MOOCs, webinars, Khan Academy and video conferencing were unevenly used, but they were not just gimmicks. Reviews of online learning and large MOOC datasets had already shown that digital tools could support learning when paired with clear instruction, feedback and course design (Means et al., 2010; SRI International, 2014; Chuang & Ho, 2016). The pandemic made these tools central, then exposed where access, teacher training and curriculum design were weak.

But when everyone from your kindergarten teacher to your high school art teacher was forced to teach from behind a screen, nothing could really go back to the way things used to be (López-Meneses et al., 2025). 

We all want things to be normal again. We want to just be comfortable, to hug one another, laugh openly in bars, enjoy packed yoga classes and concerts. Those returns to normal are understandable.

But simply going back to the same old tired content and the same old tired curriculum just isn't going to work. To make matters worse, we are now saying things like learning loss and closing the gaps that are putting the same pressures we put on teachers over the last two years not to lose a step. 

A Year 8 learner once told me, "I am so done with talking about the Middle Ages where all we learned about was 500 years of people lying around being sick." That reaction does not mean medieval history lacks value. It means teachers need to make the knowledge visible: chronology, causation, public health, power and evidence.

• Some curriculum content needs clearer links to the problems, texts, technologies and civic decisions learners will meet beyond school. 
• People need to interact and be together to have truly impactful learning experiences. In other words, online learning will never replace good teachers. 

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Learner Progress Despite Pandemic Disruptions

Learners built some digital routines during remote learning, but the assessment challenge has changed in 2026. They now need to judge AI-generated answers, check sources, and explain their reasoning. They also need to decide when technology is helping and when it is doing the thinking for them. UNESCO's AI competency framework and DfE guidance place human judgement, safety and subject knowledge at the centre of AI use in education (UNESCO, 2024; Department for Education, 2025).

Ron Berger wrote about learning loss in the Atlantic article "Our Kids Are Not Broken" (March 20, 2021). He said, "I kept hearing about 'remediating learning loss,'". This gave him a troubling picture of school, where children would be tested, triaged, and sent to different areas "to get fixed."

There has to be a resistance to hitting the pause button to go back on the treadmill and making it go faster so we can catch up. There has to be a reflection, a pause on the way we have done things and serious questioning about what we need to stop doing. We need to think about what we need to lose so that we can catch up to the innovation that was forced upon us during this pandemic.

Research on new literacies shows that reading now means more than reading print. It also includes searching, navigating, evaluating sources, and synthesising information across digital texts (Leu et al., 2013). During lockdown, some learners practised these skills every day. Even so, teachers still need to check whether learners can justify a source choice, compare evidence, and explain uncertainty.

Social and emotional growth should be recognised. However, it should not be used to hide gaps in reading, writing, and number fluency.

Reflect on your teaching methods and think carefully about how they help learners. Assess learner progress in a broad way, not only through academic gaps. Use complete strategies that guide learners through the full process (Veenman et al., 2006). Project-based learning links the curriculum to real-world skills (Thomas, 2000; Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008).

This includes developing habits of mind such as careful comparison, persistence, evidence checking and reflection. These habits matter most when they are tied to real content: a science explanation, a historical source, a maths proof or a design brief. Adaptability is not a substitute for knowledge; it is what learners do with knowledge when a task changes.

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prioritising Recovery Beyond Academic Catch-Up

, 2025). Teachers can use project-based learning to involve learners in real-world problem-solving. This helps learners build the skills they need for a fast-changing world.

Monks and Maunder (2024) suggest that schools build on each learner's strengths. Recovery also needs trauma-informed routines, which are steady routines that recognise stress and help learners feel safe.

Prolonged isolation, bereavement and family stress affected attention, attendance and trust for many learners. Teachers should therefore use predictable starts, low-stakes retrieval and clear help-seeking routines (Scott et al., 2021). This supports wellbeing without lowering expectations for reading, writing or number work.

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The pandemic exposed weaknesses in traditional schooling. But recovery cannot become a feel-good story where missing knowledge no longer matters. During lockdown, learners from disadvantaged homes were more likely to have poor access, less quiet space and less adult support (Goudeau et al., 2021; Engzell et al., 2021). Schools should build independence and digital judgement, while also teaching the subject knowledge that supports reading, reasoning and cultural participation (Christodoulou, 2014; Willingham, 2007).

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Redefining Learning Loss Post-Pandemic

Researchers challenge a simple learning-loss story because it treats recovery as only replacing forgotten content. Zhao (2021) argues that schools should avoid a deficit-only model, but this does not mean every gap is harmless. Current benchmarks can miss collaboration, digital judgement and self-regulation. Even so, they still point to knowledge that many learners need for later study.

Think about how we measure "loss" in mathematics. A Year 6 learner may make good estimates in a game economy, but still struggle with written division, fractions or proportional reasoning. Skills do not always transfer well from one task to another. Critical thinking and problem-solving depend on subject knowledge, so teachers should assess both the mathematics and the strategy learners use (Willingham, 2007; Tricot & Sweller, 2014).

Education Endowment Foundation guidance on remote learning put teaching quality first. It also stressed feedback and supported independent practice, rather than assuming remote study would automatically build metacognition (Education Endowment Foundation, 2020). Teachers should teach and assess self-direction directly. They should not treat it as a guaranteed gain from lockdown.

In practice, shift the assessment focus without ignoring missed curriculum content. Use a short knowledge check, then ask learners to show how they apply that knowledge in a digital portfolio, peer explanation or worked example. This gives teachers two signals: what learners know securely and how independently they can use it.

Recovery programmes should use real problems, linking content and skills. Learners fact-check historical claims online, using research and analysis (Willingham, 2021). This blends older topics with relevant, modern skills (Schwartz et al., 2007).

It could harm learners if schools drop useful learning behaviours. It can also harm novices if we ask them to discover complex ideas without guidance. Kirschner, Sweller and Clark (2006) argued that very little guidance can overload working memory when learners lack secure prior knowledge. Keep independence, but pair it with explicit teaching, modelling and guided practice.

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Outdated Educational Practices to Abandon

The pandemic forced schools to question assumptions about teaching and learning. As schools settle into new routines, leaders should identify which pre-2020 practices no longer serve learners and which routines protect learning. The aim is not novelty; it is better sequencing, clearer feedback and fairer access to knowledge.

Timetables need review. Before COVID, 50-minute lessons were standard; bells broke learning. During remote learning, project work and flexible schedules improved learner engagement. Schools could consider block scheduling, letting learners study without constant breaks (Dewey, 1938).

Second, we should let go of the idea that learning only happens inside the classroom. The pandemic showed that communities, homes, and digital spaces can also support rich learning.

Teachers can therefore design tasks that link classroom concepts to real-world uses. For example, a science teacher might work with local environmental groups on water quality testing. History teachers could also work with community archives on oral history projects.

Assessments need sharper design, not less accountability. In England, headteachers still work within DfE performance measures and Ofsted inspection expectations (Department for Education, 2025; Ofsted, 2025).

Portfolios, self-assessment and competency-based tasks can sit beside statutory assessments. They are most useful when they give teachers formative evidence: the misconception to reteach, the model answer to show, and the knowledge learners can now use independently (Boud & Falchikov, 2007; Wiliam, 2011).

Wiliam's (2011) research shows feedback improves learning more than standardised tests. Ditching old methods makes space for education that values knowledge and skills.

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Research Evidence on Academic Progress

EEF (2022) research shows that learners stayed resilient after the pandemic, even though some gaps remain. Standardised tests do not show all their progress, such as growth in problem-solving and digital skills. Learners also adapted and showed more independent skills (Education Endowment Foundation, 2022).

The Education Policy Institute and Renaissance Learning (2022) found signs of recovery in primary reading by autumn 2021, but also continued gaps in mathematics and regional differences. This is a more defensible claim than saying learning loss was "not as bad as feared". Teachers should use such data to target reading, writing and number work, not to dismiss recovery needs.

Consider how you measure learner progress. Some schools now audit skills and recognise competencies gained during the pandemic.

One teacher found that learners could already create presentations. This saved time, so she focused on critical analysis and collaboration instead.

Project-based assessments can show strengths that written tests may miss. These include oral explanation, collaboration, and careful revision. But they should not suggest that academic gaps are only a problem with measurement. A fair recovery model asks learners to show both subject knowledge and the habits they use to organise, test, and share that knowledge.

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Building Resilient Educational Systems

Pandemic disruptions occurred, but learners gained important skills (Hattie, 2009). Teachers can redefine "learning loss" using effective methods (Marzano, 2003). This helps learners reach their potential, ready for a changing future (Dweck, 2006).

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Moving Beyond Test Scores: Alternative Assessment Methods for Learning Recovery

Traditional test scores tell only part of the story about what learners gained and lost during school closures. Teachers across the UK still need reliable evidence of reading, writing and number fluency. They also need clear ways to assess explanation, source evaluation, collaboration and self-regulation.

Chen (Year 9, Manchester) used multimedia presentations instead of essays. Learners showed what they understood through videos and timelines. Chen observed that learners could show their learning well with tech (Chen, 2024). She noted that learners had mastered this technology during lockdown.

Self-assessment journals are useful tools. Learners record their progress and think about the skills they are building. The Education Endowment Foundation supports this metacognitive approach, where learners think about how they learn. Journals can show growth in self-direction that traditional marking schemes often miss (EEF).

Peer review lets learners assess each other's portfolios. This can build critical judgement when the success criteria are clear. Project work can also improve problem-solving when teachers teach the key knowledge first and guide inquiry carefully (Thomas, 2000; Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008).

For example, a geography department might replace one final test with a local flood-risk map. Learners would need to use grid references, rainfall data and written justification.

Alternative assessments can broaden how we define academic strength, but only when the criteria can be seen. Teachers can assess collaboration through role evidence, source evaluation through annotated choices, and resilience through revision after feedback. They should not rely on personality labels. Measures of personal qualities are easy to misuse, so teachers should triangulate rubrics with quizzes, work samples and observation (Duckworth & Yeager, 2015; Wiliam, 2011).

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Educational Practices We Must Abandon to Enable Real Progress

The pandemic forced schools to change quickly. Yet many schools are now returning to pre-2020 practices that no longer serve learners. To build on the real progress made during school closures, we need to spot and drop outdated approaches that hold learning back.

First, we need to stop treating technology as an extra, separate from learning. Many schools have returned to 'computer lessons' in dedicated ICT suites, which separates digital skills from everyday learning. Instead, teachers should use technology naturally across subjects. For instance, Year 8 history learners might collaborate on shared documents to analyse primary sources, whilst Year 10 science classes could use data collection apps during field experiments.

Rigid timetables with 50-minute lessons need review. Learners showed they can handle longer projects during remote learning. Bohunt School in Hampshire tried longer blocks. This allows greater topic engagement and reduces distracting transitions (Bohunt School, n.d.).

Learners can learn outside school, as the pandemic showed, but external tasks still need careful teaching. Community links and work placements are strongest when learners have the vocabulary, examples and success criteria needed to interpret what they see. A local geography enquiry, for example, should teach map reading and data handling before learners interview residents or collect field data (Thomas, 2000).

These changes also need an inclusion check. A fast "catch-up" timetable can remove supports that helped some neurodivergent learners during hybrid learning. These included quiet spaces, recorded explanations, chat-based questions, and flexible pacing. Leaders should keep the access gains that reduce barriers, while using explicit teaching and targeted intervention for learners with severe literacy or numeracy gaps.

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Creating Future-Ready Educational Frameworks That Prioritise Adaptability

Resilient education needs more than quick fixes. Schools must change how they design learning, says Fullan (2001). They should build in flexibility, not just react to problems. This helps frameworks adapt, not break, when facing challenges (Schleicher, 2018).

Parkfield Primary changed its assessments during lockdown (Parkfield Primary, Birmingham). Learners built portfolios with videos and digital projects. Peer feedback also played a part (Wiliam, 2011).

This approach now drives assessment (Black & Wiliam, 1998). It gives a clear view of a learner's full skillset.

The Education Endowment Foundation found flexible schools handled remote learning well. Learners stayed engaged because of modular curriculums (EEF). These schools used varied assessments and integrated digital tools daily (EEF). This was better than adding technology later, according to the research (EEF).

For further reading on this topic, explore our guide to Sounds~Write.

Interdisciplinary projects work best when each subject adds real knowledge, not just a broad "skills" label. For example, an investigative journalism unit can bring together history, English and computing. To make this work, learners first need to study source reliability, argument structure and data handling. This fits research on project-based learning and domain-specific transfer, where knowledge from one subject is used carefully in another (Thomas, 2000; Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008; Tricot & Sweller, 2014).

Schools should focus on flexible frameworks, rather than only preparing for pandemics. This helps teachers and learners adapt with more confidence when change comes. Prioritising adaptability in education helps everyone (Fullan & Hargreaves, 2012).

The goal is not to fill learners' heads with disconnected facts or to replace knowledge with generic skills. Schools need both: secure subject knowledge and the metacognitive habits that help learners plan, monitor and revise their work. Next lesson, choose one recovery task that checks prior knowledge first, then asks learners to use it in a real explanation, product or decision.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Identifying Outdated Curriculum Content

Does this content help learners solve real problems soon? Review the curriculum with colleagues and ask where learners can use these skills again.

Does it build critical thinking, collaboration, or digital literacy? If a topic only ticks boxes, consider changing or replacing it. (Wiggins and McTighe, 1998)

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Practical skills to assess alongside academic content

This is especially true in schools today.

It also improves time management and reflective practice, which supports deeper understanding. Learners gain most when they synthesise information, rather than just memorise facts.

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Alternative Assessment Methods for Progress

Portfolio assessments let learners show progress through projects (Wiggins, 1998). Competency-based grades look at how learners apply knowledge, not only what they remember (Grant & Stiggins, 2004). Authentic tasks, such as community projects, reflect skills used in real life (Darling-Hammond & Adamson, 2014).

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Responding to parents who expect traditional curriculum coverage

Explain how new approaches build core skills and prepare learners for future challenges. Share learner work so parents can see the outcomes.

Show how modern skills strengthen fundamental knowledge (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1985). Invite parents to observe classroom activities and share useful resources. Make clear how teaching links to career expectations (Willingham, 2009; Christodoulou, 2014).

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Balancing curriculum development with exams and government standards

Show how new teaching fits curriculum needs, improving lessons. Use projects to teach content in engaging situations. Share successful teaching methods with colleagues, meeting standards. This helps learners build skills for exams and life (Vygotsky, 1978; Dewey, 1938).

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