Amid chronic absenteeism from pandemic, fewer DC students repeating 9th grade
Chronic absenteeism in D.C., Virginia and Maryland schools has been mirrored in the national pandemic-related problem, but new examples of fallout are still being discovered.
Since the pandemic, data from the superintendent’s office shows that fewer D.C. public school students have been repeating the ninth grade.
Taken at face value, that may sound like a good thing. However, a D.C.-based think tank said the numbers suggest some students have been promoted without mastering basic skills.
In a new analysis, the D.C. Policy Center said “repetition tends to be very high among ninth graders,” in D.C. schools. “This is because it is the first year where grade promotion depends on specific quantifiable metrics,” in which high schoolers have to accumulate a certain number of credits to be promoted to the next grade.
Before the pandemic, ninth grade repetition was on the rise — in 2019-2020, 28% of ninth-graders repeated. However, in 2021-2022, that number fell to 25%.
“This is likely due to the relaxation of related requirements around grading and attendance during the pandemic, which made it easier to earn the requisite credits for grade promotion,” according to the think tank.
Virginia and Maryland school districts have had similar concerns about student learning loss, with 25% or more students chronically absent.
D.C. Policy Center’s analysis of date from the District’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education shows certain student groups — English learners, at-risk students and students with disabilities — have been even less likely to repeat ninth grade.
“For example, ninth grade repetition for English learners was cut back by a third (declining from 20% to 10%). Repetition among at-risk students and students with disabilities declined by 5 percent points (a one-sixth decline). Latino students experienced a large decline of 14 percentage points,” according to the think tank’s findings.
The D.C. Policy Center said even though D.C. students are graduating high school at higher rates, “enrollment in postsecondary institutions and completion declined during the pandemic.”
Most students who were in ninth grade during the height of the pandemic are now juniors and seniors, “and impacts are likely to continue for them.”
“It is really important to support these students through rigorous programs such as high-impact tutoring, and increased interventions and supports,” according to D.C. Policy Center. “Schools have access to (federal aid to school systems) for the last time this school year, and their investments will hopefully make a difference in academic outcomes in addition to promotion.”