Reading Achievement Pre- and Post-COVID-19: A Quantitative Study of Fifth-Grade Students in Georgia

Abstract

Elementary students in the United States were forced into a new learning environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem was that learning in a digital environment during the global COVID-19 pandemic affected the reading achievement of fifth-grade students. A gap in the literature was related to Georgia Milestones reading assessment scores for fifth-grade students in Georgia from 2019 to 2021. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine the differences between fifth-grade reading achievement scores pre- and post-COVID-19 in Georgia public schools. The theoretical framework combined social learning theory with constructivism. Research Question 1 explored the differences in fifth-grade reading achievement scores on the Georgia Milestones in 2019 compared to 2021. Research Question 2 explored the differences in the average 2019 fifth-grade Georgia Milestones Lexile scores compared to 2021. Participants included fifth-grade students enrolled in Georgia public schools who took the Georgia Milestones Assessment in reading in 2019 and 2021. Archival data were analyzed using statistical processes to draw meaningful conclusions. Using SPSS software, a paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare the relationship between 2019 and 2021 Georgia Milestones reading achievement scores. More students scored below grade level in 2021 (M = 35.932, SD = 13.701) than in 2019 (M =30.434, SD = 11.423) indicated by a lower mean score determining the average Lexile level decreased in 2021 compared to 2019. Findings showed statistically significant differences indicating a decline in reading achievement and Lexile scores. The null hypotheses for both research questions were rejected.