2021 NAEP School and Teacher Questionnaire Special Study
In March and April 2021, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) surveyed a sample of school administrators and teachers about ways education was provided and supported during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This report addresses the following:
- What support did schools provide for distance learning?
Half or more schools in most participating states and districts provided digital devices to all students for the 2020–21 school year.
Skip to this section to see more results - How did schools and teachers support students to address gaps in learning that may have occurred because of school closures?
More than 50 percent of teachers in most states and districts in the study used diagnostic assessments monthly to evaluate gaps.
Skip to this section to see more results - How confident were teachers in facing the challenges of distance learning?
Ninety percent or more of teachers in most states and districts in the study indicated confidence in conducting distance-learning lessons.
Skip to this section to see more results - About the 2021 NAEP School and Teacher Questionnaire Special Study
Skip to this section
The findings in this report are limited to states/jurisdictions and districts that agreed to participate in the study and met reporting standards. Sections I–III present school and/or teacher percentages for selected survey responses in participating states/jurisdictions and districts with reportable results. Significance tests are not performed on response percentages, and states/jurisdictions and districts are not compared to one another. However, state/jurisdiction response percentages are compared to the median state percentage for each variable. Section IV provides details about this study, including information about state and district participation and criteria for reportable results.
Thirty-three states/jurisdictions and seven large urban districts participated in this study. While national results cannot be provided, school responses are reportable for 29 states/jurisdictions and six large urban districts at grade 4, and for 27 states/jurisdictions and five large urban districts at grade 8. Teacher responses are reportable for 30 states/jurisdictions and six large urban districts at grade 4, and for 30 states/jurisdictions and five large urban districts at grade 8. Throughout this report, states/jurisdictions are simply referred to as “states.”
This report describes just some of the efforts schools and teachers made during a period of widespread academic disruption. Activities during this disruption may have varied between schools, and between and within participating states and districts. Factors outside of the schools may have also influenced activities. The study data can be explored further in the NAEP Data Explorer.
I. What Support Did Schools Provide for Distance Learning?
This section highlights some of the ways that schools supported their students and teachers for distance learning. For the 2020–21 school year, half or more schools in most participating states and districts provided digital devices to all students. Likewise, half or more schools in many states and districts in the study worked with internet providers to get students connected at home, trained teachers and staff, and adapted existing curriculum for distance learning. Training for students and/or their parents or guardians on the use of digital devices was less prevalent.
Also described are the ways that schools supported their students and teachers when schools closed in the 2019–20 school year.