By Tracy Weeks
At this point last year, many hoped schools would be firmly beyond the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the arrival of the Delta variant combined with the start of a new school year has left educators and administrators navigating constant change. Cases are rising across districts, large numbers of students are quarantining, and some schools lack enough teachers to sustain normal in-person schedules.
As we enter the third school year affected by the pandemic, teachers are confronting a new pattern of disruption to instruction. To meet students’ needs, educators must be able to continuously assess learning and quickly see what students know and where gaps remain.
Why is it so hard right now?
During the initial months of the pandemic, teachers scrambled to convert entire curricula to remote or hybrid formats and to find creative ways to evaluate student learning. Today, with the Delta variant, classrooms are subject to frequent interruption: entire classes or schools may close and reopen, individual students move in and out of learning environments due to quarantines or illness, and teachers or substitutes can be suddenly unavailable. These rolling disruptions make planning coherent instruction and consistent assessment extremely difficult.
No surprise educators are overwhelmed
The past 18 months have placed unprecedented stress on the education workforce. Even before the pandemic, researchers estimated that one out of six American teachers was likely to leave the profession; recent analysis from the RAND Corporation suggests that figure has increased to one in four. Many educators who remained are now trying to both recover learning lost in prior years and manage ongoing interruptions.
Surveys indicate that roughly half of parents and educators believe students fell significantly behind because of the pandemic. That perception creates pressure on teachers to quickly evaluate where students are academically while simultaneously adapting to shifting instructional contexts.
Teachers need the right tools and skills for assessment
The pandemic renewed conversation about moving away from an overreliance on high-stakes testing and toward a balanced assessment model that integrates frequent, low-stakes checks for understanding into daily instruction. Many educators already use formative assessment practices—short, targeted checks that produce immediate evidence of learning—that help teachers gauge student understanding during remote or hybrid lessons.
What teachers need now are assessments that provide fast, actionable data so instruction can be adapted in real time. With timely and meaningful information, teachers can create tailored learning plans, identify students who need additional support, and pinpoint standards that require reteaching. Effective assessment systems should make it simple to collect classroom-level and individual student insights without creating extra administrative burden.
Don’t overwhelm teachers and students with assessment
While it is essential to understand how disruptions affect learning, assessment must be implemented thoughtfully to avoid overburdening teachers or increasing stress for students. Formative assessment should be embedded as a seamless part of instruction rather than an add-on. District leaders should prioritize assessment tools that are easy to use, come with vetted item banks and reliable reporting, and include practical guidance for interpreting results.
Professional development is critical: teachers need straightforward training on how to administer assessments efficiently, analyze results, and translate findings into targeted teaching strategies—especially in hybrid or frequently changing learning environments. Districts should focus on building teachers’ confidence with assessment data without expecting them to become psychometric experts.
It is also important to be mindful of student well-being. Many students are returning to classrooms with elevated anxiety, and high-stakes testing can exacerbate stress and negatively affect performance—particularly for economically disadvantaged students. Low-stakes, formative assessments that inform instruction while minimizing pressure will help create a healthier learning atmosphere and yield more accurate insights.
We cannot predict exactly how the pandemic will evolve, but one thing is clear: educators need reliable, continuous ways to measure student learning and progress regardless of where instruction takes place. Investing in user-friendly assessment tools, practical training, and approaches that balance accountability with student welfare will help teachers respond more effectively to both immediate challenges and long-term recovery needs.
About the author
Tracy Weeks is the Executive Director of Government Affairs at Instructure, an education technology company focused on helping educators and learners work together. Instructure supports millions of educators and learners across thousands of organizations worldwide. Learn more at www.instructure.com.
This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media hub providing context for the ongoing shift to digital curriculum in education.