Introduction
The latest science testing data from NWEA has underscored a troubling reality: middle school students who were in elementary school during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, are struggling more than expected to catch up.
According to a recent report by The 74, today's middle schoolers are not only behind pre-pandemic levels in science but are continuing to fall further behind as time passes. This trend is particularly alarming for seventh and eighth graders, who were hardest hit during the remote learning period and have yet to rebound.
The Missed Foundation in STEM
Middle school is a critical period for students' identity formation, particularly regarding their interest in STEM fields. Missing out on hands-on, engaging science instruction can have long-term consequences. Students who fail to build a strong foundation in science now may face fewer academic and career options later in life.
This is especially concerning for students whose formative science years occurred during COVID. These students are now lagging further behind compared to their pre-pandemic peers. The lack of tangible, interactive learning during a crucial developmental period is a glaring gap that schools and parents must address.
Why Hands-On Science Matters
Hands-on learning provides students with the opportunity to engage with real-world scientific phenomena. It’s an approach that sparks curiosity, encourages experimentation, and promotes deeper understanding¹.
Even pre-pandemic, reporting confirms 42% of 8th grade students “never to once in a while” participate in “scientific, inquiry-related classroom activities.” The number is only 30% for 4th graders.
And according to 2024 a NWEA report, science learning loss was exacerbated during the pandemic because remote learning environments lacked opportunities for inquiry-based experiences students—making a bad situation even worse!
Science without lab experiments is not science!
Building a Pathway Forward: the Role of Microschools and Homeschools
Hands-on learning involves building opportunities for students to explore, fail, and try again—exactly the kind of experience that fosters engagement and knowledge retention.
For example, using lab kits designed to provide everything a student needs for an immersive experiment, can transform how middle schoolers engage with science and bridge the gaps left by the pandemic. They bring science to life in a way that connects abstract concepts to the real world and are more than just tools—they’re a way to reignite excitement for science, accelerate learning, and equip students with the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
Instead of passively absorbing information from textbooks or screens, students in small, agile educational settings have the chance to do science. They can perform experiments, test hypotheses, and see scientific principles unfold in real time. This kind of interactive, experiential learning helps students not only understand scientific concepts more deeply but also build confidence in their own ability to problem-solve and think critically.
And microschools and homeschools are uniquely positioned to make the most of the power of lab kits. These flexible environments allow for extended, focused learning sessions where students can dive into an experiment, make mistakes, and try again—creating a powerful feedback loop of discovery and mastery.
Microschools and homeschools already emphasize personalized learning, and this individualized attention is more important than ever as we address science learning loss. Small learning environments are particularly effective in helping students who might otherwise fall through the cracks in a traditional classroom setting. And at a time when middle schoolers are falling further behind, hands-on, inquiry-based learning is a critical tool for closing that gap.
In small, adaptable settings like microschools and homeschools, educators have the freedom to provide the personalized, interactive learning experiences that middle school students need to thrive. By offering hands-on middle school science education, these schools are helping students build (or rebuild!) their confidence and interest in science. They provide a nurturing space where students can engage deeply with scientific inquiry, experiment with concepts, and receive immediate feedback. It’s a model that could help fill the gap for students who missed out during the pandemic, accelerating their learning and rebuilding their STEM foundations.
Conclusion: A Call-to-Action
The latest data is a wake-up call. Middle schoolers who fell behind in science during the pandemic are not recovering. And without a shift in how we approach science education, they will continue to fall further behind. The answer is not just more worksheets or lectures—it’s learning through meaningful, experiential, and cognitively-rich, hands-on experiences.
This challenge has incredible potential to be shaped into an opportunity. Middle school science now has the attention of the education establishment. (Long overdue in our opinion.)
By eschewing the status quo and reimagining new ways of learning, we at QuanumCourses are facing this shortfall head-on, in a way that will meaningfully impact students as individuals—individuals who are in a sensitive period for identity formation. It is our responsibility to offer middle schoolers wide-ranging and real-world oriented experiences, allowing them to develop to their full human potential.
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