[CliffFletcher]

Since we’re seeing these educational declines in other provinces and countries, the obvious explanation is the covid school closures and loss of in-class learnings. There’s a reason education experts and child welfare advocates implored jurisdictions to do everything possible to keep schools operating in-person during the pandemic. We have a wealth of data showing the loss of even a few weeks of instruction (and for many students during the pandemic, remote learning meant no learning) affects learning outcomes for years. Especially for the weakest students.