24 Erin Trantham, EdD populations. In the review of the literature, the current study is the only study found to have specifically analyzed data to determine higher levels of academic performance between learning environments. The current study is also the only study to explore the impacts of personalized learning in a post-COVID educational setting. The current study is a potential solution to the academic impacts created by the lost learning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-pandemic students are experiencing deficits in math, and students in personalized learning environments have consistently shown significantly higher academic performance in math. Students in lower elementary grade levels have shown larger amounts of lost learning compared to older peers. The current study found students in second grade to reach higher levels of academic achievement in math and reading in personalized learning environments compared to traditional learning environments. Academically at-risk students and students who are economically disadvantaged have historically performed lower academically and showed greater amounts of learning loss due to the pandemic. The significant relationship between personalized learning and high levels of academic achievement are also show to have a significant relationship in the current study. By personalizing learning, students are able make some academic gains lost due to COVID slide. Conclusion Students in the United States have shown a negative academic impact due to lost learning time due to school closures and quarantines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to make up for lost time in the classroom, Personalized learning is an approach to teaching and learning that creates an environment where students have voice and choice in what they learn, when they learn, how they learn it, and how they demonstrate mastery. Personalized learning also functions on the foundation that students should master content before moving on to new concepts and skills. There are only a small number of studies analyzing the academic impacts of personalized learning. The results of those studies, however, are consistent in their findings. Students in personalized learning environments are shown to perform higher academically in math than students in more traditional learning environments. The current study shows that students in personalized learning environments show high levels of academic achievement in both reading and math compared to students in a more traditional learning environment. The results of previous studies in conjunction with the current study show that personalized learning is a way to address academic deficits created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The areas hardest hit by the pandemic were math, lower grade levels, and historically disadvantaged populations. Personalized learning has shown to be an effective approach to allowing students to perform academically in the aforementioned areas. District leaders and campus leaders alike should begin examining current practices and current research to determine how to better address student needs. The traditional one-size-fits-all approach will not address the learning losses students experienced because the gaps are not closing. Changes must be made in the way students are educated, and personalized learning is an approach with data that shows it addresses the areas and demographics where the most help is needed. References Basham, J. D., Hall, T. E., Carter, R. A., & Stahl, W. M. (2016). An operationalized understanding of personalized learning. Journal of Special Education Technology, 31(3), 126–136. https://doi. org/10.1177/0162643416660835 Bray, B., & McClaskey, K. (2015). Make learning personal: The what, who, wow, where and why. Corwin. Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University. (2020). Estimates of learning loss in the 2019 – 2020 school year. Dawson, M. (2022). Student Growth during COVID-19: Grade-Level Readiness Matters. Curriculum Associates. Dewey, J. & Dewey, E. (1915). Schools of to-morrow. E. P. Dutton & Company. Kuhfeld, M., Tarasawa, B., Johnson, A., Ruzek, E., & Lewis, K. (2020). Initial findings on students’ reading and math
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