@EdWorkingPaper{ai20-214,
title = "The learning curve: Revisiting the assumption of linear growth across the school year",
author = "Megan Kuhfeld, James Soland",
institution = "Annenberg Institute at Brown University",
number = "214",
year = "2020,
month = "April",
URL = "http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai20-214",
abstract = {Important educational policy decisions, like whether to shorten or extend the school year, often require accurate estimates of how much students learn during the year.  Yet, related research relies on a mostly untested assumption: that growth in achievement is linear throughout the entire school year.  We examine this assumption using a data set containing math and reading test scores for over seven million students in kindergarten through 8th grade across the fall, winter, and spring of the 2016-17 school year. Our results indicate that assuming linear within-year growth is often not justified, particularly in reading. Implications for investments in extending the school year, summer learning loss, and racial/ethnic achievement gaps are discussed.},
}