In recent years, schools have faced the growing challenge of heat waves, which have caused significant disruptions to learning, testing and school schedules. Closures or dismissals due to high temperatures have become increasingly common, interrupting students’ learning. In addition to disrupting instructional time, high temperatures pose challenges when heat waves overlap with testing, especially in schools with unreliable cooling.
School infrastructure is closely tied to issues of educational inequities. As shown in a 2020 Government Accountability Office report, many schools across the country are not equipped to handle extremely high temperatures. In fact, nearly half of the schools at the time of the report were found to require expensive updates to HVAC systems and other infrastructure needed to handle outdoor temperatures, including heat waves. This statistic demonstrates both the prevalence and urgency of the infrastructure issue, raising concerns about student learning.
In our recent research brief, my colleagues and I at NWEA asked: Does heat affect student test performance, and if so, who is most affected? To investigate this, we conducted an analysis using data from six states that explored whether high temperatures on the day of testing have meaningful impacts on student achievement. We used MAP Growth achievement data across grades three through eight in both math and reading, combining test scores with daily temperature data over three years of testing.
Math scores decline on hot test days
Our analysis showed a clear relationship between performance on math assessments and high test-day temperatures. We found that for math tests, scores decline once outdoor temperatures exceed 80°F, and that the largest drops occur on days above 100°F. Specifically, we found that students who tested in math on a 101°F day scored roughly 0.06 standard deviations lower than those who tested on a 60°F day. To put these results into context, 0.06 SD is the equivalent of about 10% of the learning typically gained in a school year for a fifth-grader. For reading tests, we did not find meaningful effects, suggesting that differences among subjects may affect students’ sensitivity to test-day temperature. Other recent research on this topic has also shown differences between subjects. This may be due to differences in the tasks required on math vs. reading tests, and their relationship with heat.
Disproportionate effects in high-poverty schools
In addition to our main analysis, we examined how schools with higher poverty rates were affected by high test-day temperatures. Using free or reduced-price lunch to categorize school poverty levels, we found that high-poverty schools experienced larger declines in math scores. Effects were up to twice as large on the hottest testing days at these schools. In our research brief, we emphasized that these findings may reflect unequal testing conditions rather than actual differences in ability, and that extreme heat may mask true student achievement, especially in schools without reliable cooling to mitigate high temperatures on testing days. Taken together with recent research, our findings underscore how environmental conditions, such as extreme heat, can compound existing inequities in education.
Recommendations
With the research findings in mind, we recommended the following actions for school and district leaders to address and prepare for high temperatures.
- Although heat waves can be unexpected and lead to unplanned closures, schools can take action when testing is scheduled for hotter days. When possible, scheduling testing during cooler periods or utilizing cooler spaces within school buildings can help mitigate the effects of heat.
- Increasing temperatures pose a widespread challenge to districts around the country. Strategic investments in equipping schools with reliable HVAC systems and other infrastructure are essential to prepare for long-term unexpected heat waves and other environmental challenges. Research that employs student outcome data can be a useful tool for district leaders to provide evidence of the impacts of heat on student outcomes.
Our findings show that heat on test days can meaningfully harm performance on math assessments, and high-poverty schools can be more vulnerable to these effects. As temperatures continue to rise, disparities in school facilities, such as a lack of reliable and up-to-date cooling systems, can deepen existing inequities in student learning. School infrastructure and building conditions are significant and urgent issues that have direct impacts on learning and student outcomes. Ensuring that all students have access to temperature-controlled environments to learn and test in is essential, as heat waves continue to pose a widespread challenge.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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