It’s been almost 3 years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. And yet, many of its ramifications are still prevalent issues today. One of the concerning issues that is still relevant is learning loss that occurred over the remote learning period.

To combat the issue of learning loss, LAUSD is offering hyper accelerated learning days. At North Hollywood High School, the hyper accelerated learning days are available over winter break, on December 19 & 20. The school will be left open for students to enter where they can meet with instructors and begin catching up.

Students who are struggling with their classes would greatly benefit from the accelerated learning days. Various reasons prompted the accelerated learning days, however it was mainly due to the misfortune of students not being able to efficiently learn and retain information during remote learning.

Many students feel as though they received subpar education during the remote learning period. An early lack of learning can be especially problematic for students who are in classes that build off of prior knowledge. For example students who are in math & foreign language classes may have this issue as the course content builds off prior knowledge.

Phillip Medina, a junior states, “I was a freshman during the online learning period taking algebra 1, and now that I’m in algebra 2 I feel as though I’m struggling in comparison to someone who was able to take it in person. Because of that I’m going to attend the hyper accelerated learning days.”

Alongside Medina, another junior Matthew Fernandez replied, “I have nothing else to do during break and I don’t see any negatives to it, so I’ll be attending the accelerated learning days.” Additionally, Fernandez described how he felt that the accelerated learning days will help him be better prepared for his classes next semester.

Many different teachers are also in support of the hyper accelerated learning days. Mr. Castiel, a physics teacher, stated, “It’s a good opportunity for students to catch up and refresh on older information they might not fully understand.”

He personally is a strong advocate for the accelerated learning days as he states, “In my physics class some students struggle with algebra, due to instruction loss during remote learning, which inhibits their ability to solve problems. I believe the accelerated learning days are a great tool for said students to get on
even footing”

Hyper accelerated learning is available to all students who are a part of LAUSD even if it is not available at your school. Certain schools, among them North Hollywood High School, will serve as learning hubs for the accelerated learning days. In other words, students who are not a part of North Hollywood High School can still come by to receive help.

Ultimately it is up to the students to decide whether they want to attend the hyper accelerated
learning days but there is no denying that it can be advantageous to a large number of students.