Print As the end of the school year draws closer, Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials are contemplating how much learning loss students have sustained during the pandemic and devising a plan to get kids back on track in the year ahead. Trustees in a study session Tuesday attempted to understand how nearly a year of campus closures and reopenings, distance learning and modified school schedules that provide just a few hours of face time may be impacting K-6 learners and their ability to meet grade-level expectations. Assistant Supt. John Drake shared reading assessment data from the beginning of the 2019-20 school year and compared it to similar benchmarks measured at the start of the current school year, when students already had months of distance learning under their belts.