As school districts near the end of a school year turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, research is finding that the disruption in learning has caused learning loss that likely will impact student achievement. âOur school communities have experienced and continue to experience many challenges during the pandemic, and learning loss is a significant issue students are facing in Pennsylvania and across the nation,â Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega said last week. Local schools have reported a spike in the number of students who have failing grades and an increase in the number of students who will repeat grades after a year trying to adapt to remote and hybrid learning.