  At the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, the majority of secondary instruction
in the United States transitioned to an online environment. In many parts of
the country, online schooling continued for upwards of two years. Many experts
have hypothesized an "academic slide" (a reduction in student learning)
following this period of online instruction. We investigated the change in
student preparation for introductory college physics in incoming Stanford
university students between the Fall term of 2019 to the Fall term of 2021. We
did this by looking at the performance on a validated physics diagnostic exam
that all Stanford students intending to take a physics course took before
enrolling in an introductory physics course. We found no statistically or
educationally significant change in scores. Despite many anecdotal faculty
reports, at least for this population, the level of student preparation in
physics and related math appears to be unchanged.

Physics Education