The COVID-19 pandemic has led to near-universal closing of schools at all levels worldwide, remaining negative consequences for all participants in the educational process. School support plays a key role in mitigating the negative effect of school-closure during the pandemic period on student learning achievement.The present study assesses the possible mediating role of school support in the effects of COVID-19 disruption on primaty students learning achievement through analysis of data collected through the IEA’s Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2021).

In Kazakhstan, as in many countries, regular schooling was disrupted since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March 2020. In 2021, 77% of all school students started the new academic year via distance learning. In response to the pandemic, the government of Kazakhstan undertook set of systemic measures: distance learning was implemented using online platforms and services, as well as using audio and telework; computer equipment and Internet cards were presented freely to students in need; professional development courses on distance learning were offered for about 347 thousand teachers.

So far, some studies have pointed to significant losses in students' knowledge in Kazakhstan during school-closures led by the pandemic (IAC, 2020; Dzhaksylykov, 2020). Researchers in the USA found that many children in Year 2 and Year 3 in their study lost momentum on fundamental skills such as reading, with the difficulty in creating a language-rich environment on Zoom being one of the primary reasons (Domingue et al., 2021). In another study conducted in the UK, attainment gaps were found for both Year 1 and Year 2 students, with the most profound effects on students from a disadvantaged background (Rose et al., 2021).

The following research questions will guide the study:

1. How is the school closure during the pandemic period resulted in reading achievement of Kazakhstani primary grade students?
2. Does school support (providing access to digital devices, delivering printed and online learning materials, organizing online activities, providing technical and methodological support for teachers) mediate the relationship between school closure due to COVID-19 and reading achievement?
3. Does the mediation effect of school support vary across different socio-demographic groups?

The quantitative research method will be employed to evaluate the impact of the selected parameters on student performance by using multilevel modelling techniques. The data for this study will be from the Kazakhstan sample in the IEA PIRLS 2021 database. PIRLS 2021 is an only international large-scale assessment conducted during the COVID-19 school disruption. It provides contextual information about how remote instruction was organized in schools, including information about distance learning resources available for students, methodological and technical support for teachers, etc.

As a result, it is expected to find out how school resources could mediate the relationship between school closure and academic performance across SES groups using the national questionnaire data from PIRLS 2021. The study will inform an ongoing process of developing an effective mechanism for designing and implementing the educational recovery program in Kazakhstan.

1. JSC Information and Analytical Center. (2020). Analytical report on the monitoring of learning using distance technologies in general schools in the framework of emergency distance learning in Kazakhstan [Unpublished research]. https://iac.kz/ 2. Bokayev, B., Torebekova, Z., Abdykalikova, M., & Davletbayeva, Z. (2021). Exposing policy gaps: The experience of Kazakhstan in implementing distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 15(2). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-07-2020-0147 3. Dzhaksylykov, S. (2020). Distance learning diaries: How was the “distance” school term from students and parents’ point of view. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a-wo91IsG_puveH2mUVCU9XliZIcC8_2/view 4. Domingue, B. W., Hough, H. J., Lang, D., & Yeatman, J. (2021). Changing Patterns of Growth in Oral Reading Fluency during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Policy Analysis for California Education, Working Paper. Retrieved from https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/wp_domingue_mar21-0.pdf