Despite a return to in-person learning CMS 3rd-graders falling behind: Thursday, March 24

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools third-graders continue to fall behind in English Language Arts despite returning to the classroom.

This was revealed at Wednesday night's school board meeting in a mid-year progress report on college and career readiness in schools in the district.

Preliminary reports show Black and Hispanic third-graders at CMS are still off track to be college and career ready based on English Language Arts scores.

Some board members were visibly disappointed that in-person learning didn’t increase scores.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cms-third-graders-falling-behind-despite-in-person-learning/275-8e6270db-c870-486b-8194-945af9af2456

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine works in babies, toddlers and preschoolers the company announced Wednesday -- and if regulators agree it could mean a chance to finally start vaccinating the littlest kids by summer.

Moderna said in the coming weeks it would ask regulators in the U.S. and Europe to authorize two small-dose shots for youngsters under 6. The company also is seeking to have larger-dose shots cleared for older children and teens in the U.S.

The nation’s 18 million children under 5 are the only age group not yet eligible for vaccination. Competitor Pfizer currently offers kid-sized doses for school-age children and full-strength shots for those 12 and older.

But parents have anxiously awaited protection for younger tots, disappointed by setbacks and confusion over which shots might work and when. Pfizer is testing even smaller doses for children under 5 but had to add a third shot to its study when two didn't prove strong enough. Those results are expected by early April.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/moderna-says-low-dose-covid-shots-work-for-kids-under-6/507-b29f704a-455e-4639-8733-f29151b5a7ae

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