Closing the achievement gap by
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"We can't be serious about closing the achievement gap if at the same time we seek to water down accountability. Indeed, those kinds of mixed signals give fodder to the many that still believe that accountability for student learning is an imposition, and an unrealistic one at that. One reason this critique garners so much support is the pervasive belief that disparate outcomes for different groups of students are inevitable, or at least beyond the power of public schools to change."1 Russlynn Ali, Executive Director of the Education Trust—West.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell defines the achievement gap as “one that exists between successful students who are often white or Asian and financially well off, and struggling students who are often poor, Hispanic, African American, or disabled.”2 Unfortunately, in spite of the exemplary efforts of many middle grades educators, testing results reveal a lingering achievement gap for particular subgroups of students in many of California’s schools. For example, according to the Education Trust—West , California’s Latino and black eighth graders read at the level of fourth-grade whites.3
A 2006 study by Policy Analysis for California Education, a think tank shared by the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University, found that after seven years of school accountability, achievement gaps in California’s schools are widening in some grades. The study showed that the share of eighth graders from middle-class families proficient in English language arts in 2003 was 28 percentage points higher than the share of English-proficient students from low-income families. In 2006, the gap grew to 33 percentage points.4
A 2006 study by The Education Trust showed that the achievement gap widened in California middle grades even though the state’s middle grades students as a whole experienced a nine percent increase in reading scores and a seven percent increase in math scores. The gap in reading scores widened between African American and white middle grade students by four percent, while the math gap widened by one percent. Likewise, the reading gap between Latino and white middle grades students widened in California by three percent, and the math gap widened by one percent.5
A difficult challenge lies ahead for all educators in closing the achievement gap. There is no quick fix, and there are no easy answers. In fact, a look at the API results of many distinguished schools reveals a continuing achievement gap even in these high-performance schools. The research included in the recommendations of Taking Center Stage—Act II serves as a guide for a long-term endeavor. While educators continue to work on what schools can do, city, state, and national leaders need to look at other social issues that affect children and their ability to learn.
90-90-90 Schools
report is an extensive study of schools from a variety of communities and grade spans, Doug Reeves and researchers from the Center for Performance Assessment found strong evidence against the predictive power of demographics. According to their findings, 90/90/90 schools have the following characteristics:
- More than 90 percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, a commonly used surrogate for low-income families.
- More than 90 percent of the students are from ethnic minorities.
- More than 90 percent of the students met or achieved high academic standards, according to independently conducted tests of academic achievement.
The study examines instruction, assessment, and interventions at the 90-90-90 schools to determine which strategies are common to success. There is additional information about the study at MiddleWeb. To explore successful instruction, assessments, and intervention strategies in the middle grades, please refer to the related links below.
Doug Reeves describes the 90-90-90 schools, and many other successful practices in the following four videos:
Related Links
Previous
The Chance to Engage Potential Dropouts
Next
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) Assessment Requirements
Footnotes
1 Russlynn Ali, Testimony to the State Board of Education, (PDF; Outside Source) Sacramento: California, The Education Trust—West, March 13, 2008.
2 Jack O’Connell, Third Annual State of the Education Address, Sacramento: California Department of Education, Press Release 06-015, February 7, 2006.
3 Closing Achievement Gaps in California: What, Why and How (PDF; Outside Source). A presentation by Education Trust—West at the California Curriculum and Instruction Leadership Symposium, Asilomar, Pacific Grove, Calif., February 2005, slide 20.
4 Linda Jacobson, Some California Achievement Gaps Are Widening, Study Finds (Outside Source), Education Week, November 29, 2006.
5 Daria Hall and Shana Kennedy, Primary Progress, Secondary Challenge: A State-by-State Look at Student Achievement Patterns (PDF; Outside Source). Oakland: The Education Trust, March 2006, 11-13.
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