REPORTS

CLOSING THE GAP & CHALLENGING ALL STUDENTS
TO REACH HIGHER LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE

State Superintendent Mike Ward issued a call in April 2000 to school administrators, parents, and communities across this state to find the will to close the achievement gaps between students and to challenge all students to reach higher standards. At the same time, he believed that North Carolina must stand firm on high expectations set under the ABCs of Public Education and by the new Student Accountability Standards. With the support of the State Board of Education, he proposed the following actions for the Department of Public Instruction and State Board to guide this effort.

1. Children at every performance level should improve academically. Students experiencing difficulty should be helped to reach proficiency and beyond. High-performing students should reach even higher levels of achievement. The goal should be growth across all levels - with performance lines converging. The most immediate goal is closing the gaps in the percentages of students who are achieving at grade level.
   
   
2. Create a permanent advisory committee to the State Superintendent/Department to address the issues of higher standards and closing performance gaps by race, gender and socioeconomic status. This group's actions will include issuing an annual report on the status of and progress to close gaps and challenge all students to higher levels.
   
   
3. Establish a section within the Department to provide technical assistance to schools and school systems to help close the gaps. The ABCs assistance team approach will be used as the model for this section. These staff members and teachers-on-loan will work with other Department staff to address best practices, alternative education, dropout prevention, instruction and testing, parent and community involvement, staff development and other areas.
   
   
4. Require local school systems to develop annual plans for closing gaps and challenging all students to higher levels. Conduct random reviews of these plans.
   
   
5. Develop budget requests for the short session and the next biennium, 2001-03, and subsequent years of the Legislature for funds for DPI, local school systems and local schools to use in closing the gaps and challenging all students to higher levels of performance.
   
   
6. Direct $4 million in Goals 2000 funds for 2000-01 to assist local school systems in closing the gaps. These funds will go out to school systems in August (2000). Also, coordinate with other state, federal and private agencies and groups to secure funding and services that can help close gaps and challenge students.
   
   
7. Calculate each school's progress under the ABCs accountability program based on the second and third retests for students in grades 3, 5 and 8 (Gateway years under the Student Accountability Standards). This change will reward schools for making progress with students who need extra help. Also, work with the five local districts participating in the ABCs pilot program that rewards schools for improving performance of subgroups of students.
   
   
8. Seek funding and legislation to pilot dual language demonstration sites to help meet the needs of English language learners.
   
   
9. Develop a resource center for schools and school systems for information on best practices in closing gaps. This center would include information on available training in multicultural issues, what's working in high-performing schools and other resources.
   
   
10. Encourage local collaboration of school leaders, parents, the faith community, students, historically minority colleges and universities, other higher education institutions and other stakeholders to hold community forums and take actions to support closing gaps and challenging students to higher levels of performance.