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. Public Schools of North Carolina . . State Board of Education . . Department Of Public Instruction .

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE
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MOVEMENT IN THE VILLAGE :: THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP NATIONAL & PERSPECTIVES

THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP: NATIONAL & STATE PERSPECTIVES


The National Overview

  • The U.S. Department of Education reported in 2000 that the ethnic and racial achievement gaps among students in math, reading, and science have either widened or stayed the same in the 1990's.
  • By the time students enter kindergarten, the black-white gap is already about half its ultimate size.
  • According to the 2000 NAEP report, by the end of grade 4, African American, Latino and poor students of all races are already about two years behind other students.
  • NAEP also reports that by the time students reach grade 8, African American, Latino, and poor students are about three years behind other students.
  • Ninety percent of Whites and ninety-four percent of Asians complete high school or earn a GED while eighty-one percent of African Americans and sixty-three percent of Latinos, in the same age group, have earned a high school diploma or GED.

Reading

  • Only 1 in 50 Latinos and 1 in 100 African Americans 17 years old can read and gain information from specialized text such as the science section in the newspaper compared to 1 in 12 Whites.
  • Fewer than one-quarter of Latinos and one-fifth of African Americans can read the complicated but less specialized text that more than half of White students can read.

Mathematics

  • About 1 in 30 Latinos and 1 in 100 African Americans can comfortably do multistep problem solving and elementary Algebra, compared to 1 in 10 White students.
  • Only 3 in 10 African American and 4 in 10 Latino 17 year-olds have mastered the usage and computation of fractions, commonly used percents and averages compared to 7 in 10 White students.


The North Carolina Commitment

  • In 1999, Governor Jim Hunt issued a challenge to the state to become the best system of public schools of any state in America by 2010.
  • State Superintendent, Mike Ward, brought focus to the challenge set forth by Governor Hunt by initiating a Ten-Step Plan to raise achievement levels and close achievement gaps by 2010.
  • An Advisory Commission on Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps was established under the direction of Dr. Robert Bridges, former superintendent of Wake County Schools.
  • NC Department of Public Instruction created a new section, Closing the Achievement Gap, within the Division of School Improvement to address issues related to maximizing student potential and closing achievement gaps.
  • Several research documents related to minority achievement in NC were released between 2000-2001: A View From the Nine, Reporting on Increasing Opportunity to Learn via Access to Rigorous Courses and Programs, Minority Achievement Report, and Eliminating The Black-White Achievement Gap: A Summary of Research.
  • The Education First Task Force was set up by Governor Mike Easley in 2001 to look at high-performing, high poverty schools across the state that are consistently moving all cohorts of students toward the charge to become the best system of public schools of any state in America.

Reading Overview

  • Among NC 4th graders, white students have scored notably higher on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment than Blacks and Latinos in 1992, 1994, and 1998.
  • NAEP reading results for all subgroups have not differed markedly since 1992.

Mathematics Overview

  • NC was recognized for its achievements in mathematics following the 2000 NAEP assessment. The gap in mathematics achievement has narrowed but still remains too wide.
  • The percentage of White and Black students performing at the proficiency level has increased. The performance of Latino and American Indian students has shown significant change in 4th grade.
  • In grade 8 the percentage of White students performing at or above the proficient level increased in 2000 while Black and Latino students did not change significantly.


Resources

  • National Assessment of Educational Progress (1998, 2000)
  • NC End-of-Grade (2000). Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
  • NC End-of-Course (2000). Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
  • NC Minority Achievement Report 2001. Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
  • "Racial Gap in test scores not closing", Dale Mezzacappa, The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 25, 2000.
  • "Closing the Achievement Gap", Kati Haycock, Educational Leadership Volume 58 Number 6, March 2001.
  • "New Frontiers for a New Century-A National Overview", Kati Haycock, The Education Trust, Volume 5 Issue 2, Spring 2001.

"Some say it is unfair to hold disadvantaged children to rigorous standards. I say it is discrimination to require anything less." – President George W. Bush

CHALLENGING STUDENTS TO A HIGHER STANDARD WHILE CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP NC'S TEN-STEP PLAN NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT OF 2001 NATIONAL INITIATIVE
  • Close the gaps in percentages of students performing at grade level.
  • Create a permanent advisory committee to the State Superintendent/Department to address issues related to high standards and closing performance issues.
  • Provide technical assistance to schools and school systems to help close the gap.
  • Require LEA to develop annual plans for closing gaps and raising performance levels. Conduct random reviews of these plans.
  • Develop budget requests through 2003 for allocating funds to DPI, local school systems, and schools for use in closing gaps and raising performance.
  • Direct $4 million in Goals 2000 funds for 2000-01 to assist LEAs in closing the gap initiatives.
  • Calculate change using ABC's accountability program. Partner with the five local districts participating in pilot program that rewards schools for improving performance of subgroups of students.
  • Seek funding and legislation to pilot dual language demonstration sites.
  • Develop a resource center for information on best practices in closing gaps.
  • Encourage local collaboration of all stakeholders to participate in public forums and take actions that support closing gaps and raising student performance.
  • All states are required to administer annual testing in reading and mathematics by 2005-2006.
  • Science testing is required by 2007-2008.
  • All states will participate in NAEP assessment in grades 4 and 8 every other year.
  • All students at the proficiency level defined by the state within 12 years.
  • Technical assistance will be provided for Title I schools failing to make progress in two years.
  • Students enrolled in a Title I school that fails to make progress in two years will be allowed to attend another public school.
  • Title I schools failing to make progress after three years must offer supplemental education services selected by the students'parents.
  • Title I schools failing to make progress after five years must be reconstituted.
  • $900 million to states and local districts to establish reading programs for children in grades K-3 (Reading First).
  • Title I teachers must be fully licensed beginning 2002-2003.
  • All teachers must be fully licensed by December 31, 2005.
  • LEP students will be required to take state assessments in English after being in the U.S. for three consecutive years.

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as the "No Child Left Behind Act," was signed into law January 8, 2002. Several key parts of this new act were based on the accountability programs in North Carolina and Texas.

 

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