Closing The Achievement Gap: Can We Really?

This gap is especially apparent when looking at standardized test scores.

In the United States, there is a large achievement gap between different demographic groups. This gap is especially apparent when looking at standardized test scores. While there are many factors that contribute to this achievement gap, it is important to close it in order to ensure that all students have an equal chance at success.

Shalonda Skidmore on study.com did a great job explaining the different ways that the achievement gap shows up in American education.

Here is how she describes each of them:

Race/Ethnicity

Traditionally, students of color perform lower than their white peers in all areas (standardized tests, graduation rates). The good news is that this gap has been closing at a steady pace over the past 30 years. The gap is largely due to disparities in family income and unemployment, poverty, the educational attainment of their parents, and access to early childhood education.

Gender

Traditionally, females perform better than males in the areas of reading and writing, and males perform better than females in math and science. Consequently, men go in the route of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, and females opt for professions within the social arena. This is largely due to gender stereotypes, parental influence, and societal expectations.

Socioeconomic Status

Students from upper-class families perform better than their peers from middle and lower-class families. This is usually due to their access to better schools (in many cases, private schooling), and access to tutors that children whose parents have a lower income status cannot afford. High educational attainment thus becomes a barrier. Since education is typically linked to the amount of income one has, this becomes a cycle that is hard to break. The number of free and reduced lunch students is usually used to gather socioeconomic status data.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

Language barriers as a whole are detrimental to students for various reasons. Non-native English-speaking students go to school and are taught by teachers, and surrounded by students whose primary language is English, yet when they go home, their native language is what is most spoken. This can severely delay their ability to learn the English language as quickly as their English-speaking peers. School textbooks are often only purchased in English, further creating a barrier. In terms of standardized tests, ESL students usually score much lower in the areas of reading and writing.

Students With Disabilities

Students with learning disabilities perform significantly lower than their non-disabled peers, sometimes up to three grade levels below. This is true for those who have Individualized Education Plans (IEP), and 504-Individual Accommodation Plans (IAP). Teachers are required by law to provide accommodations in order to assist children with IEPs and IAPs, but the data suggests that access to the required level of instruction is lacking. It is largely thought to be due to a hesitance of parents getting their children evaluated for learning disabilities, so students do not get the help that they need early enough, and the delivery of special education for those who need it.

School systems often try to resolve the achievement gap by using a variety of resources and programs.

School systems often try to resolve the achievement gap or opportunity gap by using a variety of resources and programs that target students who don’t perform well on standardized tests. Individual schools will analyze the data after an assessment and group students according to their scores. The students who were not proficient but close to proficiency are usually the students who are targeted for additional intervention programs.

These programs usually work for the targeted population, giving them the necessary boost in skills to demonstrate proficiency on the next assessment. The success of the program depends on the commitment of the student to attend additional intervention programs and whether or not they are engaged during this time. The problem with this approach is that it only targets students who are close to proficiency, leaving those who are far from proficiency without additional intervention.

It is my opinion that closing the achievement gap is not something that can be done by the school alone, it has to be a collaborative approach between the families and the school. I know that this sounds cliche’ however, without the support of a student’s family and the commitment to help them improve the school’s efforts will be temporary at best.

In order to have long term achievement for a child who is not achieving on grade level, there has to be real and consistent collaboration amongst the family and the school. The school will need to reach out to the family and set up a meeting where a plan is established for the child for support services in school and at home. The family will need to commit to supporting the child at home consistently while they are getting support in school as well.

The support will need to be focused on building their reading and math skills, teaching them test taking skills and building their academic confidence.

If both parties are committed, this can be a powerful resource for any child who is not performing at grade level.