Improving Achievement and Closing Gaps€¦ · African-American & Latino Students: Fewer Enrolled in Necessary A-G Courses by 12 th Grade Source: Finkelstein, N.D. and Fong, A.B

Improving Achievement and Closing Gaps:

Where are we?

What do we need to do?

Kilian Betlach, Policy & Practice AssociateThe Education Trust—West

University of California, BerkeleyApril 8, 2009

2009 by The Education Trust-West

California is hobbled by twin

achievement gaps…

…first, between our state and the

rest of the nation

2007 NAEP Grade 4 Reading Average Overall Scale Scores by State

180

190

200

210

220

230

240

Ave

rage

Sca

le S

co

re California

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP Data Explorer, http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/

Proficient Scale Score: 238

National Average

2007 NAEP Grade 4 Reading Average Latino Scale Scores by State

180

190

200

210

220

230

240

Ave

rag

e S

ca

le S

co

re

National Average

California



2007 NAEP Grade 8 Math Average Overall Scale Scores by State



California

National Average

2007 NAEP Grade 8 Math Average African American Scale Scores by State



National Average

California

Let’s be clear.

It’s not our demographics.

2007 NAEP Grade 8 Math Average White Scale Scores by State


Proficient Scale Score: 299National Average

California

2007 NAEP Grade 8 Reading Average Scale Scores by State: NOT POOR

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP Data Explorer,

Proficient Scale Score: 238National Average

California

…second, between low-income

students and students of color and

their more advantaged peers

CALIFORNIA

8th grade ELA, CST 2008

By Ethnicity

Source: California Department of Education, 2008


CALIFORNIA

11th grade ELA, CST 2008

By Ethnicity

Source: California Department of Education data, 2008


CALIFORNIA

Algebra I (Grades 7-11), CST 2008

By Ethnicity



CALIFORNIA

Algebra II (Grades 7-11), CST 2008

By Ethnicity



By the end?

CALIFORNIA

More Accurate Graduation Rates, Class of 2007

Source: Education Trust-West Analysis of CDE data, using the Manhattan Institute methodology

CALIFORNIA

4-Year High School Dropout Rate, By Ethnicity

Class of 2007


Why is there an achievement gap?

• Poor Health

• Economically

Disadvantaged

• Lack of parent

involvement

• Rough

Neighborhoods

These gaps begin before children

arrive at the schoolhouse door.

But rather than organizing our educational

system to ameliorate this problem, we

organize it to exacerbate the problem.

How?

By giving students who start with less, less of

everything that matters in education.

Confront the expectations gap.

COLLEGE-READY GRADUATION RATES

9th graders graduating four years later with A-G

mastery* Class of 2007

Source: ETW’s Raising the Roof, 2008, Manhattan Institute Methodology

*Students who have completed the A-

G course sequence with a “C” or better

in each class.

COLLEGE READY GRADUATION RATES

CALIFORNIA

Class of 2004-Class of 2007

23% 25% 24% 24%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2004 2005 2006 2007

All Students

Source: ETW analysis of CDE data, using Manhattan Institute MethodologySource: ETW’s Raising the Roof, 2008, Manhattan Institute Methodology

African-American & Latino Students: Fewer Enrolled

in Necessary A-G Courses by 12th Grade

Source: Finkelstein, N.D. and Fong, A.B. (2008). Course-taking patterns and preparation for postsecondary education in California’s public university system among minority youth. (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2008-No. 035). Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory West. Retrieved fromhttp://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs

Latino Students: Dramatically Different

Opportunities Based on Counselor

Source: ETW analysis of unnamed urban Southern California School District

Even though most students want to go to college, the

truth is, many low income students and students of

color aren’t getting the classes in the first place.

SoCal High School:

Many Senior Schedules Lack Any Rigor

Student A Student B Student C

• Concert Band

• Library Practice

• Office Practice

• American

Government

• Marching Band

• Teacher Assistant

• Art Fundamentals

• Senior Math

• Teacher Assistant

• Short Story

• Office Practice

• Early Departure

• Early Departure

• Late Arrival

• Concert Band

• Marching Band

• Senior Math

• Office Practice

• Latin American

Literature

• Food Service

• Early Departure

Source: EdTrust—West Transcript Analysis of unnamed Southern California District

Confront the teacher quality gap.

Students Who Start 2nd Grade at About the

Same Level of Math Achievement…

55 57

0

20

40

60

80

100

Group 1 Group 2

Avera

ge P

erc

en

tile

Ran

k

Beginning of 2nd Grade

Source: Heather Jordan, Robert Mendro, and Dash Weerasinghe, The Effects of

Teachers on Longitudinal Student Achievement, 1997.

…Finish 5th Grade Math at Dramatically Different

Levels Depending on the Quality of Their Teachers

55 57

77

27

0

20

40

60

80

100

Group 1 Assigned to Three

EFFECTIVE Teachers

Group 2 Assigned to Three

INEFFECTIVE Teachers

Avera

ge P

erc

en

tile

Ran

k

Beginning of 2nd Grade End of 5th Grade

Source: Heather Jordan, Robert Mendro, and Dash Weerasinghe, The Effects of

Teachers on Longitudinal Student Achievement, 1997.

Good teachers matter a lot.

But some groups of kids don’t get their

fair share of quality teachers.

CALIFORNIA: Most Intern Teachers

Work in High-Minority Schools

• 44% of all interns are teaching in schools with the highest proportion of students of color, compared to only 7% of interns in schools with lowest population of students of color.

18%

31%

44%

7%

Lowest Quartile

Third Quartile

Second Quartile

Highest Quartile

Students of Color Quartiles

Guha, R., Campbell, A., Humphrey, D., Shields, P., Tiffany-Morales, J., & Wechsler,

M. (2006). California’s teaching force 2006: Key issues and trends. Santa Cruz, CA:

The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.

TEXAS: Low-Income and Students of Color Get

Less Qualified Teachers – English I

Source: Analysis of 2005-2006 Teacher Employment Records from the Public Education Information Management Systems (PEIMS) data by Ed Fuller, Ph.D., University of Texas-Austin.

26%26%26%26%

13%13%13%13%

22%22%22%22%16%16%16%16%

50%50%50%50%

17%17%17%17%

0%0%0%0%

10%10%10%10%

20%20%20%20%

30%30%30%30%

40%40%40%40%

50%50%50%50%

Perc

en

t o

f C

lasses T

au

gh

t b

y O

ut

of

Fie

ld T

each

ers

High-Poverty Low Poverty High% Latino Low% LatinoHigh% African- Low% African-

American American

College-prep assignments, using the same

text book

School A, District A,

California

1467 students enrolled in

2005

• 82% White

• 6% Asian

• 4% Latino

• 2% Black

• 2% Low-Income

School B, District B,

California

2001 students enrolled in

2005

• 45% White

• 4% Asian

• 48% Latino

• 1% Black

• 27% Low-Income

Same Text Book:

High-Level college-prep assignment.

• Describe the fundamental problems in the

economy that helped cause the Great

Depression. Consider agriculture, consumer

spending and debt, distribution of wealth, the

stock market

• Describe how people struggled to survive

during the Depression

• How did Hoover’s belief in “rugged

individualism” shape his policies during the

depression?

Same Text Book:

Low Level college-prep assignment.

• Role play (Meet the Press) & interview key people of the era

• Draw a political cartoon highlighting a major event of the time

• Share excerpts from noted literary authors-Lewis, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Hughes

• Listen to jazz artists of the 20’s

• Construct a collage depicting new inventions

Middle School:

7th Grade Assignment

Explain the difference between the systems

of the body affected by an allergy to pollen

and those affected by an allergy to food as

well as the process by which different

medicines reduce the symptoms of each

allergy.

Middle School:

7th Grade Assignment

Name and describe the functions of the five

bodily systems.

Elementary School:

Kindergarten assignment

Based on our reading, choose an ocean

animal you would like to be. Explain what

you would look like, what you would eat,

and what you would do. Why do you want

to be this animal?

Elementary School:

Kindergarten assignment

Draw a picture of animal you would like to

be.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

High-performing districts and schools

dispel pervasive myths about what

kids—and adults—can accomplish.

Ralph J. Bunche Elementary School

Compton Unified School DistrictCarson, California

• 417 students in grades K-5

• 99% African American and Latino

• 40% English Language Learner

• 93% Low-Income

Source: California Department of Education, http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/

Ralph Bunche Students Outperforming

District and State 2007 API

Source: California Department of Education 2007

Ralph Bunche Success at Every Grade LevelMath 2007

Source: California Department of Education 2007

Ralph Bunche College Bound

Abraham Lincoln High SchoolSan Jose, California

• 1741 students in grades 9-12

• 60% Latino

• 34% Low-Income

Source: California Department of Education

Lincoln High Graduating Latino Students College-

Ready at Significantly Higher Rates than the

County and State



Gap Closing at Lincoln High School

Lincoln High Performing Arts

There are big differences at the

district level, too.

Even among the “same” group of

students.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational

Progress (NAEP), 2003 Trial Urban District Reading Assessment.

* There is a 19 point gap between Poor African American 4th graders in the District

of Columbia and Boston (roughly equivalent to 2 years’ worth of learning)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational

Progress (NAEP), 2003 Trial Urban District Reading Assessment.

* There is a 28 point gap between Poor African American 8th graders in Los Angeles

and Houston (roughly equivalent to 3 years’ worth of learning)


• Poor Health

• Economically

Disadvantaged

• Lack of parent

involvement

• Rough

Neighborhoods


• Poor Health

• Economically

Disadvantaged

• Lack of parent

involvement

• Rough

Neighborhoods

• Low expectations

• Ineffective

instructional methods

• Inequitable and

inflexible distribution

of resources

• Inequitable

distribution of quality

teachers

Ultimately, we know the

achievement gap can be closed.

We have the knowledge and experience to disrupt the business-as-usual practices

that perpetuate cycles of low expectations and low achievement.

We need the will.

The Education Trust—West

Download this Presentation

www.edtrustwest.org

Oakland, CA

(510) 465-6444

Documents

Improving Achievement and Closing Gaps€¦ · African-American & Latino Students: Fewer Enrolled in Necessary A-G Courses by 12 th Grade Source: Finkelstein, N.D. and Fong, A.B