Achievement Gap or Rigor Gap? National Association for Multicultural Education Oregon Chapter

Graduate School of Education Leading, Learning, Life ChangingGraduate School of Education Leading, Learning, Life Changing

Achievement Gap or Rigor Gap?

National Association for Multicultural EducationOregon Chapter

Patrick Burk, Ph.D.

Portland State University

April 24, 2010


• James Coleman used the term “achievement gap” in 1965. What do you think he meant by that?

• What was the policy response?

Let’s talk about this…….


Multnomah County AchievementMultnomah County -- Grade 3 Reading/Literature

Percent Meeting & Exceeding Standards

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Special Education

All Students


Multnomah County -- Grade 5 Reading/LiteraturePercent Meeting & Exceeding Standards

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Multnomah County Achievement




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Multnomah County AchievementMultnomah County -- Grade 3 MathematicsPercent Meeting & Exceeding Standards

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Multnomah County -- Grade 5 MathematicsPercent Meeting & Exceeding Standards

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Multnomah County -- Grade 8 MathematicsPercent Meeting & Exceeding Standards

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Multnomah County AchievementMultnomah County -- Grade 10 Mathematics


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• What strikes you about any pattern in the data over time?




• What might explain students staying in school longer but not graduating on time?


Hispanic-White Student Performance: Oregon


• If black and white students learn at about the same rate, what explains the consistent gap over time?

• Why have some schools apparently done better at closing the gap?



College Readiness and Academic Rigor

• ACT Performance• SAT Performance• Impact of Rigorous

Academic Core


• In your experience, do you find differences in course-taking patterns? Which students are taking which courses?

• Why?



Advanced Placement PossibilitiesAP Possibilities, 2008-09 Data

AP Calculus

PSAT Takers 3+ Likely

AP Takers 3+ Scores

Total 44,907 13,066 1,545 1,002

Native American 1,021 211 8 5

Asian 2,841 1,032 220 129

African American 1,213 198 13 7

Hispanic 5,854 860 72 31

White 31,352 10,155 1,166 788

Other 1,302 338 44 28


Advanced Placement PossibilitiesAP Possibilities, 2008-09 Data

AP English Literature

PSAT Takers 3+ Likely AP Takers 3+ Scores

Total 44,907 10,338 2,051 1,287

Native American 1,021 137 20 8

Asian 2,841 717 175 102

African American 1,213 135 34 17

Hispanic 5,854 459 127 40

White 31,352 8,399 1,598 1,055

Other 1,302 277 52 36


• Does the rigor of the course content and of the classroom activities matter?



State of Black OregonThe Urban League of Portland• During 2006-07, Black high school students

were nearly twice as likely as White students to be expelled or suspended.

• The Black-White Difference share of students meeting or exceeding state benchmarks grows dramatically with grade level.

• 68 percent of Black students graduate on time compared with 85 percent of White students

• 32 percent of the Black graduating class of 2006 have enrolled in an Oregon public university or college (through Spring 2008); compared with 47 percent of white students.


“Beyond the first fall, students admitted with low GPA and test scores continue to experience lower retention than those entering with standard admission. Students entering with missing subject requirements also consistently have lower retention than those entering with standard admission.”

Source: PSU Office of Institutional Research and Planning, 2008

Fall-to-Fall Retention Rate of First-Time Freshmen by Special Admit Type

51.3%

44.4%

63.9%65.4%65.0%62.0%63.1%64.0%

60.0% 59.0%62.1%

40.0%

59.6% 60.7%55.7%

60.0% 58.8% 57.8%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

Overall

Low GPA/Test Scores

Missing Subject

Overall 64.0% 63.1% 62.0% 65.0% 65.4% 63.9%

Low GPA/Test Scores 60.0% 51.3% 40.0% 62.1% 44.4% 59.0%

Missing Subject 59.6% 60.7% 55.7% 60.0% 58.8% 57.8%

01 02 03 04 05 06


• What contributes to students staying in college and making progress toward a degree?



Conclusions• Achievement Gap persists but improvement in

grades 3 and 5.• Oregon performance on national assessments is

at or above national averages, but is flat overall.• Participation and performance in Advanced

Placement Exams up, but greater potential exists.• Clear evidence that participation in a rigorous core

set of classes has a positive impact on performance and college readiness. Supports the Oregon Diploma.

• Significant differences by ethnicity in participation in a rigorous core curriculum.

Graduate School of Education Leading, Learning, Life ChangingGraduate School of Education Leading, Learning, Life ChangingHow Can We Respond?

• Consider the implication of a “Rigor Gap.” To what degree is access to rigor predicted by race?

• Select a limited number of clear indicators and mobilize community response.– Pre-school and Full Day Kindergarten– 3rd grade benchmarks for all students– Rigorous and challenging class assignments– 8th grade transition benchmarks– Rigorous core curriculum in every high school for

every student based on proficiency and including student support

• Intervention plans at each grade level• Invest in teacher quality; university partnerships• Support PK-12 alignment to the new diploma

requirements as target objectives


• What practices might unlock the door for more rigorous content for all students?



Quality Education Commission

Composite Report from

The Regional Best Practices Panels


Approach to the Project

• Looked at best practices research literature• Conducted focus groups with Oregon

educators• Consulted with national experts and work in

other states


2. Southern Oregon & South Coast

5. Metro Area & Northwestern Oregon

1. North Central & Northeastern Oregon

4. Valley & Central Coast

3. Central & Southeastern Oregon

For this report five regional panels were established in :


They used four criteria

Each panel selected successful schools in their region to interview


Criteria for selection:

3. Schools that had improved the percentage of students meeting or exceeding benchmark in one or more of the federally defined assessment cohorts (American Indian/Alaskan Native, Black, Hispanic, Special Education, Economically Disadvantaged, LEP)

1. Schools that had high “status” (RIT) scores for math and reading in benchmark assessment years

2. Schools that had been rated “Exceptional” on the Oregon Report Card

4. Schools that instituted practices that led to improvement that “earned” their way out of the federally defined “School Improvement Status”


The panels jointly developed an interview schedule

1. Exploring what factors were present in schools that matched best practices already identified in the model.

3. Factors that were in the model that schools thought really did not make a significant difference for students.

2. Determining what factors were not in the model but were considered important in the success of a school and should therefore be added to the model.


All together the five panels interviewed 42 schools

Sixteen elementary schools

Twelve middle schools

Fourteen high schools


FindingsThe five panels had agreement on two essential factors:

• Data and Formative Assessment

• Instructional Adaptability

• Relationships

• Leadership

• Time

Four out of five panels had agreement on three more necessary factors:


Time for teachers – includes:

7. communication with parents and others

6. teacher planning

5. individual teacher-to-teacher exchange

4. school-day professional development

3. data analysis and interpretation

2. team discussion and student review

1. collaboration and team planning -- the key to creating leadership capacity.


1. Time is needed for students to work on task

2. Time is recognized as the most important ingredient in improving results for all students but extra time on task is especially necessary for lower performing students to make progress in closing the achievement gap

Time for students – includes:


Time is finite – the school day is finite

4. Schools add Saturday school & summer school

1. Schools try shortening the “passing time” between classes

3. Schools add before and after school programs

2. Schools try starting earlier and ending later

Capturing Time

5. Teachers make arrangements for some to have larger classes so others can have smaller classes to work with students needing extra help


Leadership• Leadership of the principal and the affiliated leadership of some key teaching staff were cited as a key, and often primary factor in the schools’ accomplishments

• A school community that is focused on established goals and an articulated sense of vision or purpose results in a cohesive and focused staff group working together, and collaborating with each other


Communication & Relationships

Respect, trust and unity in the work environment

• Relationships of trust and respect between the principal and the teachers, among the staff for each other, between the staff and the students, and between the staff and parents.

• These schools provide newsletters, special family nights, web information, mentor training and supervision, English language classes for parents, study kits for parents to provide home aid, after-school activities

[& they should not come at the expense of regular school program for students]


Instructional Adaptability

Successful schools are flexible and regularly review their goals and methods.

• Use task forces, study groups, and ad hoc committees for student success evaluation

• Focus on identifying new challenges, rather than recounting old accomplishments.

• Have a formal plan to examine internal and external data on student progress and accomplishment of goals


Data & Formative Assessment

Two primary aspects:

• Access to good formative assessment data (the ability to manage the data once collected)

• The training necessary to “mine” the data sources.


Let’s KEEP TALKING about this!

• Thank you very much!

Achievement Gap or Rigor Gap? National Association for Multicultural Education Oregon Chapter

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Transcript of Achievement Gap or Rigor Gap? National Association for Multicultural Education Oregon Chapter