AIMING HIGH: Improving Achievement and Closing Gaps

1
AIMING HIGHImproving Achievement and Closing
Gaps

• Oklahoma City
• Education Trust, 2004

2
What Do We Know About Student Achievement?
3
12th Grade Achievement In Math and Science is Up
Somewhat
4
High School Achievement Math and Science
Source NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress.
5
In Reading, 12th Grade Achievement is Headed
Downward
6
HIGH SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT READING AND WRITING
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What about different groups of students?During
seventies and eighties, much progress.
8
Gaps Narrow 1970-88NAEP Reading 17 Year-Olds
Source US Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends
in Academic Progress (p. 107) Washington, DC US
Department of Education, August 2000
9
Gaps Narrow 1973-86NAEP Math Scores, 13 Year-Olds
Source US Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends
in Academic Progress (p. 108) Washington, DC US
Department of Education, August 2000
10
Between 1988-90, that progress came to a haltand
gaps began to widen once again.
11
Gaps Narrow, Then Hold Steady or Widen NAEP
Math Scores, 17 Year-Olds
32
20
Source US Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends
in Academic Progress (p. 108) Washington, DC US
Department of Education, August 2000
12
After 1988, Gaps Mostly Widen NAEP Reading, 17
Year-Olds
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31
Source US Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends
in Academic Progress (p. 107) Washington, DC US
Department of Education, August 2000
13
Students Make More Growth Grade 4 to 8 than
Grade 8 to 12
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Academic GrowthGrades 4-8, 8-12
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Value Added in High School Declined During the
Nineties
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Value Added Declining in High School Math...
Age 13-17 Growth
Source NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress
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Still
Age 13-17 Growth
Source Main NAEP 1996, 2000
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Reading Students Entering Better Prepared, But
Leaving Worse
Source NAEP 1996 Trends in Academic Progress
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Hormones?
20
Students in Other Countries Gain far More in High
School
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TIMSS
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Source NCES 1999-081R, Highlights From TIMSS
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Source NCES 1999-081R, Highlights From TIMSS
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PISA
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US 15 Year-Olds Rank Near Middle Of The Pack
Among 32 Participating Countries
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One measure on which we rank high?Inequality!
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Performance Of U.S.15 Year-Olds Highly Variable
Of 27 OECD countries
Source OECD, Knowledge and Skills for Life
First Results From PISA 2000, 2001.
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Where are we now?
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Where Are We Now?NAEP 4th Grade Reading All
Students, 2002
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By Race, Ethnicity 4th Grade Reading 2002
31
By Family Income4th Grade Reading 2002
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Where Are We Now? NAEP 8th Grade Mathematics All
Students 2000
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NAEP 8th Grade Mathematics Race, Ethnicity 2000
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AT END OF HIGH SCHOOL?
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African American and Latino 17 Year Olds Do Math
at Same Levels As White 13 Year Olds
Source NAEP 1999 Long Term Trends Summary Tables
(online)
36
African American and Latino 17 Year Olds Read at
Same Levels as White 13 Year Olds
Source Source NAEP 1999 Long Term Trends
Summary Tables (online)
37
Not Surprisingly, These Patterns Also Clear in HS
Graduation, College Entry and Graduation Rates
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ADD IT ALL UP...
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Of Every 100 White Kindergartners
(25-to 29-Year-Olds)
Source US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the
Census. March Current Population Surveys,
1971-2001, in The Condition of Education 2002.
40
Of Every 100 African American Kindergartners
(25-to 29-Year-Olds)
Source US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the
Census. March Current Population Survey,
1971-2001, In The Condition of Education 2002.
41
Of Every 100 Latino Kindergartners
(25-to 29-Year-Olds)
Source US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the
Census. March Current Population Surveys,
1971-2001, In The condition of Education 2002.
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Of Every 100 American Indian/Alaskan Native
Kindergartners
(24 Year Olds)
43
College Graduates by Age 26
Source Tom Mortenson, Research Seminar on Public
Policy Analysis of Opportunity for Post
Secondary, 1997.
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WHY?
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What We Hear Adults Say

• Theyre poor
• Their parents dont care
• They come to schools without breakfast
• Not enough books
• Not enough parents . . .

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But if theyre right, then why are poor and
minority children performing so high in...
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Some schools...
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Samuel W. Tucker ElementaryAlexandria, VA

• ?68 African American and Latino
• ?53 low-income
• Outperformed 2/3 of VA elem. schools in both
  reading and math for two years in a row (2001-2).
• In 2002, out-performed 92 of VA elem. schools in
  reading and 86 in math.

Source Virginia Department of Education
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West Manor Elementary Atlanta, GA

• ?99 African American.
• ?80 low-income
• Outscored 98 of GA elementary schools in 2nd
  grade reading in 2002.
• Outperformed 90 of GA elementary schools in 2nd
  grade math in 2002.

Source The Education Trust, Dispelling the Myth
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St. James Gaillard ElementaryEutawville, SC

• ?99 African American and Latino.
• ?87 low-income
• Outperformed 97 of SC elem. schools in 3rd grade
  math in 2002.
• Outperformed 82 of SC elem. schools in 4th grade
  reading in 2002.

Source The Education Trust, Dispelling the
Myths Online
51
Sycamore Elementary SchoolKokomo, IN

• ?37 African American and Latino.
• ?62 low-income
• Increased African American 3rd graders meeting
  state standard in math by 55 percentage points
  between 2000 and 2002.
• Closed Black-White 3rd grade reading gap.

Source Indiana Department of Education
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Lincoln Elementary SchoolMount Vernon, NY

• ?69 African American and Latino
• ?49 low-income
• Has outperformed nearly ¾ of NY elem. schools in
  both math and English for three years in a row.
• In 2002, outscored 98 of NY elem. schools in
  math and 99 in English.

Source Ed Trust. Dispelling the Myth Online and
New York State Department of Education. Overview
of School Performance In English Language Arts,
Mathematics, and Science and Analysis of Student
Subgroup Performance for Lincoln School. April
10, 2003
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South Scotland ElementaryLaurinburg, NC

• ?47 African American and Native American.
• ?47 low-income
• Over 80 of both African American and Native
  American 4th graders met state standard in math
  in both 2001 and 2002.
• Closed reading gap between African American and
  White students in 2003.

Source Data provided by South Scotland
Elementary School
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Hambrick Middle School,Aldine, TX

• 94 African American and Latino (state 56)
• 85 low-income (state 50)
• Has performed in the top fifth of all Texas
  middle schools in both reading and math in both
  7th and 8th grades over a 3-year period.

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Prince Edward County High, Farmville VA
(715 students 55 African American and Latino)
Sources Virginia Department of Education Web
site, http//www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/200
2SOLpassrates.html.
56
Source Education Trust analysis of data from
National School-Level State Assessment Score
Database (www.schooldata.org).
57
Source Education Trust analysis of data from
National School-Level State Assessment Score
Database (www.schooldata.org).
58
Source Education Trust analysis of data from
National School-Level State Assessment Score
Database (www.schooldata.org).
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Oklahoma Math Grade 5
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Oklahoma Reading Grade 5
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Dispelling the Myth
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Some districts...
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Aldine, TX Raising Achievement for All While
Narrowing Gaps
Source Texas Education Agency-Academic
Excellence Indicator System Report 1994 through
2001.
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Aldine, TX Raising Achievement for All While
Narrowing Gaps
Source Texas Education Agency-Academic
Excellence Indicator System Report 1994 through
2001.
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And some entire states...
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MA Passing HS Competency Exam
Source Massachusetts Department of Education
Web site.
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MA Narrowing the High School Competency Gap
Source Massachusetts Department of Education
Web site.
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MA Narrowing the High School Competency Gap
Source Massachusetts Department of Education
Web site.
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MA Narrowing the High School Competency Gap
Source Massachusetts Department of Education
Web site.
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MCAS English Raising First-Time Pass Rates
Narrowing Gaps
Source Massachusetts Department of Education Web
site.
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4th Grade Math African American Gains Between
1992 and 2000
Source USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables
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4th Grade Math Latino Gains Between 1992 and 2000
Source USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables
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8th Grade Math African American Gains Between
1990 and 2000
Source USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables
76
8th Grade Math Latino Gains Between 1990 and 2000
Source USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables
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Delaware Gains in Grade 4 Reading Outpace the
Nation, 1998-2002
Source USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables
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OKLAHOMA?
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NAEP 4th Grade Reading Oklahoma, 2003
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NAEP 4th Grade Math Oklahoma, 2003
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NAEP 8th Grade Math Oklahoma, 2003
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NAEP 4th Grade Science Oklahoma, 2000
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NAEP 8th Grade Science Oklahoma, 2000
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Relative to Other States?
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4th Grade Math OK vs. Other States, All Students
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4th Grade Math OK vs. Other States, Black
Students
87
4th Grade Math OK vs. Other States, Latino
Students
88
4th Grade Math OK vs Other States, White
Students
89
4th Grade Math OK vs. Other States, Native
American Students
90
8th Grade Math OK vs. Other States, All Students
91
8th Grade Math OK vs. Other States, Native
American Students
92
8th Grade Math OK vs. Other States, Black
Students
93
4th Grade Science OK vs. Other States, All
94
8th Grade Science OK vs. Other States, All
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Progress Over Time?
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4th Grade Reading 1998-2003
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8th Grade Math 1990-2003
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Attainment?
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OKLAHOMA Student Enrollment Snapshots
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University of Oklahoma 6 Year Graduation Rates
(2001)
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Minority and/or poor students in some states
outperforming white and/or non-poor students in
others.
102
8th Grade Writing African Americans in Texas
Perform as Well or Better Than Whites in 7 States
Source NCES, National Assessment of Educational
Progress
103
SOURCE U.S. Department of Education, Institute
of Education Sciences, National Center for
Education Statistics, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP)
104
SOURCE U.S. Department of Education, Institute
of Education Sciences, National Center for
Education Statistics, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP)
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What Students Say Yes, some blame themselves.
But they also say...

• some teachers dont know
• their subjects
• counselors underestimate our
• potential
• principals dismiss concerns
• expectations wretchedly, boringly low.

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What Do We Know About The Places that are
Improving Results?
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Element 1 They Make No Excuses. Everybody
Takes Responsibility for Student Learning.
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They dont

• Blame student performance on the kids and their
  families
• Spend excessive amounts of time documenting their
  demographics or,
• Screech about the inappropriateness of state
  standards for THEIR kids.

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They Do

• Embrace meaningful state standards and
  assessments as valuable benchmarks and leverage
  points
• Accept the need for public accountability for
  results
• View poverty and family problems as barriers that
  can be surmounted and, most important...

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• They build SYSTEMS to support teachers,
  administrators, parents and students themselves
  to move toward standards.

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Element 2 They Do Not Leave Anything About
Teaching and Learning to Chance
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Historically, most of the really important
decisions about what students should learn and
what kind of work was good enough left to
individual teachers.
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Result? A System That

• Doesnt expect very much from MOST students and,
• Expects much less from some types of students
  than others.

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Students can do no better than the assignments
they are given...
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Grade 10 Writing Assignment
A frequent theme in literature is the conflict
between the individual and society. From
literature you have read, select a character who
struggled with society. In a well-developed
essay, identify the character and explain why
this characters conflict with society is
important.
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Grade 10 Writing Assignment
Write a composition of at least 4 paragraphs on
Martin Luther Kings most important contribution
to this society. Illustrate your work with a
neat cover page. Neatness counts.
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A Work in Poor Schools Would Earn Cs in
Affluent Schools
Source Prospects (ABT Associates, 1993), in
Prospects Final Report on Student Outcomes,
PES, DOE, 1997.
119
Good Standards Can Help Focus

• But not if they sit on the shelf.
• Must be clear and specific about what students
  should learn at every grade level.

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High Performing Districts

• Have clear and specific goals for what students
  should learn in every grade, including the order
  in which they should learn it
• Provide teachers with common curriculum,
  assignments
• Assess students every 4-8 weeks to measure
  progress
• ACT immediately on the results of those
  assessments.

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Element 3 All Students in Curriculum Carefully
Lined Up With Those Goals
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High Performing Districts Elementary School
Curriculum

• Usually common across schools
• Model lessons that teachers may use.

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What about high school?
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Most High School Grads Go On To Postsecondary
Within 2 Years
Source NELS 88, Second (1992) and Third (1994)
Follow up in, USDOE, NCES, Access to
Postsecondary Education for the 1992 High School
Graduates, 1998, Table 2.
125
College Freshmen Not Returning for Sophomore Year
Source Tom Mortensen, Postsecondary Opportunity,
No. 89, November 1999
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Transcript Study single biggest predictor of
college success isQUALITY AND INTENSITY OF HIGH
SCHOOL CURRICULUM

• Cliff Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box, U.S.
  Department of Education.

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But college prep curriculum has benefits far
beyond college.
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Students of all sorts will learn more...
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Low Quartile Students Gain More From College Prep
Courses
Grade 8-grade 12 test score gains based on 8th
grade achievement.
Source USDOE, NCES, Vocational Education in the
United States Toward the Year 2000, in Issue
Brief Students Who Prepare for College and
Vocation
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They will also fail less often...
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Challenging Curriculum Results in Lower Failure
Rates, Even for Lowest Achievers
Ninth-grade English performance, by high/low
level course, and eighth-grade reading
achievement quartiles
Source SREB, Middle Grades to High School
Mending a Weak Link. Unpublished Draft, 2002.
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And theyll be better prepared for the workplace.
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Take Manufacturing, for example
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Requirements forTool and Die Makers

• Four or five years of apprenticeship and/or
  postsecondary training
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and statistics
• Average earnings 40,000 per year.

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Requirements forSheet Metal Workers

• Four or five years of apprenticeship
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and technical
  reading

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Leading districts, states making college prep the
default curriculum.
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Course Taking OK vs Top States
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Element 4 They KNOW That Good Teachers Matter
More Than Anything Else
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1998 by The Education Trust, Inc.
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1998 by The Education Trust, Inc.
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1998 by The Education Trust, Inc.
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Most teachers--like most other professionals--can
get more and more effective.
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Accordingly, smart states, districts do two
important things

• STOP drive-by workshops
• invest in intensive, focused
• professional development.

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In the meantime, though, weve got to work
toward a more equitable distribution of teachers.
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Virtually every high poverty school has
some spectacularly wonderful teachers, but...
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Classes in High Poverty High Schools More Often
Taught by Misassigned Teachers
Teachers who lack a major or minor in the
field Source National Commission on Teaching and
Americas Future, What Matters Most Teaching for
Americas Future (p.16) 1996.
147
Math and Science Classes of Mostly Minority
Students Are More Often Taught by Misassigned
Teachers
Source Jeannie Oakes. Multiplying Inequalities
The Effects of Race, Social Class, and Tracking
on Opportunities to Learn Mathematics and
Science (Rand 1990)
148
Poor and Minority Students Get More
Inexperienced Teachers
Teachers with 3 or fewer years of experience.
High and low refer to top and bottom
quartiles. Source National Center for Education
Statistics, Monitoring Quality An Indicators
Report, December 2000.
149
High-Poverty Schools Get More Low-Scoring
Teachers
Teachers scoring in the bottom quartile on on
SAT/ACT. High-poverty schools have 2/3 or more
students eligible for reduced-price
lunch. Source Education Week, Quality Counts
2001, January 2001.
150
Devastating Impact
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If we had the courage and creativity to change
these patterns?
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By our estimates from Texas schools, having an
above average teacher for five years running can
completely close the average gap between
low-income students and others. John Kain and
Eric Hanushek
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Principals Must become Finders AND Keepers

• Principals key variable in attracting and keeping
  strong teachers
• Teachers stay when feel supported and effective
• Teachers want both concrete (ie. Curriculum,
  lessons, mentoring) and psychological support.

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FINALLY, A FEW WORDS ABOUT HOW WE TALK ABOUT
GAP-CLOSING AND NCLB
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Statement of Purpose
Closing the achievement gap between high- and
low-performing children, especially the
achievement gaps between minority and nonminority
students, and between disadvantaged children and
their more advantaged peers. 20 U.S.C. 6301
156

• Unnecessary
• Unfair
• Feds should have left it to the states
• Will label good, even great schools as failures

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Abraham Lincoln Middle School Alachua, Florida

• 31 White
• 59 African American
• 57 Low Income
• An A school under the Florida accountability
  model

Source Florida Department of Education,
http//web.fldoe.org.
158
Achievement Gaps at Lincoln2002-03 Reading
AYP Target 31
Source Florida Department of Education,
http//web.fldoe.org
159
Achievement Gaps at Lincoln 2002-03 Math
AYP Target 38
Source Florida Department of Education,
http//web.fldoe.org
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NCLB says simply that this school needs to
improve.

• WOULDNT YOU AGREE?

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The Education Trust

• www.edtrust.org
• Washington, DC 202-293-1217
• Oakland, CA 510-465-6444