Talking about Gaps Creating Change

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Talking about GapsCreating Change
The Second Education Trust-West Biennial
Conference April 4, 2006

• All Students College and Work Ready What will
  it take to close the gap?

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What We SAY About Gaps Matters

• How we talk about achievement gaps,
  disaggregated data, and the public reporting
  requirements can have a big impact on student
  achievement in your state.

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How We Talk About Gaps

• Achievement gaps
• Attainment gaps
• Opportunity gaps

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At the heart of the matter data

• What do the data tell us about the achievement
  and educational attainment of all kids?
• What are the trend lines?
• Do we have all the data we need to get an
  accurate picture of student performance?
• What do we know about opportunity gaps?

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Difficult conversations

• We dont talk about race in this town.
• Wasnt this stuff all resolved in the 1960s?
• Disaggregation means segregation
• See, its the fault of those kids
• So this means less resources for my kids?

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Five Big Strategies

• 1. Talk about disaggregated data and
  achievement gaps proactively, clearly, and
  frankly
• 2 . Use data to dispel the destructive myths
  about the gaps and the belief that theres
  nothing schools can do about them
• 3. Convey a Concrete Vision of What You Expect
  Educators to Do and Not Do about the Gaps
• 4. Describe achievement goals in terms of an
  everybody wins scenario
• 5. Dispel myths about how long it takes to get
  results and the possible pace of improvement

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Talk About Group Scores and Achievement Gaps
Clearly and Frankly
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Be Up Front about how the definition of What It
Takes to Be a Good Enough School or District
has changed
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A New Definition of Good Enough

• What makes for a good school?
• What makes for a good district?

Academic Bragging Rights
In
Out
Its mostly about our best and brightest How
many merit scholars last year? How many
grads accepted to elite colleges last year?
Its mostly about our average students Is our
average score above average? Is the average
going up by a few points each year?
Its about all students Are all students and
all student groups making enough progress toward
academic proficiency? Are gaps between groups
closing?
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Parents and the Public Support New Definition of
Good Enough
Concerned Parents 93 Voters 88
SOURCE Business Roundtable Survey conducted by
SDS (June 2003).
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Lead by Example Talk About Achievement Gaps Up
Front

• Shows that its O.K. to openly and publicly
  discuss uncomfortable subjects like race and
  achievement.
• Categorically rejects that this is about
  scapegoating kids or reinforcing group
  stereotypes.
• Provides a model for HOW to talk about
  disaggregated data and gaps.

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Why Assessing All Students Publishing Group
Data is Vital

• Focusing on averages has allowed too many kids to
  fall through the cracks unnoticed.
• Allows us to figure out how well our
  school/district/state is doing IF we really
  believe all kids can and should learn.
• Appeals to the publics sense of moral
  responsibility. (Its the right thing to do.)

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Cesar Chavez MiddleHayward Unified School
District, CA

• 51.8 Latino
• 16.1 African American
• 7.5 White
• 8 Filipino
• 60.1 Low Income
• Met schoolwide and subgroup API growth targets
  for 2004-05
• Did not make AYP for 2004-05

Source California Department of Education,
http//star.cde.ca.gov/
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Achievement Gaps at Cesar Chavez2005 English
Language Arts Composite
AYP Target 24.4
Source California Department of Education,
http//star.cde.ca.gov/
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Be Frank about How Serious the Gaps Are
Use innovative ways to communicate what test
scores mean in terms of real achievement
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8th Grade 2005 NAEPNational
Source National Center for Education Statistics,
http//nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
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8th Grade 2005 NAEPCalifornia Students
Source National Center for Education Statistics,
http//nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
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African American and Latino 7th graders read at
about the level of White 3rd graders
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Cardinal Rules for Displaying Data of Any Kind

• 1) Make it clear!

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Make it ClearThis is NOT
Source Mississippi Department of Education,
http//www.mde.k12.ms.us/
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Make it Clear Like This
Source Kansas Department of Education,
http//www.ksbe.state.ks.us/Welcome.html
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Make it Clear Like This
Source Maryland Department of Education,
http//www.mdreportcard.org
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Cardinal Rules for Displaying Data of Any Kind

• Keep it simple
• Tell the full story

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Five Big Strategies

• Talk about disaggregated data and achievement
  gaps proactively, clearly, and frankly
• Use data to dispel the destructive myths about
  the gaps and the belief that theres nothing
  schools can do about them

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What We Hear Too Often

• Poor/minority kids have hard lives that prevent
  them from learning
• Peer cultures discourage kids from wanting to
  learn and/or working hard in school
• Parents dont care, arent involved, are
  uneducated, dont have time to check homework,
  dont read to kids at night

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But does the public understand the gap in
opportunities to learn?
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Dollars Spent on Teachers 80 of a Schools
Budget
Source Californias Hidden Teacher Spending Gap
How State and District Budgeting Practices
Shortchange Poor and Minority Students and Their
Schools, Education Trust West, 2005.
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Transcript Study the single biggest predictor of
college success isthe quality and intensity of
students high school curriculum

• Source Cliff Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box,
  U.S. Department of Education 1999.

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A Rigorous High School Curriculum Greatly
Increases Bachelors Degree Completion for All
Students
Rigorous Curriculum is defined as the top 40
percent of high school curriculum and the highest
high school mathematics above Algebra 2.
Note These numbers reflect outcomes for high
school graduates who enter four-year institutions
with no delay.
Source Clifford Adelman, U.S. Department of
Education, The Toolbox Revisited, 2006.
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CA A-G Graduation Rates9th graders who graduated
four years later with A-G mastery, class of 2004
Note Estimated A-G Graduation Rate includes
those students who have completed the full A-G
course sequence with a C or better in each
class.
Source Education Trust-West Analysis of CDE
data, using the Manhattan Institute methodology
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But nationally, far too few students complete a
college-prep track
College-prep 4 years of English, 3 years of
math, and 2 years each of natural science, social
science, and foreign language.
Source Jay Greene, the Manhattan Institute,
2003. Public High School Graduation and College
Readiness Rates in the United States.
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Grade 7 Writing Assignment
Essay on Anne Frank Your essay will consist of
an opening paragraph which introduces the title,
author and general background of the novel.
Your thesis will state specifically what Anne's
overall personality is, and what general
psychological and intellectual changes she
exhibits over the course of the book You might
organize your essay by grouping psychological and
intellectual changes OR you might choose 3 or 4
characteristics (like friendliness, patience,
optimism, self doubt) and show how she changes in
this area.
Source Unnamed school district in California,
2002-03 school year.
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Grade 7 Writing Assignment

• My Best Friend
• A chore I hate
• A car I want
• My heartthrob

Source Unnamed school district in California,
2002-03 school year.
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Dispel the myth that student achievement and
student demographics are inextricably linked.
Identify schools that are educating ALL students
to high levels.
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Dispelling the Myth Hill MiddleLong Beach
Unified, 2005

• 71 Latino African American
• 82 Low-income
• Surpassing state average in 7th Grade English

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Dispelling the Myth in GeometryEl Monte HighEl
Monte Union, 2005

• 80 Latino
• 79 Low-income
• Surpassing state average in 9th grade Geometry

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Five Big Strategies

• Talk about disaggregated data and achievement
  gaps proactively, clearly, and frankly
• Use data to dispel the destructive myths about
  the gaps and the belief that theres nothing
  schools can do about them
• Convey a Concrete Vision of What You Expect
  Educators to Do and Not Do about the Gaps

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Recognize the Concerns/Myths

• Doesnt Gap Closing Mean Holding
  White/Affluent/Gifted/High-Achieving Groups of
  Kids Down?
• Teaching to the test?
• Narrowing the curriculum?
• Taking resources away from my kids?
• Encouraging students to drop out?
• Cheating?

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Five Big Strategies

• 1. Talk about disaggregated data and achievement
  gaps proactively, clearly, and frankly
• 2 . Use data to dispel the destructive myths
  about the gaps and the belief that theres
  nothing schools can do about them
• 3. Convey a Concrete Vision of What You Expect
  Educators to Do and Not Do about the Gaps
• 4. Describe achievement goals in terms of an
  everybody wins scenario

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Talk about Dual Goals for Student Achievement

• We expect two things
• 1) That all groups of students improve, and,
• 2) At the same time, that we accelerate the
  improvement of poor and minority students.

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Use Longitudinal Data from Your State or
Elsewhere to Show What You Expect the Achievement
Patterns to Look Like
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Kansas State Assessment, Grade 4 Math
Disaggregated by Race/Ethnicity
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Data Source Kansas Department of Education,
http//www.ksde.org/ayp/2004_assessment_charts.ht
m
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Kentucky Core Content Test, Grade 4 Reading
Disaggregated by Race/Ethnicity
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Source Kentucky Department of Education,
http//apps.kde.state.ky.us/secure_cats_reports_0
5/
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Use Data to Show That Theres Plenty of Room for
Improvement for All Groups
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NAEP Proficiency Gap Grade 8 Math
63
91
87
Source U.S. Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics, National
Assessment of Educational Progress.
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Emphasize that This Isnt About Taking Anything
Away from Anyone, but Rather Making Sure All
Students Get What They Need to Learn
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Five Big Strategies

• 1. Talk about disaggregated data and achievement
  gaps proactively, clearly, and frankly
• 2 . Use data to dispel the destructive myths
  about the gaps and the belief that theres
  nothing schools can do about them
• 3. Convey a Concrete Vision of What You Expect
  Educators to Do and Not Do about the Gaps
• 4. Describe achievement goals in terms of an
  everybody wins scenario
• 5. Dispel myths about how long it takes to get
  results and the possible pace of improvement

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Granger High SchoolGranger, Washington

• 301 Students in Grades 9-12
• 81 Latino
• 6 Native American
• 12 White
• 84 Low-Income

Source Washington Office of Superintendent of
Public Instruction, http//www.k12.wa.us/
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Granger High SchoolImprovement Over Time, Grade
10 Reading
Source Washington Office of Superintendent of
Public Instruction, http//www.k12.wa.us/
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Five Big Strategies

• 1. Talk about disaggregated data and
  achievement gaps proactively, clearly, and
  frankly
• 2 . Use data to dispel the destructive myths
  about the gaps and the belief that theres
  nothing schools can do about them
• 3. Convey a Concrete Vision of What You Expect
  Educators to Do and Not Do about the Gaps
• 4. Describe achievement goals in terms of an
  everybody wins scenario
• 5. Dispel myths about how long it takes to get
  results and the possible pace of improvement

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www.edtrust.org(202) 293-1217www.edtrustwest.or
g(510) 465-6444