Closing the Gap

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Closing the Gap
Doing What Matters Most
The Education Trust, Inc.
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Section IA New Job for Schools
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NCLB 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
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Here in Idaho?
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Idaho Eighth Grade Math All Students
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Idaho Eighth Grade Math By Group
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Idaho Eighth Grade Math By Group
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NCLB Accountability

• All students, including low-income and minority
  students, proficient on state tests by 2014.
• OR
• Reduce non-proficient rate across the board and
  IN EACH GROUP by 10 per year. (Safe Harbor
  provision.)

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A New Definition of Good Enough

• What is a good school?
• What is a good district?

Academic Bragging Rights
In So Five Minutes Ago
Out
How many merit scholars last year? How many
grads accepted to elite colleges last year?
Is the average score above average? Is the
average going up?
Are all students and all student groups making
enough progress toward academic proficiency?
Are gaps between groups closing?
and graduating prepared for college and
todays workplace?
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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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Section IIWays of Working in High-Performing
Schools and Systems
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Dispelling the Myth 1999(The Education Trust)

• Use state standards to design curriculum and
  instruction, assess student work, and evaluate
  teachers.
• Increase instructional time in reading and math
  in order to help students meet standards
• Devote a larger proportion of funds to support
  professional development focused on changing
  instructional practices.
• Implement comprehensive systems to monitor
  individual student progress and provide extra
  support to students as soon as its needed.
• Focus their efforts to involve parents in helping
  students meet standards.

Source The Education Trust, Dispelling the
Myth. Based on survey of high-performing schools
in 21 states.
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No Excuses (Heritage Foundation)

• Principals have freedom to make important
  decisions.
• Use measurable goals to establish a culture of
  achievement.
• Use master teachers to bring out the best in a
  faculty.
• Rigorous and regular assessment.
• Achievement is key to discipline.
• Principals work actively with parents so they can
  help students succeed academically.
• Use time wisely and effectively, and find ways to
  lengthen the school day and year when necessary.

Source Heritage Foundation, No Excuses Lessons
from 21 High-Performing, High-Poverty Schools.
www.heritage.org
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Promising Practices (Just for the Kids)

• Take initiative Make no excuses and strive for
  success.
• Develop and execute and clear strategy for
  improvement.
• Continuously assess progress and intervene
  immediately when students are struggling.
• Make high-quality teaching and research-based
  instructional practice the top priority.
• Collaborate, both inside and outside the school.

Source Just for the Kids, Promising Practices
How High-Performing Schools in Texas Get Results.
http//www.just4kids.org
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Promising Practices (Just for the Kids)

• Take initiative Make no excuses and strive for
  success.
• Student performance goals are based on high
  standards, and multiple performance measures are
  used to constantly gauge student progress.
• Leadership Principals spend most of their time
  on instructional issues.
• Principals regularly confer with teachers to
  discuss student achievement and make sure no
  students fall through the cracks.

Source Just for the Kids, Promising Practices
How High-Performing Schools in Texas Get Results.
http//www.just4kids.org
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Promising Practices (Just for the Kids)

• Develop and execute and clear strategy for
  improvement.
• Grade by grade achievement targets
• Unified and common curriculum
• School day and year is restructured to give
  teachers extra time they need to plan together

Source Just for the Kids, Promising Practices
How High-Performing Schools in Texas Get Results.
http//www.just4kids.org
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Promising Practices (Just for the Kids)

• Continuously assess progress and intervene
  immediately when students are struggling.
• Assessment isnt one shot or random
• Instructional targets set for all students, not
  just those at risk of failing to meet the targets
• Teacher performance data are analyzed along with
  student achievement data

Source Just for the Kids, Promising Practices
How High-Performing Schools in Texas Get Results.
http//www.just4kids.org
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Promising Practices (Just for the Kids)

• Make high-quality teaching and research-based
  instructional practice the top priority.
• Professional development targeted to schools
  instructional priority areas
• Many modify the day or calendar to make time for
  staff development
• Teachers new to school or a grade level within
  the school are paired with master teachers to get
  them up to speed
• Teachers use flexibly student grouping and
  regrouping to help individualize instruction.

Source Just for the Kids, Promising Practices
How High-Performing Schools in Texas Get Results.
http//www.just4kids.org
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Promising Practices (Just for the Kids)

• Collaborate, both inside and outside the school.
• Many high-performing schools schedule a common
  planning time for teachers in a grade level
• Several times a year, teachers meet in subject
  area groups across grade levels to plan and
  provide feedback.

Source Just for the Kids, Promising Practices
How High-Performing Schools in Texas Get Results.
http//www.just4kids.org
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No Silver Bullets, Just a Commonsense Strategy

• Set clear goals and academic targets so all
  teachers know where students should be by the end
  of each year.
• Eliminate watered down curriculum and enroll ALL
  students in a coherent, aligned, rigorous
  curriculum.
• Help all teachers grow by investing in
  professional development focused squarely on the
  curriculum, and assign the best ones where we
  need them most.
• Set up a system to regularly monitor student
  progress, and use the data to provide extra
  instruction to those who need it.

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What about strong leadership?
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What about parent involvement?
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Section IIIResearch on What Matters Most
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Teachers
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Cumulative Effects On Students Math Scores
Dallas (Grades 3-5)
Source Heather Jordan, Robert Mendro, Dash
Weerasinghe, Teacher Effects On Longitudinal
Student Achievement 1997.
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Cumulative Effects of Teacher Sequence on Fifth
Grade Math Scores Tennessee
(83rd percentile)
(29th percentile)
Source Sanders, William L. and June C. Rivers,
"Cumulative and Residual Effects of Teachers on
Future Student Academic Achievement," 1996.
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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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Good teaching matters HUGELY!
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Who Gets Better Qualified, More Effective
Teachers?
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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.
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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.
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More Classes in High-Poverty, High-Minority
Schools Taught by Out-of-Field Teachers
Teachers lacking a college major or minor in the
field. Data for secondary-level core academic
classes. Source Richard M. Ingersoll, University
of Pennsylvania. Original analysis for the Ed
Trust of 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey.
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Idaho Teacher Misassignment
Teachers lacking a college major or minor in the
field. Data for secondary-level core academic
classes. Source Richard M. Ingersoll, University
of Pennsylvania. Original analysis for the Ed
Trust of 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey.
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African American Students More Likely To Have
Ineffective Teachers Tennessee
Source Sanders, William L. and Rivers, June C.
Cumulative And Residual Effects of Teachers on
Future Student Academic Achievement, 1996
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Big Differences EvenWITHINDistricts, Schools
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Regular Team Sample
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Pre-IB Team Sample
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11-12 IB/AP Teacher Sample
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Who Gets the Most Effective Teaching Strategies?
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African American 8th Graders Are Less Likely to
Get Hands on Science Activities
Source NCES, NAEP Summary Data Tables, 1996.
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African-American 8th Graders Are Less Likely to
Be Taught Lab Skills
Source NCES, NAEP Summary Data Tables, 1996.
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African Americans 8th Graders Less Likely to Be
Assigned Complex Math Problems
Source NCES, NAEP Summary Data Tables, 1996.
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If we want classroom instruction to improve, we
must

• find time and resources for sustained, focused,
  high-quality professional development and
• put an end to drive-by workshops.

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Curriculum
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Students Taking a Rigorous Math Curriculum Score
Higher
Source National Assessment of Educational
Progress, 1992 Mathematics Trend Assessment,
National Center for EducationalStatistics. NAEP
1992 Trends in Academic Progress (p 113).
Washington, DC US Department of Education. 1994
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Low Quartile Students Gain More From College Prep
Courses
Grade 8-12 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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Students Who Take Algebra Show Greater Gains in
Mathematics Achievement
Source Algebra for Everyone? Benefits of
College-Preparatory Mathematics for Students With
Diverse Abilities in Early Secondary School,
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Vol.
22, Fall 2000.
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Students of All Abilities Perform Better In
High-Level CoursesMath Achievement in grades
9-11 by grade 8 Performance (based on course
assignment)
Prior Performance level
Percentile
Margaret Hallinan, Ability Grouping and Student
Learning, May 2002
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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
Percent Earning D or F
Source SREB, Middle Grades to High School
Mending a Weak Link, 2002.
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Even High-Achieving Students Are More Likely to
Fail in Low-Level Classes 9th-graders earning Ds
or Fs by 8th grade achievement course assignment
English
Source Sondra Cooney Gene Bottoms, Middle
Grades to High School Mending a Weak Link,
SREB, 2002
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Students Rise to Demand of Challenging
Intellectual Coursework
Success rate of grade 9 students, by high/low
level courses, and by grade 8 achievement
quartiles
Source SREB, Middle Grades to High School
Mending a Weak Link, 2002.
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The Algebra Gateway
Among students with non-college-educated parents

• Those who take algebra in the eighth grade are
  more than twice as likely to complete
  advanced-level mathematics coursework in high
  school.
• Those who complete any advanced-level mathematics
  courses in high school more than double their
  chances of enrolling in a 4-year college.

Above Algebra II. Source U.S. Department of
Education. Mapping the Road to College, March
2000.
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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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African American and Latino Freshmen Complete
College at Lower Rates
Source Adapted from Adelman, Clifford, U.S.
Department of Education, Answers in the
Toolbox, 1999.
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A Strong H.S. Curriculum Equals Higher College
Completion
Completing at least Algebra II plus other
courses. Source Adapted from Adelman, Clifford,
U.S. Department of Education, Answers in the
Toolbox, 1999.
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A rigorous curriculum matters HUGELY!
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Who Gets a Rigorous Curriculum?
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Low-Income Students Less Likely to be Enrolled in
a College Preparatory Track
Source US Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics. National
Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 Second
Follow-Up, 1992 in A Profile of the American
High School Senior in 1992.( p. 36) Washington,
DC US Department of Education, June 1995.
1998 by The Education Trust, Inc.
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African American and Latino 10th Graders Less
Likely to be Enrolled in a College Preparatory
Track
Source US Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics. National
Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 First
Follow-Up Student Study.
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Examine your assumptions.
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OK, so minority students are less likely to be
enrolled in higher-level math courses.

• Is it because they dont want to take tough
  courses?

Lets look at what they say
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Advanced Math Classes Minority Interest Far
Exceeds Availability
Source National Action Council for Minorities in
Engineering, Progress Toward Power A Follow-Up
Survey of Childrens and Parents Attitudes About
Math and Science. Research Letter, October 2001.
Survey conducted by Harris Interactive, 1999.
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Whos Discouraging Minority Students?
Source National Action Council for Minorities in
Engineering, Progress Toward Power A Follow-Up
Survey of Childrens and Parents Attitudes About
Math and Science. Research Letter, October 2001.
Survey conducted by Harris Interactive, 1999..
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Use Data to Examine Your Practices
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OK, so minority students are less likely to be
enrolled in higher-level math courses.

• Is it because they just arent prepared to handle
  them?

Lets look at prior achievement
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Percentage of High Scoring Students Placed in
Algebra in One Southern California School District
Source The Achievement Council, Inc. Los
Angeles, CA. Unpublished. 1991
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Percentage of High Scoring Students Placed in
Algebra in One Southern California School District
Source The Achievement Council, Inc. Los
Angeles, CA. Unpublished. 1991
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Whats in a course name?

• Curriculum MUST be about content!

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Quality of Mathematical Content of 8th Grade
Lessons
Source TIMSS unpublished tabulations,
Videotape Classroom Study, UCLA, 1996, in
Pursuing Excellence A Study of US Eigth-Grade
Mathematics and Science Teaching, Learning,
Curriculum and Achievement in International
Context, 1997.
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Whats in a grade?

• Curriculum is about content AND expectations!

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Source Accountability Targets Summary, San
Diego, Spring, 19982000 by The Education Trust,
Inc.
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Algebra I Course Performance vs. End-of-Course
Test Performance
Source Texas Education Agency, Texas Student
Assessment Program Student Performance Results,
1999-2000, Section VI A Study of the Correlation
between Course Performance in Algebra I and
Algebra I End-of-Course Test Performance.
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C Students in Low-Poverty Schools Have Higher
Test Scores than A Students in High-Poverty
Schools
Source Prospects (ABT Associates, 1993), in
Prospects Final Report on Student Outcomes,
PES, DOE, 1997.
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Level of High School Assignments Compared to
State StandardsAnalysis of 14 High Schools in SC
South Carolina Department of Education, 2001
(unpublished)
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All forms of assessment should be aligned with
the standards.
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Time
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When Kids Are Behind, Schools Must Provide More
Instruction and Support

• Kentucky provides extra time for struggling
  students in high-poverty schools
• Maryland offers extra dollars for 7th and 8th
  graders who need more support

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But we have no time NOW!
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The Full Year Calendar
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Less Summer Vacation
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Less Weekends, Holidays, Summer Vacation
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Less Professional Development Days Early
Dismissal/Parent Conferences
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Less Class Picnic, Class Trip, Thanksgiving
Feast, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukkah, Awards,
Assembles, Concerts
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Less State and District Testing
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Bottom LineRoughly 13-15 8-hr Days of
InstructionPer SubjectPer Year
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TAKE IT BACK!!!!!
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ConclusionTaking Action!
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Without the possibility of action, all knowledge
comes to one labeled file and forget,
and I can neither file nor forget.

• -- Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

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www.edtrust.org
cjerald_at_edtrust.org
College Begins in Kindergarten