2003 by the education trust, inc. communicating about achievement gaps and nclb strategies, tools,...

2003 by The E

ducation Trust, Inc.

Communicating about Communicating about Achievement Gaps and NCLBAchievement Gaps and NCLB

Strategies, Tools, and TipsStrategies, Tools, and Tips

Training Session for State and Local Leaders

Washington, DC

June 20-21, 2003

2003 by The E


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

2003 by The E


Proactive Communication Is Essential

Myths• Stubborn and unproductive beliefs about the causes of

the achievement gap and what schools can – and can’t – do about it

Misunderstandings• Factually incorrect information about what the

NCLB/state policy requires and doesn’t

Misgivings• Concerns and worries – sometimes legitimate – about

unintended consequences of NCLB/state policy

2003 by The E


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 “there’s nothing schools can do” about them

3. Convey a concrete vision of what you will do, and what you expect local educators to do – and NOT do – about the low achievement and gaps

4. Describe NCLB and state goals for achievement in terms of an “everybody wins” scenario

5. Dispel myths about how long it takes to get results and the possible pace of improvement

2003 by The E


1. Talk About Group Scores and Achievement Gaps Clearly and

Frankly

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Recognize the Concerns

Group data, especially race data, can initially make many people uncomfortable

Many don’t understand why it’s necessary to separate scores by race and poverty

There are a number of myths and some legitimate concerns about consequences of releasing disaggregated test scores, e.g.:– “disaggregation means segregation”– fear that it will reinforce negative group

stereotypes

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Tip: Communicate Why You Believe Publishing Group Data is Necessary

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.

Helps identify problems that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Appeals to the public’s sense of moral responsibility. (“It’s the right thing to do.”)

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“There will definitely be more accountability because schools will have to make adequate yearly progress for all subgroups. ... It will encourage schools to focus their efforts and look at data to determine which groups are low and target their efforts.”

– Liz Talbot, special programs coordinator with the San Benito County Office of Education, Hollister Free Lance (CA), 4/30/03

2003 by The E


“Each of our teams probably thought they knew what the trends [in student achievement] were. But when some of the teams looked at our data, it wasn't necessarily what they thought it was. And that was good.”

– Kim Von Stein, a reading resource teacher in a high-poverty school, Washington Post, 5/18/03

2003 by The E


“At the end of the day, we are responsible for every child.”

–Superintendent, Wake County, News and Observer (NC), 6/2/02

2003 by The E


SOURCE: Business Roundtable Survey conducted by SDS (June 2003).

Your public will appreciate it …

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… and you’ll get credit for taking the moral high ground in the

press.

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“This year, Ohio broke down its test scores by race, a step that highlighted the chasm between white and black students' performance.

The Ohio Department of Education insists it is committed to addressing this gap, and new federal legislation requires schools to increase scores of distinct groups, as well as overall scores.”

– editorial, The Plain Dealer, 6/3/02

Ohio Releases First-Ever Achievement Gap Data

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“When queried by reporters, Ohio's spokespeople at least said minority achievement was important.

Indeed, just last week came word that the Ohio Department of Education had hired a high-profile federal administrator who, as part of his duties, will look at ways to address the state's achievement disparities.”

– editorial, The Plain Dealer, 6/2/03


2003 by The E


“The achievement gap has increasing consequences for individuals of all races, and for the country at large. Policymakers, teachers and parents all must work together to shrink it.”

-- Academics, in black and white, Editorial, The Plain Dealer, 6/3/02


2003 by The E


Tip: Be Up Front about How This Redefines What It Takes to Be a “Good

Enough” School or District

2003 by The E


A New Definition of “Good Enough” What makes for a “good school”? What makes for a “good district”?

In So Five Minutes Ago Out

It’s mostly about our “best and brightest”:How many meritscholars last year?How many gradsaccepted to elite colleges last year?

It’s mostly about our average students:Is our average scoreabove average? Isthe average goingup by a few pointseach year?

Academic “Bragging Rights”

It’s about all students:Are all students and all student groupsmaking enough progresstoward academicproficiency*? Are gapsbetween groups closing?

* … and graduating prepared for college and today’s workplace?

2003 by The E


SOURCE: Business Roundtable Survey conducted by SDS (June 2003).

Public Supports that Vision of “Good Enough”

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“We used to say, ‘Ten percent of our students are not succeeding; that’s not too bad.’ Now those 10 percent are being put under a microscope. The focus now is on every single child.”

– Christopher Spezialetti, Ernie Davis Elementary School Principal, The New York Times, 11/10/02

2003 by The E


Tip: Lead by Example – Talk About Achievement Gaps Up Front

Shows that it’s O.K. to openly and publicly discuss uncomfortable subjects like race and achievement

Categorically reject that this is about scapegoating kids or reinforcing group stereotypes.

Provides a model for HOW to talk about disaggregated data and gaps

2003 by The E


“…it is often said that if you want to find solutions to difficult challenges, the first thing you must do is acknowledge and talk openly and truthfully about the problem you wish to solve.”

– Minnesota Education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke to the Citizen's League Forum, 5/22/03

2003 by The E


“…the honest fact is that these numbers, these [averages] do not tell the whole story. The problem […] is not new in Minnesota, but there has never been more evidence of its depth and seriousness. We need to look at some hard facts.”


2003 by The E


Tip: Be Brutally Frank about How Serious the Gaps Are

Tip: Use innovative ways to flesh out what the test scores mean in terms of

real achievement

2003 by The E


U.S. Eighth Grade Math: NAEP Achievement By Group

Source: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Web site, http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/

2003 by The E


Arizona Fifth Grade Math: AIMS Achievement By Group

Source: Arizona Department of Education, http://www.ade.state.az.us/standards/aims/demograhics/EthnicAIMS2001Gr5Math.PDF. Data are from 2001 AIMS assessment.

2003 by The E


California: Black and Latino 11th Graders Score Only as High as White

6th Graders

686689

715711

692

699

707

688

650

675

700

725

White6th

Grade

White7th

Grade

White8th

Grade

White9th

Grade

White10th

Grade

White11th

Grade

Black11th

Grade

Latino11th

Grade

SAT-9 math score (2002)

Sources: CA Department of Education Web site, http://www.eddataonline.com/CST2002/

White Black Latino

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16 Hawaii, Rhode Island17 West Virginia18 Oklahoma19 Kansas

20 Washington24 North Carolina25 Kentucky, Massachusetts,26 South Carolina27 Alabama, California,

Delaware, Mississippi,Missouri, Nevada, Virginia

26 Arizona27 Louisiana28 Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas29 New York, Nation

1 year’s worth of learning behind




20 pts.30 pts.40 pts.

37 Colorado, Maryland38 Wisconsin39 Connecticut39 Minnesota

46 District ofColumbia

The Education Trust – EdWatch Online – NAEP Achievement Gap Summary tables – www.edtrust.org

Grade 8 Reading AssessmentDifference Between White and Black

Students

10 pt s.

Source: Presentation by Cheri Yecki, Minnesota Commissioner of Education.

How Minnesota Department of Ed Compares Gap

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Two Cardinal Rules for Displaying Data … of Any Kind

Keep it simple.

Tell a clear story.

2003 by The E


Keep It Simple … This is NOT

Course Enrollment Across All Districts

Source: PEIMS data provided by EPISD, YISD, SISD Research Office s.

Enrolled 7639 63.0% 11574 97.0% 11741 96.90% 11502 98.1%Passed 4473 59.0% 8186 70.7% 8007 68.20% 8479 73.7%Enrolled 4499 46.0% 8056 81.0% 8337 82.30% 8748 84.5%Passed 3657 81.0% 6528 81.0% 6509 78.10% 7553 86.3%

Enrolled 3315 45.0% 6180 75.6% 6561 78.10% 6822 79.0%Passed 2767 83.0% 4664 75.5% 4709 71.80% 5012 73.5%Enrolled 6302 64.0% 8612 86.5% 8711 86.00% 9007 87.0%

Passed 5247 83.0% 7306 84.8% 7364 84.50% 7355 81.7%Enrolled 2358 32.0% 5464 66.8% 6180 73.60% 6693 77.5%Passed 1929 82.0% 4154 76.0% 4528 73.30% 5231 78.2%Enrolled 758 11.0% 1661 20.2% 1812 23.40% 2044 25.1%

Passed 656 87.0% 1449 87.2% 1540 85.00% 1809 88.5%* By End of Grade 9 *** By End of Grade 11

Math/Science Course Enrollment and Pass Rates Across All Districts

2001-2002

Algebra II***

Algebra I*

Geometry**

Chemistry***

Physics

1999-2000 2000-2001

Biology**

1992-1993

Course Enrollment Across All Districts

Source: PEIMS data provided by EPISD, YISD, SISD Research Office s.

Enrolled 7639 63.0% 11574 97.0% 11741 96.90% 11502 98.1%Passed 4473 59.0% 8186 70.7% 8007 68.20% 8479 73.7%Enrolled 4499 46.0% 8056 81.0% 8337 82.30% 8748 84.5%Passed 3657 81.0% 6528 81.0% 6509 78.10% 7553 86.3%

Enrolled 3315 45.0% 6180 75.6% 6561 78.10% 6822 79.0%Passed 2767 83.0% 4664 75.5% 4709 71.80% 5012 73.5%Enrolled 6302 64.0% 8612 86.5% 8711 86.00% 9007 87.0%

Passed 5247 83.0% 7306 84.8% 7364 84.50% 7355 81.7%Enrolled 2358 32.0% 5464 66.8% 6180 73.60% 6693 77.5%Passed 1929 82.0% 4154 76.0% 4528 73.30% 5231 78.2%Enrolled 758 11.0% 1661 20.2% 1812 23.40% 2044 25.1%

Passed 656 87.0% 1449 87.2% 1540 85.00% 1809 88.5%* By End of Grade 9 *** By End of Grade 11

Math/Science Course Enrollment and Pass Rates Across All Districts

2001-2002

Algebra II***

Algebra I*

Geometry**

Chemistry***

Physics

1999-2000 2000-2001

Biology**

1992-1993

2003 by The E


Keep It Simple … Like This

Algebra I Course Enrollment and Completion

Source:PEIMS data provided by El Paso, Ysleta, and Socorro Indep endent School Districts.Algebra I by end of grade 09.

63.0%

98.1%

73.7%

59.0%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

1992-1993 2001-2002

Enrolled

Passed

Algebra I Course Enrollment and Completion

Source:PEIMS data provided by El Paso, Ysleta, and Socorro Indep endent School Districts.Algebra I by end of grade 09.

63.0%

98.1%

73.7%

59.0%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

1992-1993 2001-2002

Enrolled

Passed

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Tell a Clear Story

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2. Use Data to Dispel the Belief that There’s “Nothing Schools Can Do

about the Gaps” …

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… and Help Educators Take Responsibility for Them

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Myths and Misunderstandings about Achievement Gaps

It’s all about community wealth since you can predict test scores by ZIP code

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 don’t care, aren’t involved, are uneducated, don’t have time to check homework, don’t read to kids at night

2003 by The E


New York Releases First-Ever Achievement Gap Data

“Mr. Mills said he believed that if attention was focused on the problem, schools would find ways to solve it. He said the low scores of black and Hispanic students could be attributed in part to less access to qualified teachers. ‘Neither poverty nor race is an excuse,’ Mr. Mills said. ‘All children can rise to the standards and there are many schools in the data that you have to prove it.’”

– ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS, New York Times, March 28, 2002

2003 by The E


Tip: Acknowledge Your “Opportunity Gaps”

Curriculum and watered down expectations – people are comfortable talking about this at this point.

2003 by The E


Talking about Curriculum Gaps in Minnesota

“We can also see a gap when we look at what courses students of color are taking in high school. […] To put it bluntly, this is shameful.”


2003 by The E


Acknowledge Your “Opportunity Gaps”

Teachers – People less comfortable talking about this.

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Digging Deeper on Teacher Quality What’s in an average?

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Digging Deeper on Teacher Quality The comparison we usually make:

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Digging Deeper on Teacher Quality Disaggregate by race and poverty

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Tip: Use Scatterplots to Dispel the Myth that Achievement Is Perfectly

Predictable by SES

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Source: Education Trust analysis of data from National School-Level State Assessment Score Database (www.schooldata.org).

2003 by The E


Tip: Use “Frontier Data” and

1) Lists/Examples of High-Poverty/Minority Schools that Are High-Performing

2) Lists/Examples of Schools that Are High-Performing for a Particular Group of Students

3) Lists/Examples of Schools with High Performance for All Groups & Small or No Gaps

between Groups

2003 by The E


Flying High: Longfellow School, Mount Vernon, NY

About 83% Low-Income About 98% African American Has outperformed ¾ of other New York

State elementary schools in math and language arts for two years in a row.

In 2001, performed as well or better than 97% of NY schools in math and 88% of NY schools in language arts.

Source: Education Trust. Dispelling the Myth Online. www.edtrust.org .

2003 by The E


Flying High: Lincoln SchoolMount Vernon, NY

About 43% Low-Income About 63% African American and Latino Has outperformed ¾ of other New York

State elementary schools in math for two years in a row.

In 2001, performed as well or better than 94% of NY schools in math and 89% of NY schools in language arts.

Source: Maryland Department of Education Website. 1999 -2001 scores.

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Kentucky: African American Children Perform Much Better in Some

Schools

Source: Kentucky Association of School Councils, “Some Top 2002 Disaggregated Results.”

2003 by The E


Closing Gaps: Lincoln School, Mount Vernon, NY

Source: New York State Department of Education. Analyses by Student Subgroup of School Performance in English Language Arts and Mathematics for Lincoln School in Mount Vernon City School District. March 7, 2002.

2003 by The E


Engelhard Elementary, Louisville, KY

Source: Kentucky Association of School Councils, “Some Top 2002 Disaggregated Results.”

NOTE: Academic Index Score runs from 13 minimum to 100 maximum.

(60% African American, 31% White)

2003 by The E


“We know that [non-native speakers] can learn to standards at a more accelerated pace than we think.”

– Mary Russo, Principal at the Richard J. Murphy School in Dorchester, where about a quarter of the students speak either Haitian or Vietnamese as their native language, Boston Globe, 6/11/03

2003 by The E


Ohio’s “Schools of Promise”

"These schools demonstrate that demographics should not determine a student's academic destiny," said Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Tave Zelman in a statement. "Students can achieve and succeed no matter where they live. These schools show promise for all students across the state."

– The Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/10/03

2003 by The E


3. Convey a Concrete Vision of What You Will Do …

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… and What You Expect Local Educators to Do – and Not Do –

about the Data

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Myths and Misgivings About What Schools & Districts Will “Have to Do” to Close Test-

Score Gaps

“Teaching to the test”

Ignoring non-tested subjects

Encouraging older students to stay home on test day or drop out altogether

Cheating on tests

2003 by The E


Tip: Provide Evidence That NONE of These Are Inevitable Outcomes

2003 by The E


Completion Data from Texas

Source: The Business Roundtable, Real Results, Remaining Challenges by Craig Jerald/Ed Trust, www.brt.org.

2003 by The E


Judith Langer, Beating the Odds: Teaching Middle and High School Students To Read and Write Well, Center on English Learning & Achievement (2001)

Examined the methods of highly successful English teachers in high-performing schools, compared with teachers who had average levels of success.

The most successful teachers were far more likely to integrate the skills and knowledge that was to be tested into the larger ongoing curriculum.

The less successful teachers were more likely to focus on test preparation skills and to treat the knowledge to be tested separate from the ongoing curriculum, the so-called “teaching to the test” approach.

Tip: Reaffirm that Teaching to Particular Test Items Is Not Educationally Sound in

the Long Run

2003 by The E


Tip: Talk about Acting on the Data In Terms of Adult Choices:

Ethical Choices

Professional Choices

2003 by The E


Ethical Response to Gap Data

“In the four districts studied, the ethical response of district leadership (…including leadership by school board members, central office administrators, principals and teachers) to the state accountability system’s performance data and local catalysts was an extremely important factor that lead to the district’s eventual success.”

Source: “Equity-Driven Achievement-Focused School Districts, Sept. 2000, The Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin.

2003 by The E


Tip: Give Examples of Ethical and Professionally Sound Responses to Gap

Data

2003 by The E


The Old Way

Curriculum is left up to individual schools – or even teachers;

Teachers “broadcast” the content; Some students “get it” and some don’t; Teachers don’t exactly know which students are

really getting it … and they couldn’t do much about those who aren’t anyway.

Much is left to chance.

2003 by The E


The New Way All teachers teach a common, coherent curriculum that

clearly lays out what kids are supposed to have learned at each step of the way.

Teachers use a variety of strategies to help students master a common set of knowledge and skills;

Teachers know which students aren’t getting it the first time and which students are falling seriously behind;

Teachers can tap into a variety of strategies for providing additional instruction to students who don’t get it the first time or who are falling seriously behind.

Little is left to chance.

2003 by The E


See NCEA Website for Helpful Framework with Examples from Broad Prize Finalist Districts

Source: Staying the Course, presentation by Jean Rutherford of NCEA at Education Trust Winter 2003 Local K-16 Conference, www.measuretolearn.org.

2003 by The E


Tip: Name and refute the “culture of powerlessness” among educators by

talking about:

Building effective instructional systems that work for all – not just some – students

“Rolling up our sleeves” and engineering common-sense, practical solutions – big and small – to known instructional obstacles

2003 by The E


Example: Parents, Homework, and Practical Solutions to Problems

Teachers say they are powerless because parents of poor kids can’t/won’t/don’t have time/don’t have capacity to make sure homework gets done.

But if “homework” is an instructional practice that we KNOW doesn’t work for all students, why keep using it?

If we decide to keep using it, are there common-sense, practical solutions to this obstacle? (E.g., Extra time built into or around the school day.)

2003 by The E


"If that's not happening at the home, it has to be explicitly taught in school."

– Deputy Superintendent Christine M. Johns

(Baltimore County) re: developing strong reading skills in students who arrive at school behind their more privileged peers, The Baltimore Sun, 6/9/03.

2003 by The E


“Medley said Christopher's kindergarten teacher has the patience and skills to teach him what she cannot. And she is grateful.

[…] ‘I'm not more equipped [than a teacher] to give him that head start.’”

– The Baltimore Sun, 6/9/03

2003 by The E


Tip: Offer examples of classroom teachers and administrators who

take bold actions to close achievement gaps

2003 by The E


Example: Tackling Opportunity Gaps Head-On

“He demanded more data. And soon he realized that white students far outnumbered blacks in advanced middle-school math classes. […]

“Promptly, he tore up the schedules of 8,000 middle-schoolers and started reassigning them. He can’t really be ripping up a summer’s worth of scheduling and starting over, teachers gasped when they heard. This can’t be happening, parents wailed when they called his office.”

“He demanded more data. And soon he realized that white students far outnumbered blacks in advanced middle-school math classes. […]

“Promptly, he tore up the schedules of 8,000 middle-schoolers and started reassigning them. He can’t really be ripping up a summer’s worth of scheduling and starting over, teachers gasped when they heard. This can’t be happening, parents wailed when they called his office.”

Source: Washington Post Magazine, November 10, 2002.

2003 by The E


4. Describe NCLB and State Goals in Terms of an “Everybody

Wins” Scenario

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Recognize the Myths

Doesn’t Gap Closing Mean Holding White/Affluent/Gifted/High-Achieving Groups of Kids Down?

Active: Taking Resources Away from Them?

Passive: Ignoring Them and Their Needs

2003 by The E


Tip: 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.”

2003 by The E


Tip: Use Longitudinal Data from Your State or Elsewhere to Show What You Expect the Achievement Patterns to

Look Like

2003 by The E


Aldine, TX: Raising Achievement for All While Narrowing Gaps

Source: Texas Education Agency-Academic Excellence Indicator System Report 1994 through 2001.

2003 by The E


Tip: Use Data to Show That There’s Plenty of Room for Improvement for All

Groups

2003 by The E


NAEP Proficiency Gap: Grade 4 Reading

62 91 88

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress.

2003 by The E


AIMS “Meeting Standards” Gap: 5th Grade Math

4576 75

Source: Arizona Department of Education, http://www.ade.state.az.us/standards/aims/demograhics/EthnicAIMS2001Gr5Math.PDF. Data are from 2001 AIMS assessment.

84

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Tip: Emphasize that This Isn’t About Taking Anything Away from Anyone, but Rather Making Sure All Students

Get What They Need to Learn

2003 by The E


5. Dispel Myths about How Long It Takes to Get Results and the

Pace of Improvement

2003 by The E


Recognize the Myths

“Doesn’t it take XX years of school improvement efforts before you get any results?” … (i.e. change takes a long time)

“Isn’t the timeline way too short?” (i.e., natural maximum rate)

2003 by The E


“The second part of these superintendents’ commitment to high expectations was moving from belief and talk to action…They not only really believed that literally all children can learn, they decided that they could accomplish this in their districts and in the immediate future rather than in some distant, mythic future.”

Pace of improvement

Source: “Equity-Driven Achievement-Focused School Districts, Sept. 2000, The Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin.

2003 by The E


Tip: Actively Rebut the “It Takes a Long Time to See Any Improvement” Myth

2003 by The E


Norview High School, Norfolk, VA

Sources: Virginia Department of Education Web site, http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/2002SOLpassrates.html.

(1,560 students – 70% African American and Latino)

2003 by The E


Tip: Actively Rebut the “Natural/Maximum Rate

Improvement” Myth

2003 by The E


A Tale of Two Schools

Annandale Elementary 92% Latino 92% low-income

Magnolia Street Elementary 94% Latino 95% low-income

Both schools are in Los Angeles Unified School District

2003 by The E


A Tale of Two Schools

Source: Education Trust, Dispelling the Myth Online, www.edtrust.org

2003 by The E


Charlotte-Mecklenburg: Helping All Students Meet Standards

Grade 5: NC End-of-Grade Reading Test

Source: MCRC for the Council of Great City Schools, Foundations for Success. September 2002. Table C.1.

+27

2003 by The E


Gap Narrows in Virginia

Source: Virginia Department of Education Web site.

22

33

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Tip: Release Lists of Schools Making AYP and of the Fast-Improving

Schools in Your State

Data Analysis Great Gains Tour (Kentucky)

2003 by The E


Schools with Big Improvements for Low-Income Students in One Eastern State

2003 by The E


www.edtrust.orgwww.edtrust.orgTraining Session for State and Local Leaders

Washington, DC

June 20-21, 2003

2003 by the education trust, inc. communicating about achievement gaps and nclb strategies, tools,...

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