Achievement Gap Definitions
Based on the research I conducted, there are many definitions for the Achievement
Gap. The most common definition is the achievement gap between race and class.
One important factor to consider when determining gaps is the education standards.
If a student is not meeting the standard then a gap exists regardless of race and
class. Additionally, when determining achievement gaps, other criteria besides just
test scores needs to be reviewed. For example, the percentage of minority students
who are enrolled in advanced classes in comparison to the total minority
population.
Below are excerpts from a few of the articles I researched as well as their websites.
What is the achievement gap?
The “achievement gap” is a matter of race and class. Across the U.S., a gap in academic
achievement persists between minority and disadvantaged students and their white
counterparts. This is one of the most pressing education-policy challenges that states
currently face.
New urgency at the federal level
Recent changes in Federal education policy have put the spotlight on the achievement
gap. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires states to set the same performance
targets for children:
From economically disadvantaged families
With disabilities
With limited English proficiency
From all major ethnic and racial groups
Within a school, if any student subgroup persistently fails to meet performance targets,
districts must provide public school choice and supplemental services to those students –
and eventually restructure the school's governance. This is required even if the school
performs well overall.
In other words, schools now are considered successful only if they close the
achievement gap. Many schools are struggling to meet this benchmark.
http://www.subnet.nga.org/educlear/achievement/
The achievement gap, which the National Governors Association calls
“one of the most pressing education-policy challenges that states currently face”
is almost universally defined as a problem of low-income children and the
distance between them and their higher-income counterparts in academic
achievement. That gap certainly exists, and absolutely must be addressed. But
there is a much larger and more significant gap—a gap whereby all of our
children aren’t living up to their full potential and aren’t gaining the life skills they
need to thrive now and in the future. There is no question in my mind that we
won’t be able to address the achievement gap for some of our children if we don’t
address this life skill gap for all of our children.
In nationally representative studies of employers conducted by the
Families and Work Institute, employers tell us again and again that young people
don’t have the life skills—not just the content information— they need for the 21st
century.
http://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/earlylearning/denver-galinskypresentation.pdf
The "achievement gap" in education refers to the disparity in academic performance
between groups of students. It is most often used to describe the troubling performance
gaps between many African-American and Hispanic students, at the lower end of the
performance scale, and their non-Hispanic white peers, and the similar academic
disparity between students from low-income and well-off families. The achievement gap
shows up in grades, standardized-test scores, course selection, dropout rates, and collegecompletion rates. It has become a focal point of education reform efforts.
Disparities exist in students’ course-taking patterns as well. Data from the U.S.
Department of Education indicate that approximately 62 percent of white, black, and
Hispanic high school graduates each were enrolled in an Algebra 1 course in high school
in 1998. But that pattern did not hold for higher-level math courses. While 64 percent of
white students took Algebra 2, only 55 percent of black and 48 percent of Hispanic
students were also enrolled. Even larger gaps appear in honors-course enrollments: 7.5
percent of white students, 3.4 percent of black students, and 3.7 percent of Hispanic
students took Advanced Placement calculus (U.S. Department of Education, 2000a).
The achievement gap shows up in grades, standardized-test scores, course selection,
dropout rates, and college-completion rates.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/achievement-gap/