Equity and the "Excellence Gap"
Even if every student now achieving below grade level suddenly met grade level standards, there would still be an unacceptable disparity at the highest levels of academic achievement.
Ideally, students identified as advanced learners would include the range of socio-economic and racial/ethnic diversity of a school district.
In reality, students from low-income backgrounds, students who are English Language Learners, students who receive Special Education services, and students who are black or Latino are all underrepresented at the advanced levels of K-12 academic achievement.
The “Excellence Gap” is the lack of students from diverse economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds performing at high academic levels. Below are just a few examples of the complexity of factors that can create these academic disparities.
* In a system keenly focused on proficiency, school districts have rarely paid attention to the instructional needs of students once they move beyond proficiency levels. Assumptions are made that these students will be fine learning on their own due to their academic skills. Thus continued learning growth for these students has in part relied on academic opportunities that some families access outside of the school day. This creates an opportunity gap for low-income students who may not have the comparable access, resources or time to participate in academically challenging extracurricular options.
* The Excellence Gap mirrors the minimum proficiency Achievement Gap on which most education discussions focus. There are many more students from underrepresented groups at minimum proficiency levels than at advanced levels. This can create assumptions and misperceptions about a student's ability or potential to be successful at higher levels of learning. Thus, students are judged not on their own ability or potential but on the demographic trends seen at a school district, state or national level. Also, students from underrepresented groups with the potential to succeed at advanced academic levels can simply go unnoticed due to the intense focus on minimum proficiency.
See the Resources and Research page for more reports, published articles and a new book on the "Excellence Gap".
Ideally, students identified as advanced learners would include the range of socio-economic and racial/ethnic diversity of a school district.
In reality, students from low-income backgrounds, students who are English Language Learners, students who receive Special Education services, and students who are black or Latino are all underrepresented at the advanced levels of K-12 academic achievement.
The “Excellence Gap” is the lack of students from diverse economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds performing at high academic levels. Below are just a few examples of the complexity of factors that can create these academic disparities.
* In a system keenly focused on proficiency, school districts have rarely paid attention to the instructional needs of students once they move beyond proficiency levels. Assumptions are made that these students will be fine learning on their own due to their academic skills. Thus continued learning growth for these students has in part relied on academic opportunities that some families access outside of the school day. This creates an opportunity gap for low-income students who may not have the comparable access, resources or time to participate in academically challenging extracurricular options.
* The Excellence Gap mirrors the minimum proficiency Achievement Gap on which most education discussions focus. There are many more students from underrepresented groups at minimum proficiency levels than at advanced levels. This can create assumptions and misperceptions about a student's ability or potential to be successful at higher levels of learning. Thus, students are judged not on their own ability or potential but on the demographic trends seen at a school district, state or national level. Also, students from underrepresented groups with the potential to succeed at advanced academic levels can simply go unnoticed due to the intense focus on minimum proficiency.
See the Resources and Research page for more reports, published articles and a new book on the "Excellence Gap".