The Issue of Achievement Gap Between Elementary Students in The United States

An “achievement gap” refers to the discrepancy in academic performance between groups of students. It shows up in grades, test scores, course selection, dropout rates and college completion rates. Kids these days are testing better than kids from about 40 years ago, however there is still a large gap in achievement between elementary students. (Campbell)

The achievement gap is a multifaceted problem that can be examined from multiple perspectives. On the federal level, we have the No Child Left Behind Act that requires schools to meet annual targets for improvement in specific academic areas. (Education Week) Basically, schools are accountable for students falling behind. Because of things like the achievement gap, many schools and districts are at risk.

The achievement gap is also propelled by things like the teaching gap. Students in the US aren’t performing as well as students in other countries, maybe due to the fact that teachers here are up against a lot of roadblocks. US teachers have to cope with larger class sizes. They are expected to teach upwards of 20 or more students at a time and it’s hard to evenly distribute your attention to all of those people at once. Teachers in the US also spend more hours than teachers in other countries directly instructing students every week. This makes it harder for our teachers to find time to work on creating curriculum, learning new teaching methods, marking papers, working individually with students and reaching out to parents. If we were to value our teachers more they would have more time to put together tasks that would help our students succeed in the classroom.

White students and students across racial/ethnic groups along with students of different genders are experiencing this separation in achievement.

On standardized tests, many students of color are continually scoring well below their white counterparts in every subject. In both math and reading the average black student places in the 13th percentile, meaning that 87 percent of white students are scoring ahead of the average black student. (National center for education statistics)

Even at the age of nine, there is a 26-point gap in math and reading between black and white students. While the gap has narrowed from what it was in the 1970s, it is still far too big.

Another factor in the black-white achievement gap is school composition. On average, white students attend schools that are only nine percent black, while black students attend schools that are 48 percent black. Schools with the highest density of black students tended to be the ones that had the most underachievement. Interestingly enough, while achievement for both black and white students was lower in the highest black student density schools than the lowest density schools, the achievement gap was not different.

There has also been a consistent gap between boys and girls in reading and math. In 2012, boys scored higher than girls in math, while girls outperformed boys in reading. By grade four, greater shares of boys are reaching the advanced level while girls only reach the basic level. In reading, girls outperform boys at the elementary, middle and high school level. Although gaps in reading and math between boys and girls have narrowed from what they once were, there is less progress being made in catching up today.

The achievement of many students could very well be the administration’s fault. Some teachers do not encourage certain students to have a love for education and learning other students may have, and in class many of them are sent to the back and ignored. It has been proven that students who take more rigorous classes or are pushed in their classes score higher on the tests. Teachers are critical for student learning, and when teachers put the work in, student engagement tends to be higher. Good teachers should capitalize and make the most of students’ inherent want to learn.

There are efforts being made to slowly close the achievement gap, however this is not an issue that we can just trust to fix itself in a few years. Every day we hear more about “promising attempts” to close the gap and we hear about school systems that are focusing solely on closing the achievement gap, yet the progress is disappointingly slow. Teachers, parents and administration need to actively work every day to fight this issue. The use of evidence base instruction could be helpful. Rather than lecturing and testing students, teachers may find it beneficial to instruct in a way that enables them to observe students’ responses to specific activities. (Heick) Student engagement with school and efforts toward learning are strong predictors of academic success. Students must study in environments that nourish and capitalize on academic engagement and strong work ethic so that students can be more successful in the classroom. (Moller) When the sole purpose of school is around memorization and test taking, it diminishes the learning experiences of students.

Providing a rigorous curriculum would also help. It has been proven that almost all students can achieve at high levels if they are taught at high levels. Instructing and emphasizing basic skills to increase comprehension is a way to help any struggling students. Teachers however take students at a young age and see that are indeed struggling, and they incorrectly try to “dumb things down” instead of trying to bring the kid up to speed. Here is where the stereotype threat comes into play.

The stereotype threat is a situational predicament in which people are or feel themselves to be at risk of confirming negative stereotypes about their social group. For example, a white man performs worse on a math test because he believes he is competing against Asians. In this context, minority students go into school wrongfully believing that they are already not as smart as their white counterparts. Teachers and society perpetuate the stereotype, widening the achievement gap.

Another way to help the gap would be to increase instructional time. Struggling students often need more one on one time. Struggling students need instruction that is clear and explicit to target their individual needs.

It is also important to monitor progress incredibly often. There shouldn’t be any more slipping through the cracks. Teachers need to be aware of exactly which students are doing well and which aren’t and where they need to focus their attention. When progress is monitored often teachers can pinpoint when students are falling behind and they can intervene accordingly.

Teachers also need to motivate and engage their students. When kids are asked to perform skills they simply do not have, their motivation decreases.

Lastly, teachers should link home and school. Close cooperation between schools, parents and the community is critical in closing the gap. Parent involvement has a strong and direct impact on student achievement.

It’s up to the teachers and administration to change this issue and close the gap, especially with elementary students, the most vulnerable population.