EDUCAT I ON
ACHIEVEMENT GAPS: UNACCEPTABLE
These are examples of persistent and unacceptable gaps in student
achievement:
• Students receiving free or reduced-price meals are at least twice
as likely in math and three times as likely in reading as their
better-off peers to perform at a “basic” rather than “proficient”
or “advanced” level.
• Achievement gaps persist for black/African American
and Hispanic/Latino students who are not eligible for free
or reduced-price meals. Black/African American student
graduation rates are lower (though increasing), and dropout
rates are higher (though decreasing), compared to rates for
white students. Hispanic/Latino student graduation rates are
also lower (and increasing), and their dropout rates are higher
(but also increasing), compared to rates for white students.
Even if you remove the socio-economic variable, black/African
American students score about 15 percent lower in math and
7 percent lower in reading than their white peers. Similarly,
Hispanic/Latino student achievement is about 7 percent lower
in math and 2 percent lower than that of white peers.
• Local English Language Learner (ELL) students met or
exceeded state targets for attaining English proficiency the
last five years, yet they have not met state targets for reading
and math proficiency in the last two years. ELL student
dropout rates are higher and graduation rates lower than their
non-ELL counterparts.
• Students receiving special education services continue to perform
significantly lower than the “all student” group on all state and
local measures of academic achievement. Their suspension rates
are disproportionately high, as is also true for black/African
American students as a group.
ELIMINATE GAPS: PURPOSEFUL, SYSTEMIC FOCUS
FCPS leaders are working diligently to eliminate achievement
gaps amongst our student groups. Our leaders include Dr. Keith
Harris, recently appointed executive director for our newly created
Accelerated Achievement and Equity Department. Efforts include
working closely with Frederick’s Eliminating the Achievement
Gap (EAG) organization to aggressively address these gaps. The
school system allotted funding from its Technology Now initiative
to provide more timely access to student and teacher data for
monitoring progress, planning improvements and highlighting
areas of disproportionality. Efforts to recruit and retain minority job
candidates are part of the plan to eliminate gaps. A major system
focus is on cultural proficiency with a growth mindset to expand
capacity for culturally responsive teaching that honors differences.
This focus emphasizes benefits of diversity and interactions that
foster knowledge and respect among cultural groups.
To ensure that learning is accessible to all students, FCPS launched
the Universal Design for Learning and created a framework called the
Salient 5 to highlight practices shown to yield high results for student
achievement: technological expression and delivery, collaboration,
verbal discourse, questioning and formative assessment. We work to
provide learners various ways of acquiring knowledge, alternatives
for demonstrating their knowledge and skills, and to tap students’
interests to challenge and motivate them to learn. Strategies that focus
on early learning and school readiness as well as on increasing language
proficiency also assist teachers work to eliminate achievement gaps.
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY: ENGAGED
All of these are important steps to eliminate achievement gaps,
yet they will fail without significant family and community
engagement. FCPS is firmly committed to engaging everyone who
has a stake in public education — and that’s our entire community.
Watch for opportunities in which you can make a difference. I
invite businesses and organizations to sign up for our Academic
Business Connection (ABC) at www.fcps.org/abc to partner with
FCPS. I ask families to expect high achievement in school, show
interest in and attend school activities, stay in touch with teachers,
limit television viewing, make reading part of everyday life,
provide a comfortable place and routine for studying, and learn
about issues that affect children’s health and education.
Join the ongoing dialog that helps us work together to eliminate
achievement gaps in local public education and equip every
student with college and career readiness.
FOR MORE ABOUT FCPS
VISIT www.fcps.org and sign up for FindOutFirst school email news and emergency text messages
LIKE FCPS on Facebook and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube
READ the FCPS Calendar Handbook
WATCH FCPS-TV, Comcast cable channel 18
CONTACT FCPS Department of Accelerated Achievement and Equity, Executive Director Dr. Keith Harris, 301-696-6854
CONTACT FCPS Communication Services, 191 S. East Street, Frederick, 301-696-6900
SPRING 2016 | FREDERICK COUNTY GUIDE
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