Minnesota’s Other Achievement Gap

While NCLB is closing the gap between rich and poor and ethnic groups at the proficient level, the gap at the advanced level is widening.

NAEP proficiency level and percentile data as well as results from state assessments demonstrate the existence of substantial excellence gaps for Black, Hispanic, and Free and Reduced Lunch Eligible students. White students had higher average AP scores than Black and Hispanic students on AP tests and were much more likely to make a “5” on an AP exam or take an AP exam.

According to NAEP proficiency data, the percentage of students at the advanced level increased for white and non-FARM students in Math, for FARM students in Math Grade 4 and Reading Grade 8, and for Hispanic students in Math Grade 4. The excellence gap expanded in Math, while general declines in Reading Grade 4 increased the gap for FARM students. In Reading Grade 8 the gap narrowed for FARM and increased for Hispanic students.

NAEP scale scores at the 90th percentile increased for most subgroups in Math, while in Reading scores were lower for most groups in Grade 4 as well as for non-FARM and white students in Grade 8. The excellence gap for minorities declined in Grade 4 Math (due to white students’ flat scores), and in Reading Grade 8 the achievement gaps narrowed on lower performance for non-white and FARM students. In Math Grade 8 FARM and Hispanic students improved less quickly than their peers.

The proportion of white, affluent, Black, Hispanic, and lower-income students performing at the advanced level increased on Grade 4, 7, and 11 Math assessments.

There was a general decline in performance on Grade 4 Reading exams. The excellence gap expanded for lower-income students across subjects and exams, as it did for white students in Math. Hispanic students’ performances stagnated in Grade 7 and 10 Reading, trailing their white peers, while Black students performed somewhat better, narrowing the gap in Grade 7 Reading and keeping pace in Grade 4 Reading.

On the AP exams, there were slight increases in achievement gaps in the mean AP scores, in the percentage of exams scoring a 5 (weighted and unweighted), and the number of tests taken weighted by enrollment.

Complete report:
https://www.iub.edu/~ceep/Gap/excellence/Minnesota.pdf