Indiana students have posted gains on national and state exams, but achievement gaps between the state’s nonwhite and white students persist, and grow the longer students are in school, a report concludes.
The report, “Is the Achievement Gap Narrowing?,” is available from the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy.
Indiana University’s Center for Evaluation and Education Policy released the report, “Is the Achievement Gap Narrowing?,” on Sept. 19. It found, for example, that the gap in combined passing rates on the state’s mathematics and English/language arts test was 25 percentage points in 3rd grade, but 38 percentage points in 10th grade.
The report recommends expanding effective reading programs, supporting full-day kindergarten, reviewing suspension and expulsion policies, and other steps to help low-achieving minority children catch up with their higher-scoring white peers.
