Income-based Achievement Gap Persists in Massachusetts

The Education Trust issued a report this week that analyzes NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) data to examine how state performance on this measure compared to the nation as a whole over the past decade.  Uneven at the Start: Differences in State Track Records Foreshadow Challenges and Opportunities for Common Core uses NAEP data as “the best available proxy for how states will fare on new college- and career-ready standards” to predict how students will meet the expectations of Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Math.

Although Massachusetts appears at or near the top of the charts included in the report, there is also a sobering conclusion:

“Today, no state is performing as well as we need it to, especially for its low-income students and students of color.  Even in Massachusetts, where low-income student performance in most subject and grade areas is about the same as the national average for all students, wide gaps persist between this group and their higher income counterparts within the state.”

This is not news for us in Massachusetts – we know we have persistent achievement gaps and serious skills gaps.  Although we have had more rigorous assessments of student learning – the MCAS tests – than many other states, these exams only test basic skills, not the college and career ready knowledge that the Common Core assessments will measure.  Our challenge continues to be providing all children access to the high quality education they need to succeed.  We should welcome and meet this challenge and not be deterred if the initial results are not what we have come to expect.

Lily Gabaree’s post yesterday about the Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce Report showing that there is increased demand for postsecondary education projected as the economy recovers makes it clear that preparing all of our children for college and career is not only essential for their benefit, but for our Commonwealth’s as well.