Kentucky Department of Education

What can a school do to help close academic achievement gaps?
Stakeholders at the school level have one of the greatest impacts on student performance and well being. School councils, teachers and staff can work with community and district stakeholders to close the gap.

This page describes what school stakeholders can do to help.

There is no magic bullet or special step in closing the gap, but there is a process that can better ensure that stakeholders are closing the gap. Leadership must establish a questioning process to seek answers which determine the needs of the students caught in a gap.

What can school councils stakeholders do?
School councils are required by statute to create an environment in their school that will enhance student achievement. They are also required by law to review their students' "disaggregated" test scores each September to help identify gaps in achievement between sub-groups of students.

Legislators in Kentucky created school-based decision making because they knew that the stakeholders at the school-level have the potential to have a great impact on student performance and the school environment. School councils, teachers and staff must work in collaboration with families, community groups, family resource and youth services centers and other district stakeholders to close the gap.

School councils are required to make a plan for school improvement and revise it each year. Through their planning process, issues of equity and diversity should be addressed. School councils are required by law to identify achievement gaps in their schools, and set targets for closing those gaps. Targets, along with objectives and activities that will close the gaps, are included in the school improvement plan.

School leaders, staff and other stakeholders will need to ask key questions and examine the needs of the students caught in a gap, and then participate in identifying problems that need to be solved to impact student performance. Some of those questions might be:

Beliefs
What is our school's vision for our students?
Does everyone in our school believe that all students can learn at high levels and are they committed to seeing each and every child reaching proficiency?
Has our school council and school staff engaged our family members and community in open dialogue around the issues of bigotry, racism, sexism, discrimination, prejudice, segregation and intolerance?
Are all students in our school included and engaged in all activities regardless of ethnicity, gender, ability, and socio-economic status?
Do all students in our school have access to all of the curriculum, including advanced courses and programs?
Can your teachers explain how each student's culture could influence the child's learning style, and adjust classroom instruction appropriately?

Data Collection
How does our school use multiple data sources to understand what the gaps are and what we need to do to close them?
Do we use multiple assessment instruments that allow students to show what they have learned in many different ways?
How do our teachers use disaggregated data to change classroom instruction and environment to help students achieve at higher levels?
Is our school meeting the No Child Left Behind definition for annual yearly progress?
What school council policies or improvement plan objectives and activities do we have in place (based on data) to help students who are falling behind or who need to accelerate their learning?
What data is collected each year by classroom teachers, counselors, librarians, Family Resource or Youth Services Centers surveys, safe schools surveys or parent and community surveys that help our school collect formal and informal data to inform issues of equity that may exist?

Practice
Do students have access to the general education curriculum because the teacher:
-Uses a variety of instructional strategies;
-Analyzes student work on a regular basis;
-Uses test scores (both classroom and standardized) to identify gaps;
-Acknowledges that some students learn differently;
-Builds upon each learner's prior knowledge, experience and skills;
-Allows students to use technology on a regular/appropriate basis;
-Understands Universal Design for Learning as he or she creates lessons and materials;
-Stays abreast of best practices and ensures professional development opportunities are geared towards the needs of all students?

Does the teacher allow for student differences by:
-Using multiple means for assessing student progress;
-Allowing students to sometimes choose how to demonstrate what they know;
-Self-assessing to ensure that their beliefs do not interfere with student progress;
-Assuring that both parents and students are informed of the learning expectations and are involved in the student's progress throughout the year;
-Checking to see if all students show improvement?

Does the teacher possess a proficient level of content knowledge that is aligned with Kentucky's Core Content, Program of Studies and Student Performance Standards?

The process above is not linear, but rather spiral in nature. Beliefs, data collection, and practices must be continually examined by each stakeholder.


Does the School:
Value different cultures, languages, and ethnic groups?
Ensure that academic outcomes are meaningful, relevant, useful and important to each child?
Believe that it is the educator's role and responsibility to provide effective and empowering instruction for each child?
Believe a student's culture influences learning?
Promote classroom climates built on social justice, democracy and equity?
Promote individual empowerment, self efficacy, positive self-regard and a belief in societal reform?
Believe in positive and mutual respect?
Understand that the influences of family participation on a student's learning and involve families in student learning?
Facilitate the maximum growth of each learner by making informed academic adaptations that match and build upon the learner's prior knowledge, experiences, skills, learning style and beliefs while equipping students with diverse skills to function?

Resources
Dropout Prevention Resource Guide
This online guide offers specific strategies for keeping students in school.

What tools can help examine gaps?

Comprehensive Improvement Planning
A school needs assessment and planning process should help the school community to correctly identify programs and priorities that will help the school reach proficiency and close gaps among groups of students.

School Improvement
This site can help a school focus on curriculum, classroom evaluations and assessments, instruction, school climate, student, family, and community support, professional development, leadership, organizational structure and effective planning.

Kentucky Center for School Safety
This site will help schools create safe, secure places where student can learn at high levels.

The Instructional Technology Impact Tool
This tool can help a school determine technology needs.