​Discussion:

Evidence of the Gap

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Discussion during this focus group was centered around race, social class, student achievement, and teaching practices at the school. During the discussion teachers explained that the student population at South Pointe Scholars is very diverse, but that the teaching staff is not. Although approximately 32% (n = 272) of the students are African American, only about 3% (n = 2) of the staff identifies as African American, while the other 97% is white (n = 70). Teachers also noted a perceived divide in socio-economic status. Several interviewees explained that they believed that students coming from Plymouth-Canton districts were usually more affluent and therefore not eligible for free or reduced lunch, while students coming from Ypsilanti where generally worse off and more likely to qualify for free and reduced lunch. Teachers reported that they did not feel that the race of their students played a role in their instruction or students’ achievement but that the child’s home district of origin did play a large role in how well the student was able to adjust to the school socially and academically.

Having reviewed both quantitative and qualitative data gleaned from South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy, evidence supports the existence and persistence of an opportunity gap among students of different socio-economic statuses and ethnicities at the school. There is clear evidence that proficiency rates across SES and ethnic groups are quite disparate. Consider the proficiency rates for ELA and math from the 2014-2015 M-STEP broken down by socio-economic status (Figure 2). With similarly sized populations, students qualifying for free lunch and students listed as “Not Eligible” saw a 25% gap favoring those higher-SES students ineligible for free or reduced price lunch. Similarly, a 20% gap exists between students qualifying for reduced price lunch and those ineligible, again favoring the higher-SES cohort.

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While no ELA data exists from previous school years, this trend of higher-SES students outperforming their low-SES peers has persisted since the 2012-2013 school year, according to math assessment results. Students eligible for free or reduced price lunch scored at least 28% lower than their higher-SES peers on the 2013-2014 MEAP and 2014-2015 M-STEP assessments. This is especially telling in that the population of low-SES students during both years (n = 192 and n = 251, respectively) was comparable to the higher-SES student count (n = 190 and n = 232, respectively). When higher-SES students consistently outperform their low-SES peers, one might conclude that socio-economic status does, indeed, play some role in the existence of the opportunity gap at South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy.

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On the same token, the ethnic differences noted in the data are difficult to ignore. These differences reflect national trends (U.S. Department of Education, 2015) and other studies conducted throughout public school communities (Clotfelter, Ladd, & Vigdor, 2009). The Black or African American (n = 165 for 2014-2015) and White (n = 173 for 2014-2015) populations in grades 3-5 are the largest ethnic groups at South Pointe Scholars (Figure 3). These groups, similar in number, are much larger than the Asian (n = 66), Hispanic (n = 51), and Multi-racial (n = 27) ethnic groups. Even so, there are clear differences in proficiency rates among these groups. Regarding 2014-2015 M-STEP math scores, White students outperformed Black or African American students by 29%, Hispanic students by 33%, and Multi-racial students by 16%. Asian students outperformed White students by 22% and Black or African American students by 51%.

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While there is no 2014-2015 M-STEP Reading assessment data, 2013-2014 MEAP reading scores tell a similar story. Asian students scored higher than any other cohort – at least 18% higher than Black or African American students and 38% higher than Hispanic students. Achieving a proficiency score of 75%, quite similar to the Asian proficiency score, White students nearly equally outperformed those same ethnic groups. Thus, a proficiency gap assuredly exists between the several ethnic cohorts just as a gap exists among the lower- and higher-SES cohorts. Likewise, it can be shown that an opportunity gap exists among the ethnic subgroups and lower- and higher-SES subgroups at South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy.

 

Creation of the Gap

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There is certainly reason to believe that the proficiency gaps noted above may have existed prior to students entering South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy. While limited data is available to describe the characteristics of students prior to entering South Pointe Scholars, what follows is a survey of possible contributors to the initial presence of the proficiency gap at the school. In order for relevant context, the overall population of students, specifically the student attrition rate, should be addressed again.

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In its first several years, South Pointe Scholars has held a moderately high attrition rate. However, the total population has remained consistent as new students fill open slots when others leave. It should be noted that student attrition rates have decreased since the school’s inception. During the 2013-2014 school year, 23.3% of the previous year’s population did not return to South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy.  This attrition rate has dropped to 12.8% for the most recent school year, and the transient population has steadied. Yet, the South Pointe Scholars’ 2015 school improvement plan report notes concern for attrition and new students’ ability that reflects deficit thinking as posited in Valencia (2010). Noting the reduction in the attrition rate as a move in the right direction, the report boldly states the still present consternation over loss of students and acquisition of new students. The report states, “Students we have educated are leaving, which means we are accepting students in their place that may come to us with academic deficits and/or behavior challenges,” (National Heritage Academies, 2016, p. 21). Here, the 2016 report points to the variability of students’ preparedness to attend school and the factors that may contribute to the existence of the proficiency gap noted at the school.

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This assumption, however, is supported by recent research. Rothstein (2004) claims that, “if black students’ average mobility were reduced to the level of white students’ average mobility,” 14% of the black-white test score gap could be eliminated (p. 46). The work also contends that, “high mobility depresses achievement not only for children who move [...] but also for stable children in these schools whose classes are reconstituted,” and affected by this transient population. Hence, while the South Pointe Scholars faculty point out that new students may not have adequate skills to achieve proficiency ratings at grade level, there are unseen detractors to success that high turnover in student population contribute. High mobility may act as an important contributor to the opportunity gap’s presence at the school.

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Another factor possibly contributing to the existence of the gaps seen at the school is English language proficiency among English Learner (EL) students. The school improvement plan report notes that there were 86 ELs enrolled at South Pointe Scholars in 2014 and a 63% increase to 144 ELs in the most recent school year (National Heritage Academies, 2016, p. 34). While some studies suggest that that ELs, specifically Hispanic students, bridge the proficiency gap with White students as school progresses (Clotfelter, Ladd, & Vigdor, 2009), the South Pointe Scholars data presents an increasing EL population with roughly only 10% of those students exiting EL services each year (National Heritage Academies, 2016, p. 32). Furthermore, of the EL students tested during 2014-2015 M-STEP administration, only 40% were proficient in English Language Arts, and only 25% of tested ELs were proficient in math (p. 31). Like student attrition, this language barrier may prove as another foundational structure in the opportunity gap’s existence at the school.

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Socio-economic status may also serve as a contributing factor for the opportunity gaps present at the school. While current research tends to contest socio-economic status as a limiting factor to student success, it certainly serves as a cause for opportunity gaps within the early grades. Cultural and environmental factors (i.e., parents’ education background, parents’ income, the role of literacy in the home, etc.) are known to affect student achievement (Jencks & Phillips, 1998). Yet, as Rothstein (2004) notes, “cultural factors explain only part of the difference between black and white student achievement, most of which is attributable to the fact that black families, on average, have lower social class characteristics than white families” (p. 37). Thus, while it is important to note cultural and environmental factors as possible contributors to South Pointe Scholars’ proficiency gaps, socio-economic status is, ultimately, the root of those factors. Here, too, one must concede that while socio-economic status cannot be the sole contributor to the existence of the schools’ gap, it can be counted as a factor for the gap.

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Changes in the Gap

 

South Pointe Scholars has made some gains in overall proficiency over the last three years; however, the opportunity gap that exists between the SES and ethnic subgroups has stagnated. The school improvement team at South Pointe Scholars has looked at this data and formulated a plan that attempted to narrow this gap. Instructional strategies such as developing cross-curricular programming, early childhood education, and community involvement are being implemented across the school. Yet, no significant gains in bridging the opportunity gap between subgroups has occurred.

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One thing South Pointe Scholars has done in an attempt to narrow the opportunity gap at the school is implement an early childhood education program. According to Barnett & Lamy (2013), the use of early childhood education is crucial to setting up our students for greater future success. Barnett & Lamy (2013) suggest that the presence of early childhood education can positively impact students in many ways including: higher test scores; better progress through school; high rates of on-time high school graduation; increased adult economic success, including higher income; improved children’s attitudes, dispositions and social behaviors; improved mental health; and decreases in delinquency and crime. With that, students at South Pointe Charter Academy may have the luxury to early childhood education and can use those skills from a young age throughout their lives. Considering South Pointe Scholars’ young-fives pre-Kindergarten program has been in place since the school opened, the higher overall proficiency rates noted in the 2014-2015 assessment data might be due to a larger population of students having gone through that young-fives program. However, the ethnic proficiency gaps might persist because of the several factors responsible for the gap’s presence. Thus, the early childhood education program may have benefited students who have attended South Pointe Scholars from a young age but has not addressed the needs of students with high mobility rates.

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Another contributor to the persistence of the racial opportunity gap at South Pointe Scholars might stem from the number of students who did not attend third grade at the school. The school has a significant population of students in grades 4-8 that did not attend the school prior to their fourth grade year. Research suggests that third grade is a significant point in the schooling of youth. Nationally, the largest proficiency gaps by race and ethnicity in third grade are seen in those skills most crucial to future academic and labor market success, such as multiplication and division in math; and inferencing, extrapolation, and evaluation in reading (Fryer and Levitt, 2006). South Pointe Scholars’ data mimics this, thus, speaking further to the importance of quality early childhood and primary grade education.

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The ethnic makeup of a school’s faculty and student populations can also have an effect on proficiency gaps present in schools. While there is certainly a number of reasons for the persistence of the opportunity gap at South Pointe Scholars, one of the reasons could be the actual racial makeup of the staff itself. White students at South Pointe Scholars scored nearly 30% higher than the African American students in the school. South Pointe Scholars has a predominantly white staff, which may impact the students that the school serves. Hanushek and Rivkin (2009) suggests that a disproportionate population of non-Black teachers inhibits black student progress, particularly high achievers in third grade. Noting this study and the demographic of students and staff at South Pointe Charter Academy, it can be concluded that the disproportionate number of non-Black teachers likely had a significant impact on the achievement of African American students.

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Yet another reason for the continued presence of South Pointe Scholars’ opportunity gap might be the lack of relatability the teachers have with their students. One important aspect to consider is the diversity of the students versus the diversity of the staff members. Because of the racial disparities between students and staff, teachers may have a more challenging time relating to their students. However, school administrators also play a significant role in the achievement of their students (Gooden & O’Doherty, 2015; Green, 2015). For example, “as a result of historical and often shared oppressions, [transformational leaders] tend to challenge assumptions about ways in which schools and universities function, strategize, and operationalize teaching and learning in diverse societies” (Santamaria, 2014, p. 350). Thus, teachers and administrators alike hold a responsibility to be culturally relevant when teaching a diverse population of students.

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It should be noted that South Pointe Scholars’ administrators have attempted to create professional development centered around race and nurturing understanding for cultures, nationalities, and religions within the school. Similar to the study done by Nelson and Guerra (2014), the implementation of these professional development opportunities was not done with fidelity and needed to be altered or extended to successfully deepen understanding for the staff members. Nelson and Guerra (2014) mention the different ways that teachers were feeling toward their schools and the way they approached the diversity, or lack of diversity, at their own schools. At South Pointe Scholars, improving the quality of professional development centered around race relations could be a possible solution to the major gap between test scores and the different students at the school.

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Similarly, Gooden and O’Doherty (2015) point out the importance of culturally relevant teaching and racial awareness for teachers and administrators . As new leaders emerge at South Pointe Scholars, it is important to make sure that those new leaders have the appropriate mindset to lead and to lead by example. Data from the focus group interview implies that some teachers  at the school lack appropriate cultural awareness needed to reach their students. Though teachers reported that they do have their students best interests in mind, they also displayed attitudes of “color-blindness” that imply there is more reflection needed on race relations at the school. Gooden and O’Doherty (2015) posits that racial reflections, when used to support aspiring leaders’ learning in preparation programs, can be productive and integral to the decision to act and adopt an anti-racist leadership mindset (p. 228). Hence, similar results can be assumed at South Pointe Scholars.

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There are many reasons why a school’s achievement gap could increase, including the quality of teachers and the school’s demographics. Although South Pointe Scholars has shown growth in proficiency as a whole, especially in ELA and math, there are still areas that need to have more focus to prevent a widening opportunity gap. In science, students who were eligible for reduced price lunch and who were not eligible for free or reduced price lunch both saw decreased scores. Both males and females and students with and without IEPs also saw decreased scores in science. Hispanic students, African American students, Asian, and Non-EL students saw decreased scores in science. White and Asian students saw decreased scores in social studies. Thus, lacking focus in science and social studies could be contributing to the persisting opportunity gap.

Considering the evidence of the growing opportunity gap among some subgroups, we have to look at what the school has done in the past as possible contributors to this growth. First-grade academic achievement scores can be quite telling in predicting twelfth-grade achievement; however, factors such as “summer brain drain,” home environment, and the aforementioned elements play a significant role as well (Jencks & Phillips, 1998). Recently, South Pointe Scholars discontinued its summer school program claiming that few positive results were seen. While the school maintains a summer bridge book program, this does not equate to a high-quality, face-to-face summer school booster program.

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Considering all the above mentioned factors, different students will have different skills based on the way they are raised, and this will lead to different at home opportunities, especially during the time off from school as mentioned above. To take full advantage of school, children should enter ready to learn, and their after-school, weekend, and summer activities should reinforce their learning (Rothstein, 2004). That being said, with students showing decreases in science and social studies across all different races, genders, and socioeconomic status, we might be able to infer two things: 1) students are not prepared to enter a science or social studies class, and 2) teachers are not as focused on these subjects as ELA or math.

Tracking may also play a significant role in the persistence of the opportunity gap at South Pointe Scholars. Through the 2014-2015 school year, students were labeled as novice, at-grade-level, or advanced/proficient in reading and math and placed into different classes based on their label. With these tracks showing a stagnation of scores favoring the advanced/proficient learners, the school decided to adjust their system. For the current school year, South Pointe Scholars removed the novice track and had two on-grade-level classes and one advanced/proficient class. With the removal of the novice class, the school may have allowed for students once labeled as novice to have more access to grade level material. However, these changes presently have little data to support the action. Similar to conclusions made by Mickelson and Everitt (2008), eliminating some tracks will have a positive influence on the students. This suggests that blending low-achieving students with higher-achieving students will benefit those students labeled as novice learners at South Pointe Scholars. Conversely, students labeled as novice learners will fall farther behind their higher-achieving peers should they be segregated as a homogenous cohort.  

 

While South Pointe Charter Academy has made many gains in their scores across the board, there is still work that needs to be done in order to close the opportunity gaps present between ethnic and SES subgroups. Closing the opportunity gap is no small feat, but it would appear that, from the data, South Pointe Charter Academy is a good position to begin new initiatives that could narrow the gaps in student achievement in the future.

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Bridging the Gap

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The results from the analysis of data from South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy are clear when it comes to identifying an opportunity gap. Race, socio-economic status, and certainly language barriers play a significant role in the existence of this discovered gap. As well as with other research on the opportunity gap, there is evidence of its existence, but now the question South Pointe Scholars must ask is: what steps will be taken to ameliorate this gap? There needs to be a thought out plan to implement for the future direction of this school. This plan needs to identify what is currently working, how to maintain those current successful efforts, and what else can be done to close the present gap.

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At times it is often discouraging to discover such a gap but not know the answer to reducing it. Maybe even more troublesome would be realizing some initiatives are working but still a need remains to sustain and built on these efforts. Teaching and leading with purpose of reducing this gap is an everyday reality of which teachers and administrators in every district should be cognizant.  Faculty in schools should at the very least strive to focus daily on “Factors over which schools have control” (Murphy, p. 233). This is contradictory to the deficit thinking that is ingrained in many school employees whether it be conscious thought or subconscious prejudice. “Schools are the most beneficial for those students who need them most” (Murphy, p. 233). Realizing that we have control of this is important. Socioeconomic status is out of reach for teachers to change. However, teachers and administrators have control over differentiation of instruction and the culture/climate of the classroom.

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As an overlying context of the efforts to reduce the gap Murphy states “Equity can only be achieved if reform design features strategies that disproportionately advantage children on the wrong side of the achievement gap” (Murphy p. 234). Early intervention is a main factor when it comes down to the overall effectiveness of the long-term goal of closing the gap, suggesting implementing non-school initiatives affecting deficit factors during early grades.  This is based off the fact that “the relative importance of non-school factors decreases over time” (Murphy p. 236) Murphy goes on to remind us that logically “prevention trumps remediation” (Murphy p. 236) and that “within-school factors have a greater impact on the achievement of students of color than they do on white students’ achievement” (Murphy p. 235). When targeting academic subgroups, research warns, “grouping masks individual differences, differences to which educators need to attend” (Murphy p. 236). That being said, there are various suggested guidelines for the implementation of effective strategies.

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Teachers are the most consistent and direct resource for all students but more importantly they are also critical and impactful for targeted subgroups of students when it comes to affecting academic achievement whether it is positive or negative. For the subgroups of students it makes logical sense and is supported by Murphy that these students “are taught by competent, authentically caring, well prepared, and experienced teachers” (Murphy p. 239). There is no magic recipe for acquiring and retaining these teachers but through using a strategic and purposeful hiring approach with this in mind, schools like South Pointe Scholars would be better off. Research also suggests that in districts with high minority student populations, it makes sense that the hiring and retaining of ethnically diverse teaching staff would have a positive effect on narrowing achievement gaps (Murphy, 2011). More incentives need to be offered to bring in highly effective teachers into the high-poverty and low-income schools. Teachers who will have impact are those with high teacher efficacy and drive to understand their student populations and create classroom culture around that.

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In the instructional realm of solutions to the problem, data analysis of formative assessments should be used to drive instruction. Teachers who use formative assessment are able to give objective positive feedback to students which in turn develops intrinsic motivation for the students giving them the perception that the can improve and learn like all others. This formative assessment also allows teachers to pinpoint weaknesses and change strategies in later instruction. Another factor associated with the ability to observe points an individual needs to improve on is allocating special resources appropriately. Using paraprofessionals, intervention specialists, and EL teachers is essential to reaching the target group for the classroom (Yeh, 2010). Currently small group instruction led by paraprofessionals and intervention specialists has been effective for South Pointe Scholars. This small group strategy along with formative assessment results when used in combination can be highly effective when addressing students with similar needs whether it relates to subject areas or language barriers for EL students. Maintaining a structured and analyzed approach to the allocation of these outside professionals is needed to continue the upward trend in addressing South Pointe Scholars’ opportunity gap.

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In regards to the teacher’s impact it should be emphasized that depending on the student body, teachers should participate in trainings and professional development that brings to light the school’s opportunity gap and best practice strategies for reducing it. Professional development plans should include time spent on analyzing formative assessment data to drive instruction for subgroups of students. Also trainings on developing a deeper understanding of how socio-economic status and ethnicity play a part in a teacher’s instructional planning should be incorporated. This would lead to conversation on how important instructional differentiation is and the importance of appropriately using outside sources for additional support in targeting identified subgroups of students.

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Community involvement has continued to show positive trends with regards to student achievement. South Pointe Scholars has been creating and implementing more community based programs to cultivate positive and more inclusive relationships with students’ families. The Chicago Consortium of School Research (CCSR) suggests several strategies for improving school community ties:

• Teachers need to be knowledgeable about student culture and the local community and draw on these in their lessons

• School staff must reach out to parents and community to engage them in the processes of strengthening student learning

• Schools should draw on a network of community organizations to expand services for students and their families (Sebring, Allensworth, Bryk, Easton, & Luppescu, 2006)

Continuation and refinement of these programs will be beneficial to the narrowing of the opportunity gap at South Pointe Scholars and other schools like it.

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Summary

 

Ultimately, it is clear that there is an academic opportunity gap present between ethnic and socio-economic subgroups at South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy. Recent data pulled from the school’s 2016 school improvement plan report for the upcoming school year confirms this point. Asian students regularly outperformed all racial subgroups in reading and math on recent state assessments, but White students similarly outperformed all remaining subgroups in those same subjects. While improvements in reading and math proficiency have been realized for most ethnic subgroups over the past three years, the proficiency gaps have widened.

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It was noted that several of the reasons for the gap’s presence might stem from high student mobility rates, a significant English Learner population, and the role that socio-economic status plays (especially considering resulting environmental and cultural factors). Yet, those factors only point to the initial presence of the gap. The stagnation and, in some areas, widening of the gap might be the result of high student mobility rates and the loss of impact from the school’s early childhood programming, the cultural divide between diversity in the population of students and the lack of diversity among faculty and administrators, the lack of culturally relevant teaching, and the role tracking has played in maintaining increased or decreased opportunity for advanced/proficient and novice students, respectively.

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In order to bridge the opportunity gap at South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy, school leaders should develop programs that develop strong bonds between school stakeholders and the local community, improve teacher quality control and retention, strategically implement extra supports for students and staff, utilize professional development time for data driven inquiry, and implement adequate and consistent professional development based upon developing cultural understanding.

South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy has a great deal of work to do in order to bridge the opportunity gap that has persisted since the school’s inception. However, this study confirms that there are structures in place that can assist in achieving this goal.

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References

 

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