The Excellence Gap: A New Lens for Education Policy and Advocacy

1. The Excellence Gap:A New Lens for EducationPolicy and Advocacy Dr. Jonathan A. Plucker March 18, 2012 Belin-Blank Center/NAGC Acceleration Summit

3. Overview of our excellence gap work • Helpful for advocacy? • What research is needed to advance our efforts?

4. Overview

5. What is the Excellence Gap? • There has been a lot of focus on minimum competency achievement gaps • the overall average gaps at low to medium levels of performance between demographic groups • Comparatively little attention to gaps in performance among high ability students • In a good educational system we should see both equity AND excellence • Plenty of evidence this can happen

6. Super Awesome Quote! • Education systems that fail to develop the potential of students from every background can make claims to neither excellence nor equity, neither quality nor equality.

7. Why Should We Care? • Life prospects of students from disadvantaged backgrounds • Equity of the Educational System • Shouldn’t there be roughly the same percentage of high-performing students from every background? • Is minimum competency really enough? • International Competitiveness & Pipeline Issues

8. A Widening Excellence Gap 45%! Not 45%! TIMSS may be a better international assessment on which to base policy, since it samples by grade and not age and is similar in many ways to NAEP. Both in absolute and relative terms, it is clear the U.S. is at a huge disadvantage.

9. Measuring the Excellence Gap Percent Scoring at the Highest Level For example … Free and Reduced Lunch (FARM) : 6% Advanced Non-Free and Reduced Lunch (Non-FARM) : 15% Advanced 15% - 6% = Excellence Gap of 9% Can also measure using scores at a given high percentile, say the student at the 90th percentile (better for statistical reasons when tracking trends)

10. Excellence Gaps Using the NAEP • The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scored on a 0-500 point scale • Roughly every two years by the U.S. Department of Education • Performance Levels are Determined by Cut-Scores (Basic, Proficient, Advanced) • Built on framework similar to TIMSS

11. 2011 NAEP Math Results

12. 2011 NAEP Reading Results

13. Summary of 2011 NAEP • There are large gaps in the advanced achievement of under-represented groups relative to their peers on multiple assessments Race, Socioeconomic Status, English Language Learners • These populations are growing as a share of all students • These high potential students cannot “take care of themselves.”

14. trends

15. % Advanced in Math Grade 4 NCLB

16. % Advanced in Reading Grade 8 NCLB

17. Trends in Reading Grade 4at the 90th Percentile 23.0 28.2 20.6 24.4

18. Long-Term Trends in the Excellence Gap • If we go back before the passage of NCLB, there isn’t much evidence that the gaps are shrinking – many have become much larger. • In 2009 and 2011 the numbers for ELL students were especially discouraging, giving back most if not all previous gains over the last dozen years.

19. NAEP Math Grade 4 Gap Trends Roughly 2-3 grade levels.

20. NAEP Math Grade 8 Gap Trends

21. NAEP Reading Grade 4 Gap Trends

22. NAEP Reading Grade 8 Gap Trends

23. Worse Than It Looks • In many cases there has been very little change in overall performance • Some gaps have shrunk because white or non-FARM scores have declined • At the present rate, it would take decades (if ever) for the gaps to close.

24. Projected Trends in Reading Grade 4 2051 2060

25. More Evidence for the Excellence Gap Not “underrepresented”?

26. But they keep telling us there’s a rising tide …

27. A Distinct Problem • The Excellence Gap is not the same phenomenon as the achievement gap • Although achievement gaps are somewhat larger than excellence gaps, there are also closing more quickly and consistently • This is especially true for lower-income students during the NCLB era • (not that we’d call the rate achievement gaps are closing fast)

28. Achievement vs. Excellence Gaps, FARM students 2003-2009 Rising tide?

29. A Complicated Story • Focusing on race or income in isolation can give a misleading picture • Interaction of race & income • Changes in composition • For example the decline in Reading Grade 8 scores among White and FARM students since 2003 is almost entirely due to lower scores among lower-income Whites.

30. Reading G8 90th Percentile Trends Poor white students performing at similar levels to not-poor Hispanic and Black students ( )

31. So it’s all about poverty then?

32. NAEP Grade 4 Reading – DOD Schools 8% 6%

33. Why should you care?

34. The “excellence underclass” will soon be the majority of students in most states • It already is in many states. • A culture that values talent in all students is of unestimable benefit to everyone.

35. But what CAN we do about it?

36. What is the Federal Government Doing?

37. What are States Doing? • Although some states have adopted a mandate to identify and serve gifted students and have appropriated money to do so: • Gifted education funds are very vulnerable due to the fiscal climate • Most gifted education funding and policy is still carried out at the state level, with a major effect on equity • There is no evidence that ANY state has figured out a way to address Excellence Gaps, and many states have laughably low criteria for what constitutes an Advanced student

38. % Advanced Math Grade 4 State vs. NAEP

39. Recommendation #1 • Make Closing the Excellence Gap a State and National Priority • Expose people to the data • That which is not visible is by definition invisible. • Stop pretending the U.S. is “post-racial” or “beyond class distinctions” • Much criticism of G/T programs is deserved.

40. Recommendation #2 • Policymakers and educators should ask two questions: • How will this impact advanced students? • How will this help more students perform at advanced levels?

41. Recommendations #3 and #4 • Acknowledge That Both Minimum Competency and Excellence Can be Addressed At the Same Time • Other countries acknowledge this, why can’t we? • Set Realistic Goal to Shrink Gaps • We’re not getting every subgroup to 10% advanced in every content area any time soon.

42. Recommendations #5 and #6 • Determine the Appropriate Mix of Federal, State, Local Policies and Interventions • Federal mandate probably not a good thing • Federal research role probably a very good thing • Use things that we know work well • Grouping, acceleration, identification PD

43. Recommendations #7, #8, and #9 • Include the Performance of Advanced Students in Discussions of Common Standards • Address the “Low-Hanging Policy Fruit” Immediately • Early graduation and financial aid • Conduct More Research on Advanced Learning and Talent Development • How to address stereotype threat?

44. Helpful for advocacy?

45. What research is needed?

46. Needed Research • How do excellence gaps correlate with long-term educational and economic outcomes? • How do changes in immigration policy impact the need for excellence education? • How can recent research on stereotype threat be used to design interventions for bright students? • Do recent advances in data systems change the way ability grouping and acceleration can be implemented?

47. Future Excellence Gap Work • Second edition of report in April 2012 • Special report on science excellence gaps in near future • Special report on the experiences of gifted black males in fall 2012 • Report on NAEP excellence gaps in major urban areas around this time next year.

48. Excessively ProvocativeClosing Thought #1 The U.S. has created a great context in which to be talented, but it is very bad at developing talent.

49. Excessively ProvocativeClosing Thought #2 There is no natural advocacy group for advanced students.

50. ceep.indiana.edu/mindthegap