Ohio’s Other Gap

While NCLB is closing the gap between rich and poor and ethnic groups at the proficient level, the gap at the advanced level is widening.

NAEP proficiency level and percentile data as well as results from state assessments demonstrate the existence of substantial excellence gaps for Black, Hispanic, and Free and Reduced Lunch Eligible students on most exams. White students had higher average AP scores than Black students on AP tests and were more likely to make a “5” on an AP exam or take an AP exam while Hispanic performance was more competitive. Ohio state assessments have fairly rigorous standards for advanced status.

According to NAEP proficiency data, the percentage of students at the advanced level increased in Math for non-FARM and white students, with additional improvements among FARM students in Grade 8 and among Black students in Grade 4. Declines among minority and FARM students in Reading Grade 4 and Black students in Grade 8 led to increases in the excellence gap.

NAEP scale scores at the 90th percentile increased for most subgroups in Math, with FARM and Hispanic students improving more rapidly than their peers in Math Grade 8. Achievement gaps increased in Reading in large part due to declines among FARM and minority students.
The proportion of high-achieving students increased across grade levels among income and ethnic subgroups on Math assessments (except for Hispanic students in Grade 4), with over-represented populations growing more rapidly than under-represented groups. The results in Reading were more ambiguous, with reductions in the excellence gap in Grade 4 and 7 due to stagnation or decline among white and affluent students while Grade 10 saw similar patterns in Math.

On the AP exam, there were increases in achievement gaps in mean AP scores and the number of tests taken, weighted by enrollment. In the percentage of tests that scored a 5 (unweighted), the gap between white and Black students increased while the gap between white and Hispanic students decreased. The gap between white and Black students increased in the percentage of test that scored a 5 (weighted).