WHAT IS ARKANSAS DOING TO CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP?

Recovery. Both non-program groups started the year at much
higher levels of achievement than the treatment group, but
by the end of the year the Reading Recovery group had either
closed or nearly closed the achievement gap (UALR University
Training Center 2006).
Other Notable Programs
Direct Instruction is designed to accelerate the learning of
at-risk students in grades K-6 using scripted lesson plans that
have been heavily written, tested, rewritten and retested. This
allows the program to be implemented at a rapid pace, with
90% of students typically grasping the lessons after they are
first introduced. Skills are taught in sequence until students
have fully internalized them. In addition, in-class coaches are
used for implementation support. Akin to Success for All,
common periods for math and reading are established so that
students can be grouped based on performance level. Although
not proven by rigorous, randomized control trials, increases
in reading and language scores were dramatic. A nationwide
study of DI found that students’ language test scores increased
between +.49 and +.84 standard deviations, reading scores
increased between .07 and .69 standard deviations, and math
scores increased between .57 and 1.11 standard deviations. 23
Costs range from $150 to $200 per student per year (American
Federation of Teachers 1997).
A third promising program is Core Knowledge, which
includes lessons in math, arts, and world civilizations, in
addition to reading and language. The program introduces
students to interesting yet demanding subject matter at an early
grade level so that low-income students are not left behind in
the early, formative years. Grade-to-grade content guidelines
are given to all teachers, creating a common core. The program,
already in use in West Helena, Clarendon, and Lepanto, has
seen students gain 12 Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) points
in a year, compared with students in comparable schools
(American Federation of Teachers 1997). 2324
Curriculum and Instructional
Programs in Arkansas
Arkansas has been recognized as a leader in setting rigorous
learning standards. In a study that compares the rigor of
Arkansas’ Benchmark Exam standards to the standard set
by the “Nation’s Report Card,” the National Assessment of
23 1 standard deviation is a very large effect, equivalent
to four years learning on the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) test as well as against the size
of the black-white achievement gap.
24 A gain of 20 NCE points is roughly equal to 1 standard
deviation.
Educational Progress, Arkansas ranked in the top ten states
(Peterson and Hess 2006). Arkansas was the second state in the
nation to require four years of mathematics through Algebra II
through the Smart Core initiative. Finally, Arkansas will require
that all high schools offer Advanced Placement (AP) classes
in math, English, science, and social studies by the 2008-09
school year. The state pays for AP exams, and participation rates
in AP courses and exams have sharply increased. Many of the
new participants have been minority and low-income children.
Arkansas has also taken advantage of the federal Reading
First funds to create a state-developed initiative for funding
early reading curricular programs for schools with low
achievement levels. Reading First has a strict set of guidelines
that must be met for local schools and districts to receive
funding. With a little tweaking and the addition of a few
extra curricular components, Success for All, Comprehensive
Literacy, Direct Instruction, and Core Knowledge all qualify
for Reading First funding (Arkansas Department of Education
2007).
According to the state director of Reading First, 86 schools
across the state utilize Reading First for their curricular
programs. A majority of these schools use the Partnerships
in Comprehensive Literacy, but only about half of the PCL
schools have implemented the Reading Recovery intervention.
Once used in at least six schools across the state, Success for All
is currently used only in the Osceola district. None use Direct
Instruction and Core Knowledge; they have been replaced by
SFA and PCL, a move that reflects the more impressive effects
that these programs have shown (Choate 2007).
Recommended Next Steps for Arkansas
in Instruction and Curriculum
Arkansas policymakers should be congratulated on their
efforts to improve curriculum and instruction. Through
serious investments and persistent attention, Arkansas boasts
one of the nation’s most rigorous curriculum and has adopted
instructional programs, such as Success for All and Reading
Recovery, that have been proven to reduce the achievement gap.
Because successful systems are already in place, we believe it is
unlikely that additional reform to curriculum and instruction
will have much additional impact on the achievement gap.
School Facilities
Are there real linkages between the quality of school
buildings and the learning that takes place within them or are
the subpar educational facilities that are disproportionately
used by low-income and minority students only symbolically
problematic While research shows that improved facilities
are not a single-bullet answer to closing the achievement gap,
that research also increasingly indicates that at least some
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