Closing the Achievement Gap - Washington State School Directors ...

What School Districts Are DoingThe Tacoma Public Schools (www.tacoma.k12.wa.us) operates “ProjectQuality,” a partnership between the school district and the Tacoma EducationAssociation to develop and support accomplished teaching standardsthat reflect high expectations for teaching and learning in every classroom.They also shape the district’s recruitment, mentoring, professional developmentand evaluation activities.This past year, the Mukilteo School District (www.mukilteo.wednet.edu)completed a comprehensive review of its learning support program thatrelied heavily on the use of instructional aides in the delivery of instructionalsupport to struggling students and English language learners (ELL).With an increasing number of students, including ELL students, studentsfrom low-income families and students with special needs, the program wasserving a greater percentage of students. In some schools, the percentage ofstudents served exceeded 30 percent of the school’s student population.Program changes that will be implemented based on the review included(1) increasing reliance on the use of certificated teachers in the delivery ofinstruction to students so that the most qualified staff are serving thestudents in the learning support program who are the lowest achieving; and(2) reducing the number of instructional aides in the learning supportprogram and ensuring that existing instructional aides implementing instructiondo so under the direction of a certificated teacher with clearguidelines that clarify the role and responsibilities of instructional aides,classroom teachers, and learning support program personnel.Teaching and LearningNew conceptions of teaching and learning exist in the current visionof schooling with its emphasis on high standards, principles ofequity, and accountability. Teachers must teach to standards, usecurriculum aligned to standards, provide clear and focused instruction, andassess student performance toward meeting standards.Teaching and learning must give all students the opportunity to learn athigh levels. Academic rigor plays a significant role. Rigorous academiccoursework can mitigate the influence of the family’s socio-economic statusin a student’s life. High expectations for all students means providingopportunities to interact with peers who share high academic goals. Accessto all programs without educational segregation are methods to ensureopportunities for all students to learn at high levels. NAEP results clearlyshow that tracking or educational segregation, for example, has a negativeimpact on achievement. Those students who take more vocational classeshave lower standardized test results than students who enroll in academicorientedclasses.The Spokane School District (www.spokaneschools.org) conducted seniorexit interviews this past year, and students in Advanced Placement and24CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP: A POLICY ACTION GUIDE